[Phils20]

Flyers start second half of season flat in loss to Panthers

By ED MORAN
Philadelphia Daily News
morane@phillynews.com
SUNRISE, Fla. - They had talked about the importance of starting the second half of the season determined and focused. They talked about it before the All-Star break. They talked about it Monday at practice and yesterday before the game, and what they were saying was convincing.
"We want to get better and continue getting better and not putting ourselves behind like we did in the first half," said captain Mike Richards, "not making ourselves have to come back in hockey games."
They did for parts of the game last night and maybe they will get to it completely Friday night in Tampa, because the Flyers fell short in the BankAtlantic Center, losing their first game after the All-Star break, 3-2, after a second-period lull.
The Flyers took seven penalties and had only three power plays to six for Florida - a pattern that has plagued them all season - and fell one nullified goal short of tying the game.
After Claude Giroux scored his first NHL goal to bring the Flyers to within one early in the third period, a goal by Richards was wiped out on a very weak delayed interference call on Kimmo Timonen.
Timonen backed into Keith Ballard just as Randy Jones was setting up Richards for a one-timer. Ballard sprawled dramatically to the ice and Timonen went to the box at 6:33.
"He was just going to the net and he bumped him, the guy had his back turned and he bumped him," Flyers coach John Stevens said. "Obviously I'd like to see that not called.
"But one way or the other we would like to get this penalty differential straightened out, it's 60-something on the year. We have to do something.''
For the record, the Flyers have had 174 power plays this season and been shorthanded 238 times, most in the NHL, for a differential of 64.
After taking a first-period lead, the Flyers let Florida back into the game with some missed defensive coverage and penalty problems. The Panthers scored once in the first and twice in the second, putting the Flyers into just the kind of hole they said they wanted to avoid.
They became desperate again in the third period when Giroux scored to bring the Flyers to within 3-2 1:51 into the third.
Then came Richards' disallowed goal, a call that irked the captain.
"I was big-time surprised," Richards said. "I saw it on the big screen up top and it's a little suspect when, no offense to Kimmo, when he's pushing people around in front and they're falling like that. Maybe that guy should hit the gym a little bit more.
"I'm a little bit disappointed, obviously. We could have tied the game. It was a big goal, but we've got to understand that we're . . . the Flyers and we're going to get those called against us."
The Flyers took the lead 10:44 into the game off some nice passing by Mike Knuble and a lucky deflection off the skate of Simon Gagne. Richards got the play going in the offensive end and once Gagne got the puck across to Knuble, he went to the net for the return play. Gagne never got his stick on the puck as it came across the crease but it did tick in off his skate, his 20th goal.
"We ended up on an odd-man rush and Mike Richards brought the puck over the line and made a great cross-ice pass and [Florida's Bryan] McCabe just slid and it went in with Simon going to the net," Knuble said. "Sometimes you get rewarded going to the net without using your stick."
The goal was reviewed and allowed to stand.
Florida tied the game about 4 minutes later when McCabe popped one in over Marty Biron's shoulder, stick side.
Florida took the lead in the second. Ballard dumped the puck in behind the net and Michael Frolik took it out with defenseman Matt Carle chasing. Frolik fired the puck out front but it ticked off Carle's stick, nicked the post and went in, making it 2-1 Panthers 7:43 into the second.
About a minute later, Gagne was called for a double minor high-sticking penalty, and with 1:08 left in the 4-minute penalty, David Booth tipped Ballard's shot up and past Biron.
Giroux's goal seemed to be just what the Flyers needed. The rookie took a long pass from Darroll Powe, skated in alone and put a wrist shot over Tomas Vokoun to make it 3-2.
"I don't know how he saw me but Powe made a nice little saucer pass and I put it in," Giroux said. "It was good to get [his first goal] out of the way, but it would have been better with the win."
That didn't happen, and now the Flyers go to Tampa looking for their first point of the second half. *

[Full Cougar]

That was still a close game. I'm hoping my Rangers can keep the season going.

[Phils20]

Oh no, your Rangers are going to have to take the Flyers down, and I think the Flyers are due for another strong season!

Our Weakness is on offense this year, however. I hope that the second half of the season will bring a more consistent effort.

Randy Jones has recently come back from injury, and I think as he gets in game shape the D will improve.

I also hope we stay out of the Forsberg picture.

His act bores me, and it just ended up being a distraction last time around.