Frank Vinci's Philadelphia Flyers fan blog

Goaltender Antero Nittymaki has won the starting job from Marty Biron.  After a solid weekend of play, Nittymaki had Philadelphia analysts talking about a goalie controversy.  Coach John Stevens proved them right this week, announcing that Nittymaki would be the starter until further notice.

 Nittymaki came to the rescue on Saturday in Boston, inheriting a 0-3 deficit from Biron after one period, and steering the Flyers to a 4-3 overtime win.  He then continued his dominance over Atlanta on Sunday, posting a 3-2 win.  He will claim his throne between the pipes tonight against the Ottawa Senators.

Biron came down with a flu in December, missing almost two weeks, and has struggled since.  His lackluster play is easily attributable to his lack of consistent playing time.  But Stevens could no longer ignore the strong, consistent play of Nittymaki.  

Continue reading "Nittymaki Gets the Nod"

Jeff Carter helped the Flyers stay lucky, scoring two goals and handing out one asist in a 3-2 win over the Thrashers in Atlanta on Sunday.  Antero Nittymaki made several outstanding saves in net, helping hold off a third period surge from Atlanta.

Philadelphia turned an amazing come back in Boston into a 2-0 weekend road trip.  But the Flyers should consider themselves lucky.  They fell back into their old habits Sunday, taking way too many penalties that helped the Thrashers back into the game.  Atlanta turned three third period penalties into two goals, keeping Flyers' fans on the edge of their seats until the final horn sounded.

Carter continued his season-long hot streak, having a hand in all three Flyers goals.  Nittymaki continued his dominance over Atlanta, sending some analysts into goalie controversy conversations.

Continue reading "Still Lucky..."

Just what the doctor ordered.  The Flyers completed an amazing comeback in Boston this afternoon, beating the Bruins 4-3 in overtime when Randy Jones fluttered a shot from the blue line that bounced off the leg of a Boston defender and into the net.

A little luck is always nice, but it really can be attributed to Philadelphia doing all the little things.  The Flyers skated hard and played physical, and they threw the puck at the net at every opportunity.  The most important improvement can be seen in the special teams game.  The Fly Boys took just three penalties, compared with Boston's six.  This paid off, as the Flyers netted two power play goals. 

The Flyers hope this will be the momentum builder that snaps them out of a post-all star game funk.  They move to 2-3 since the break, and will face the Thrashers tomorrow in Atlanta before a string of games at the Wachovia Center. 

Continue reading "Flyers Finally Get a Lucky Bounce"

The Flyers announced today that two key players will not be joining the team for their trip to Boston today.  The Flyers are scheduled to take on the Bruins in the second game of a home-and-home series tomorrow afternoon.

Captain Mike Richards and Scottie Upshall are still feeling the effects of a flu that has run wild through the Flyers' locker room.  Both players are said to be feeling better, but team officials decided they will not travel with the team in an effort to isolate the illness from the rest of the team.  Several players have fallen ill recently, no doubt contributing to the team's 1-3 skid since the all-star break.

This is bad news for a team that was out-worked in the final two periods of Wednesday night's loss to the Bruins.  Richards is the emotional spark plug for Philadelphia, and has the second highest team point total, trailing only Jeff Carter.  

Continue reading "Sick and Tired Of Being Sick and Tired"

Unrestricted free agent wideout TJ Houshmandzadeh went on a Philadelphia radio show this morning in a TO-like manner, letting it be known that he would like to be on the receiving end of Donovan Mcnabb passes come September. 

After an unexpected deep run into the playoffs, Eagles fans are sure to be howling for Joe Banner to snatch up Houshmandzadeh.  The Birds are some 30+ million under the cap, have an aging offensive line, and all-everything running back, Brian Westbrook, seems to be getting more fragile by the year.  With the progression of the defense over the last year, it would seem that even a mediocre offense would make the Eagles immediate Super Bowl contenders.  

Who knows how long Andy Reid and Mcnabb will be at the helm of the ship.  The smart fan says let's go for it.  The offense, as it stands, may only have one more year before it is blown up and rebuilt from the ground up.  Consider this trio of starting wide receivers: Houshmandzadeh, DeSean Jackson and Kevin Curtis.  Add Westbrook to the mix, and a hopefully healthy and happy McNabb, and that would be one solid 7-on-7 sqaud.  

Continue reading "Houshmandzadeh Pulling Some Strings"

The Boston Bruins walked into the Wachovia Center last night and showed the league how they have taken control of the Eastern Conference.  They played a puck control game, won the battles in the corner, and peppered goaltender Marty Biron with rubber most of the night.

After a feisty series last season, this contest was surprisingly tame.  However, the Flyers continued to show their preference for watching most of the game from the penalty box. 

After letting the Flyers play their game in the first period, the boys from Bean Town promptly outshot Philadelphia 26-12 in the final two periods.  Bruins net minder Tim Thomas added to the frustration by making several outstanding saves, including one baffling stop on Jeff Carter during a power play in the first period.

Continue reading "Bruins Prove They Are the Class of the East"