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.

Game 67: Sabres at Flyers

Buffalo Sabres: 31-26-9, 71 points
Philadelphia Flyers: 33-25-8, 74 points

Ryan Miller v. Martin Biron

One week after beating the Sabres to end the long losing streak, they'll get one more shot at them, this time without Brian Campbell. They dealt him to the Sharks at the deadline and added high potential forward Steve Bernier and a draft pick.

After Niittymaki's disastrous Sunday start, Biron will be back in net. He played most of the game against the Rangers anyway.

It was nice to get a win against Buffalo last week, but it's time to start stringing some together. After the trade of Campbell, this should be a team on the decline. Even though Bernier got off to a pretty hot start with his new team, the Sabres should not be as good as they were in the weeks leading up to the deadline. However, that does not mean there's an opportunity for the Flyers to take a game lightly. If the Sabres win in regulation, all of a sudden, they're just one point behind again, and it's time to create some breathing room from the rest of the pack.

Steve Downie said he'll be back in the lineup tonight, which means 100% less Jesse Boulerice. I know a lot of fans wanted him in the lineup once his suspension ended because we were losing and needed a spark, but the guy just doesn't bring anything to the team. He has no offensive ability, he's not good defensively, and he takes stupid penalties. I don't care if he fights. Riley Cote fights. Jason Smith and Mike Richards can fight. We have guys that can do that. Boulerice is not an NHL player, and the Flyers are in a tough spot if we ever have to play him again.

Bill Meltzer has scratches and our giant IR list.

He also reports that Lupul and Hatcher could be back as soon as this weekend. That would be a huge boost. Lupul never really got going after returning from his neck injury, and Hatcher's leadership is very important to the team.

Steve Downie Out Due To Conditioning, As Per Steve Downie

I was at the autograph signing tonight, and he was nice enough to tell me he was a scratch against the Rangers because the coaches thought he needed to get into better shape. It's a real shame because even in the apparent poor shape that he's in, he's twice the player Boulerice is. He'll be back against Buffalo, fortunately.

Downie is a really nice guy, despite what a lot of people think and what some of his on ice actions indicate. He's really humble, and he's not a guy like Laraque who's an idiot off the ice about the things he does on it.

Game 50: Rangers at Flyers

New York Rangers: 24-22-6, 54 points
Philadelphia Flyers: 28-16-5, 61 points

Steve Valiquette v. Antero Niittymaki

After a 3-2 overtime win against the Kings on Tuesday, the Flyers return to action tonight against the rival Rangers. Since a January 10th meeting at Madison Cube Garden in which the Flyers sent many Rangers fans home early with a 6-2 win, the Flyers are 6-1-1 and have risen to the top of the division. The Rangers have been 4-3-1 since that game, and are fighitng hard to get out of the bottom of the Atlantic.

Despite two straight wins from Martin Biron, Antero Niittymaki will get the start tonight. Biron had a good game on Tuesday despite not being tested very much, and he will get Saturday's start against Anaheim. Considering how well he played down the stretch in the first half, getting Niittymaki some work might not be a bad idea, especially considering he stopped 39 of 41 shots against the Rangers in that 6-2 win earlier this month.

The Flyers catch a huge break tonight. Steve Valiquette will be in net for the Rangers. Although it seems like Lundqvist never plays his best hockey against the Flyers, it's never bad to get some shots at the opponent's backup. There's a reason why Lundvqist plays so much, and the Flyers should look to take advantage of the lineup change and put on lots of pressure with lots of shots.

Before the 6-2 win in New York, the Flyers were 0-1-1 in meeting with the Rangers this year. Lundvist shut them out in the first meeting, and the Rangers emerged victorious in a shootout in the second.

Cue Bill Meltzer with the scratches:

Lasse Kukkonen
Joffrey Lupul
Rory Fitzpatrick

After only playing 8 minutes and change against the Kings, Steve Downie is likely to return to the line featuring Scott Hartnell and Mike Richards. Downie committed a couple of giveaways that could've hurt the Flyers, so he had his ice time reduced in the third in favor of Sami Kapanen. He probably wasn't the only player that struggled in returning from the weekend off. At times, the Flyers seemed rusty, and they won't be able to get away with mistakes against the superior Rangers.