Danny Briere is out tonight vs. NYR with a bruised hand, although we should mention a few players thought he might try to play.

Briere, however, is not here so ...

**

Two episodes into HBO's 24/7 and I'm starting to feel a twinge of anticipation for the Winter Classic on Jan. 2.

We're around the "shooters" every day and I know that Peter Laviolette told me a few weeks ago he feels they can be intrusive, but the stuff they are getting is great. I kinda marvel at how it all comes together.

People have asked what I would have done had it not been sportswriting and my answer is always the same: I think the only jobs better than sportswriting are careers in acting and making movies.

That said ... I wonder if tonight's game at MSG really serves to stir it up for the Winter Classic or whether it takes some of the edge off.

The Flyers say they can't wait to hit the ice at Citizens Bank Park against their arch-rival, but no one was talking about this game and I feel it has to potential to take something away from Jan. 2, especially, if it;s a dud tonight.

What we need tonight at the Garden is a helter-skelter hockey game that is a nail-biter and leaves everyone wanting more.

Then the Winter Classic can truly deliver it for the fans outside in the cold - assuming we have cold which privately, has a lot of people concerned right now.

The 2-0 loss to the Rangers last month at MSG on Thanksgiving weekend didn't do much for me. It didn't have that same Flyers-Rangers feel.

We need a great game tonight to whet the appetite for Jan. 2.

**

Like most of my colleagues, I wanted the Flyers to rest Claude Giroux through Christmas to be extra careful.

Obviously, he had a full week where he was symptom free, which came though loud and clear on 24/7.

Giroux's 4-point explosion vs Dallas off the injury list likely won't be repeated tonight. What I am looking for is does Giroux have the same energy, same legs, same determination as he did in Dallas?

That tells me there is no "relapse" which you have to watch for after the first game when a concussed player comes back into the lineup.

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