Games 70 and 71: Flyers at Maple Leafs and Vice Versa

Like the Montreal home and home, I'm doing this all as one. It's easier.

Philadelphia Flyers: 35-26-8, 78 points
Toronto Maple Leafs: 30-30-10, 70 points

Martin Biron v. Vesa Toskala

A few weeks ago, it looked like these games might be irrelevant in the playoff race, but all of a sudden, this home and home is very important. Tonight in Toronto, the Flyers/Leafs rivalry will be renewed as these two teams fight for the playoffs in the last two meetings of the season. The Flyers are trying to catch the Bruins and Rangers in front of them, while the Leafs are trying to catch the Flyers and make the playoffs.

Martin Biron will get the start in the first game, but it's definitely possible that Niittymaki starts in Philadelphia tomorrow.

Toronto has made a very nice turnaround since the last meeting on January 5th. Back then, things were not going well north of the border. They were really struggling, talking about high draft picks and trading key players such as Mats Sundin. After the trade deadline, things have been different. Since the deadline came and went and the trade rumors stopped, the Leafs are 3-2-1 and 6-3-1 in their last 10. They're still 13th in the conference, but things are definitely better than they were at this time last month. Two guys that were involved in a lot of rumors in particular were Mats Sundin and Tomas Kaberle. They were both asked to waive their no trade clauses and said no. Now, Sundin has 7 goals and 14 points in the last 8 games and Kaberle has 12 points in the last 12.

This may not be considered a rivalry like Leafs/Senators or Red Wings/Avalanche, but it's always a lot of fun when these two teams meet. Last meeting, big hits were being thrown all around the ice, and that unfortunately included Hatcher accidentally injuring Joffrey Lupul. The most memorable moment may have been when Steve Downie socked Jason Blake while being held back by an official. Blake absolutely deserved it after the ridiculous comments he made about Downie in September, even though it kind of was a cheap shot. John Stevens has talked to Downie about this, and he understands that this feud cannot carry over and cause him to make a mistake in the next two games.

Bill Meltzer posts scratches.

Some Wednesday Evening Flyers Notes

First, Chuck Gormley on The Sporting News, US style.

Peter Forsberg says his foot is feeling good after a couple days of skating. It's still too early to tell, but if he can continue skating and maybe play for Team Sweden in the LG Games, he could be looking at an NHL return. If he does, my money is on the Flyers landing him. Forsberg has a lot of pride, and I think he feels like he owes the organization something. The Flyers aren't exactly weak on the power play, which is one of Forsberg's greatest strengths, but any time you can add talent, you do it.

Paul Holmgren talks about the deadline and offseason, courtesy of the Courier Post.

A few of the key points from it include:

- Shooting down the ridiculous Carter/first round draft pick for Sundin rumor.

- He will try to re-sign free agents Jeff Carter, R.J. Umberger and Jason Smith.

- The Flyers could be players come the deadline because they have as good of a chance as anyone to win the conference.

I'm sure I'm going to say this many times in the coming months, but there's no reason to trade Carter and a pick for a rental. This team is young and talented. There's a great core of guys here, and there's no reason to break that up for someone like Sundin. It's not worth it.

Some people worry about cap room in regards to signing players like Carter and Umberger, but I'm not concerned about it. Holmgren is confident there will be enough wiggle room to get it done, and there's no reason not to believe him. I think Smith is expendable. He's a great leader and does a great job for standing up for his teammates on the ice, but there's plenty of leadership on this team, and he logs the fewest minutes of any of our defensemen.