OFF THE 4-3 loss on Causeway ... Bruins 2 PPG while Flyers were 0-for-6:

“Our execution was not very good,” coach John Stevens told me. “It’s execution on your power play. Move it quick and crisp and the little intangible things like coming up with loose pucks. They move it around and Savard makes a living on finding people with that puck. That clearly was the difference. Our execution getting it up the ice was not at the level it needed to be.”

How maddening at the end of the game, the Flyers can't get Robert Esche off the ice, can't get the puck out of their own end, can't get fresh bodies onto the ice ... and don't even get a chance to have a shot to tie it?

“We didn’t seem very organized there,” Derian Hatcher told me. "We basically could not get out of the zone the whole last minute. I got off with 35 seconds left. We just looked very disorganized.”

At the halfway point last season, Flyers were No. 1 overall seed with 61 points. At the halfway point today after the loss, they are dead last in the NHL with 26 points.

“You hear that stat once in a while," Knuble said. "It’s amazing for the guys who are here. It's night and day between the two seasons. Our situation is the same - alot of injuries, but we won 11 in a row in mid-December and Janauary last year. It’s been like that the whole year. A 2-1 ratio …”

Said Hatcher, “It’s definitely a big turnaround. I didn’t even realize that. That’s pretty drastic. Something’s happened here. But with that said, that’s the reality.”

**

SOURCES: Edmonton is willing to part with Raffi Torres and Joffrey Lupul for Joni Pitkanen. Oilers really want Pitkanen ...

This should provide plenty of discussion board material. Personally, I don't think Pitkanen is ever going to "get it" and I know for certain that is something the Flyers, as an orgnization, are trying to determine themselves.

You'd think Alexei Zhitnik would help him out but Pitkanen only drags Zhitnik down on the ice. If this is indeed an offer, I wouodl make the deal.

The Flyers will likely target Kimmo Timonen in the off-season. That would give them both Timonen's brothers in the league.

**

3-2 Bruins after two periods as Kapanen has two goals in the game ...


**

Bruins get 2 goals 30 seconds apart to take a 2-1 lead and then Esche fails to stop a slapshot from Patrcie Bergeron on the PP at period's end.

Esche is not looking as strong today as he had in the past four games. He should have had Marc Savard's tough angle goal off his left pad. And same with the Bergeron slapper.

Best goal of the period was the nifty chip by P.J. Axelsson off the board to Savard, who backhands it into the slot for Glen Murray. Just a beautfiul setup play.

***


BOSTON _ Obviously upset over the lackluster performance against the Rangers the other night, Flyes coach John Stevens switched ALL four lines, something he has not done to date.

He also moved Joni Pitkanen with Derian Hatcher. Pitkanen was on the ice for every goal for and against vs. the Rangers.

Mike York centering top line of Simon Gagne and Mike Knuble.

Flyers lead 1-0 on Sami Kapanen's SHG off the right post.

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