Last night's Flyers-Devils game was hardly a classic but it was good enough for Philly, with a win in the return match at home tomorrow, to start to put itself in position to successfully navigate the most difficult stretch of the regular season. The Flyers have a brutal week coming up, with a run of four road games in six days, so it will be important to have four points in the bank from the Devils games heading into that stretch of games.

I believe that Ville Leino is the player who drives the chemistry of the Flyers' second line. When Leino is playing with high energy, controlling the puck and setting up point-blank scoring chances for linemates Danny Briere and Scott Hartnell, the line is extremely effective. When he's not, it's a very stoppable trio (although Briere is still a dangerous individual player). Last night was one of those matches where all three line members were at the top of their games. The result: two goals for Hartnell, two goals for Briere and three primary assists for Leino.

There was a scary moment last night when Mike Richards collided with James van Riemsdyk, and Richards hobbled off to the dressing room. The Flyers captain also felt the effects of a slash. He finished the game, but you can be sure that he's not feeling great this morning.

As for the Jamie Langenbrunner rumors, it would be nice to add him to the Flyers' lineup, especially come playoff time. I don't see it happening, though.

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