Tuesday, November 25

4:32 p.m.
Winners of their last five games (6-0-1 overall), the Philadelphia Flyers got back to work with an 11:00 a.m. practice this morning at the Virtua Center Flyers Skate Zone. Joining the team on the ice for the first time this season were injured defensemen Randy Jones and Ryan Parent, who have been out with a hip and shoulder injury, respectively.

FlyersTV:  Jones/Parent/Briere speak | Stevens post-practice

Jones should return before Christmas, while Parent has the goal of being fully healthy by December 26.

Mike Knuble battles in front of Carolina goaltender Cam Ward during a game at the RBC Center last season. (Getty Images)

"They've progressed to the point now where they could join us for practice," explained head coach John Stevens. "They didn't do everything, but they did as much as they could do. I know I talked to Jonesy and he's excited to be part of the group practicing."

"It's progressing every day, and I think that's why we took the next step and practiced with the team. It felt really good," added Jones.

Danny Briere, also battling injury, took to the ice again Tuesday and travelled with the team on its charter flight to Raleigh, North Carolina. It seems unlikely Briere will play Wednesday night against the Hurricanes (7:00 p.m., CN8), but his condition has improved nonetheless, he said.

"It's really tough to gauge. The last couple of days have been better days and I'm a lot more positive about it," he said. "That's the way it's been with this injury for the past two weeks. A couple days it improves and three or four days nothing happens. That's when you get a little down and get frustrated.

"I was expecting to play last Friday. That was the goal. I was far from being ready, so I don't want to get excited too quick. Right now, the last two days, I have seen a big improvement."

Carolina on Their Minds - In an odd quirk to this season's schedule, Philadelphia (10-6-4) will play Carolina four times in the next 17 days. The Hurricanes visit the Wachovia Center this Friday, November 28 and Thursday, December 11. The Flyers return to the RBC Center on December 6.

The Hurricanes (11-9-2) sit in second place in the Southeast Division.

"They are going to be a tough opponent to play the same team that many times," said Stevens. "They are a dangerous team and they play an uptempo game.

"Any time we play Carolina, they are as good of a transition team as you can find in the league. They transition the puck from defense to offense quickly. We can't rest without the puck; we have to have no hesitation in our game and get back on defense the second we lose it."

Stevens also announced that Antero Niittymaki will start in net on Wednesday, giving the red-hot Martin Biron the night off.

"It was three [games] in four [days] for Marty but he was playing well and he felt good. It kind of gives him a little rest here. Niittymaki has been playing really well, and we're giving him a chance to get back in the net as well."

JVR Update - Flyers first round pick James van Riemsdyk (2007, second overall) is currently leading the University of New Hampshire in goals with nine. He tallied a pair in last Friday's 3-2 loss at Northeastern; the first multi-goal game of the sophomore's career. He also surpassed the 50-point plateau for his career (19g, 33a).

For more on van Riemsdyk from the official UNH website, click here.

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Monday, November 24

11:20 a.m.
The Philadelphia Flyers held a full team pre-game skate this morning at the Wachovia Center, preparing for tonight's game against the Western Conference's Dallas Stars (7:00 p.m., Comcast SportsNet).

FlyersTV:  Stevens pregame | Knuble/Timonen pregame

The team will get a boost on its blue line as Ossi Vaananen will return from his hand injury. Vaananen has missed the last four games, and seven of the last eight overall.

Kimmo Timonen and the Flyers will try and keep the Dallas offense at bay tonight. (Getty Images)

"He feels good, he's confident, and he's ready to come back and play," said John Stevens after practice. "He's worked hard to keep his fitness up, so he will definitely play tonight."

Stevens will also remain with the hot goaltender, giving Martin Biron his seventh start in the last eight games. Biron is 4-0-1 in his last five games, posting a 1.76 goals against average and .944 save percentage with one shutout on Friday in Buffalo.

"Marty clearly has taken the reigns here and looks as confident as he ever has," said Stevens. "He's been a big reason for our run of success here lately."

The Flyers will be going up against a team they rarely face. In the one and only meeting last season, Dallas handed Philadelphia a 4-1 home defeat on December 1.

"They beat us pretty good last year, so that should be some pretty good motivation right there," said Mike Knuble.

"They have a lot of [skilled players]," added Kimmo Timonen. "We have to take them out of the game and be hard on those guys."

Dallas, like the Flyers a conference finalist from a year ago, is just 1-3-2 in its last six games.

"They've been struggling a little bit, but any time a team struggles it makes them dangerous so we're going to have to be ready to play," said Stevens.

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Thursday, November 20

4:32 p.m.
The Flyers arrived in Buffalo after a quick one-hour charter flight from Philadelphia, in preparation for Friday's game against the Sabres (7:30 p.m., CN8).

Earlier today, John Stevens met with the media. To see that video, click here.

Also today, the Flyers' ability to score shorthanded was among the topics of discussion. Philadelphia leads the league with eight shorthanded goals, four of which are from Simon Gagne. Mike Richards has added three points (1g, 2a) with the Flyers down a man.

FlyersTV: Richards and Gagne talk about the Flyers' shorthanded goals

Stevens expects the Sabres (9-6-1), who have lost their last three games and sit in third place in the Northeast Division, to come out strong in front of their home crowd on Friday night.

"The big focus for them this year is to play better team defense. When they had success they were doing that. I've read some articles about their slide here lately and they said they have to get back to playing better defense.

"I think they are a dangerous team and I think they can score with any team in the league. Their power play is dangerous, and we're going to have to be ready, especially early."

12:57 p.m.
Flyers center Danny Briere and defenseman Ossi Vaananen updated their injuries on Thursday after the team got back to work at its practice facility with a morning skate.

Briere will miss Friday's game in Buffalo (7:30 p.m., CN8) and is doubtful to play at home on Saturday against the Coyotes (7:00 p.m., Comcast SportsNet).

"I'll be skating by myself without playing for the next couple of days, it looks like. It's improving every day, but it's just at a very slow pace," said Briere.

"It's an injury that if you try to come back too quick it's not healing, it just keeps getting worse. I'm skating, but I know my limits and I know how far I can push it without the pain creeping in. I'm certainly not ready to play yet.

"Now, I'm looking at Monday. It depends how it's going to go over the weekend."

Vaananen also declared himself as unlikely to play against the Sabres.

"My situation is a day-to-day kind of thing. When it comes to Friday, it's kind of doubtful," he said. "But hopefully soon, anyway. It's feeling pretty good and looking good, so it's getting stronger."

The Flyers also made a roster move on Friday, recalling forward Jonathon Kalinski from the Phantoms. Kalinski will be on the fourth line tomorrow night making his NHL debut.

"I'm really excited. It was a little shock here this morning," he said.

Kalinski, 21, has two goals and three assists in 16 games with the Flyers' AHL affiliate this season. He has been assigned uniform number 46.

He is the sixth player to make his NHL debut for the Flyers this season, joining Luca Sbisa, Andreas Nodl, Jared Ross, Darroll Powe and Nate Raduns.

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Tuesday, November 18

2:56 p.m.
After a complete day off for the team on Monday, the Philadelphia Flyers were back to work on Tuesday for a hard morning skate that included sprints at the conclusion. The team also had a scheduled dry-land session after practice, and was given the day off tomorrow. The Flyers are in the midst of a four-day layoff before their next game on Friday in Buffalo (7:30 p.m., CN8).

The break has proved to be valuable for several of the team's wounded. Ossi Vaananen and Riley Cote took part in the skate today and are hoping to return sooner rather than later. Danny Briere has not yet skated with the team, but is hoping to get back on the ice by the end of the week and has not ruled himself out to play against his old team, the Sabres, on Friday.

Andreas Nodl's defensive awareness has impressed John Stevens so far this season. (Getty Images)

FlyersTV caught up with each of these players at the Virtua Center Flyers Skate Zone. To see their media availability, click here.

John Stevens also spoke with the media today, on a variety of topics. Included was his reaction to a young player on the club who has been overshadowed a bit, Andreas Nodl. Nodl, who is in his rookie season, has pleased his head coach most notably with his defensive play.

"He's really good making plays on the wall coming out of his end, and his awareness defensively is way ahead of schedule for a young player," said Stevens of the 21-year-old Austrian. "I think that's what allows his to be here and help us."

Although he's not exactly lighting up the scoreboard with just two assists in 10 games, Stevens believes the points will come in time.

"We've talked to him about getting to the net more and he's working on his shot, but his ability to have composure with the puck and make strong plays along the wall have been impressive."

Nodl has been paired with Jeff Carter for most of his time here, and Stevens thinks the two are a good fit together.

"[Nodl] gets puck off the wall and gets them in the hands of Jeff, and Jeff does a great job of supporting the puck in the middle of the ice. If Jeff gets the puck with any kind of ice to skate, he can be very dangerous because he pushes people back with his speed."

Roster news - The Flyers reassigned center Jared Ross to the Philadelphia Phantoms this morning. Darroll Powe, who was hurt in Atlanta on October 28 and has been sidelined ever since, skated for the duration of practice today.

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Thursday, November 13

1:32 p.m.
With Danny Briere hurt and Riley Cote still nursing an injury, Flyers head coach John Stevens will shift defenseman Lasse Kukkonen to center for tonight's game against the Pittsburgh Penguins (7:30 p.m., Comcast SportsNet). Philadelphia held an optional skate today at Mellon Arena in preparation for the game.

"With the amount of call-ups we've had already, we're a little restricted there. We'll use the guys that we have here," said the head coach. "If he gives us a good two or three shifts a period, I think it would be invaluable."

Kukkonen has admittedly not played center since he was a teenager, he said, but already has an idea how to handle the change.

"I'll let [Arron Asham] and [Josh Gratton] go and do the forecheck, and I'll try and be the third guy high. Just keep it simple."

To see Stevens' and Kukkonen's complete pregame availablity from today, click here.

Also, Flyers forward Scott Hartnell chatted with radio voice Tim Saunders today at the morning skate. To hear that interview, click here.

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Wednesday, November 12

4:57 p.m.
The Philadelphia Flyers held an afternoon skate today at Mellon Arena, where they will play the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday night (7:30 p.m., Comcast SportsNet). Earlier in the day it was announced that center Danny Briere will be out of action for the next five-to-seven days due to a slight left groin strain.

Briere, who has five goals and four assists for nine points in eight games so far this season, met with the media at the arena this afternoon.

FlyersTV: Briere speaks | Stevens speaks

Briere stressed that the new injury is not related to his last injury, which had him sidelined for the previous six games before Tuesday at the Islanders.

"It's not related. It's another injury, and that's what's so frustrating," he said. "It's not the same area."

"It's unfortunate," added John Stevens. "I thought he came back and played well and obviously he's a big part of our team."

John Stevens is hopeful that defenseman Ossi Vaananen, who has been out the last three games with an injury, will be able to play on Thursday. Vaananen took pregame warmups on Tuesday but remained out.

"That's the best he's looked yet," said the head coach. "It looked like he was handling the puck well and shooting well so hopefully he's a go for tomorrow."

Martin Biron, who made 35 saves in Tuesday's 3-1 win, will start in net against the Penguins.

2:13 p.m.
Flyers center Danny Briere will be out of action for the next five-to-seven days with a slight left groin strain, according to general manager Paul Holmgren.

Briere injured his groin during Tuesday afternoon's 3-1 win over the New York Islanders at Nassau Coliseum.

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Monday, November 10

4:21 p.m.
The Philadephia Flyers held a morning skate on Monday before boarding a short charter flight (27 minutes, to be exact) to Long Island in the afternoon. The Flyers will visit the Islanders on Tuesday in a rare weekday matinee on Veteran's Day (2:00 p.m., Comcast SportsNet).

Among the topics of note were Flyers wingers Arron Asham and Joffrey Lupul skating on different lines. Asham was with Mike Richards and Scott Hartnell, while Lupul skated with Glen Metropolit and Josh Gratton.

FlyersTV: Stevens on Lupul | Lupul/Timonen/Gagne

Lupul is hoping to jump start his game, as he has five goals and one assist for six points in 13 games this season.

"[Loops] is a scoring player, and when you don't score consistently, I think it starts to weigh on your mind," said John Stevens. "He's a big guy, he skates well, and I think he plays well when he's doing the little things well. I don't think it's been doing it to the level he's capable of."

Joffrey Lupul has five goals and six points in 13 games this season. (Getty Images)

"I would like to be playing more, but I just have to do whatever I can when I get out there," said Lupul. "I had some games that I didn't think I played as well as I could. It's different playing 12 or 13 minutes than it is 20. I think I have to simplify my game and when I'm out there try and play more of a physical game."

Lupul averaged between 17-18 minutes of ice time per game last season, but in Saturday's loss to Tampa Bay, he registered just 11:43 of playing time. Stevens said that he and Asham will see time on both lines on Tuesday afternoon.

The Flyers will be facing the Isladers for the second time this season. Jeff Carter's overtime goal on October 30 gave Philadelphia a 3-2 win over New York at the Wachovia Center.

"They are the type of team that a lot of their young guys have to prove a lot to their coach and their G.M.," said Simon Gagne. "I think they alot better at home than on the road, and if you look at the last game, we had to go to overtime to beat them."

Riley Cote did not skate, recovering from an upper body injury, but defenseman Ossi Vaananen was on the ice for the duration. Vaananen, who has missed the last two games due to injury, said afterwards that he will be a game-time decision on Tuesday.

Also today, several troops from Fort Dix were in attendance and met with the players in the locker room after the skate. Click here to see a slideshow.

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Friday, November 7

1:24 p.m.
Flyers center Danny Briere, who has missed the last six games with a lower body injury, will return to the lineup tomorrow night when the Tampa Bay Lightning visit the Wachovia Center (7:00 p.m., Comcast SportsNet).

In six games this season, Briere has three goals and four assists for seven points. His return comes ahead of schedule, as Briere was originally scheduled to miss at least three weeks following surgery on October 25.

“I feel like I am ready to go,” he said after the team practiced at its facility in Voorhees, New Jersey on Friday. “With this injury I feel much better this time around than last time.  I don’t know why. I’m not a doctor, but from what I have experienced, I feel like I’m ready to go and things are fine.”

Briere will most likely assume his place in the middle of wingers Simon Gagne and Mike Knuble. Glen Metropolit, who had been centering those two, would center the fourth line.

“Any time you get a player of Danny’s stature back, it makes all of your lines stronger,” explained John Stevens. “You can shuffle guys around and maybe get a little more energy in all your lines because you’re able to utilize your fourth line a little more. ‘Metro’ will assume the penalty kill role like he has, but we can move him around too. If Danny’s healthy, we can have four solid guys down the middle to give us significant minutes.”

Briere emphasized that he is not being rushed back into action as the Flyers try and snap a modest two-game losing streak.

“It’s one of those things where I started feeling better and started skating,” he said. “Everyday we pushed it a little bit more and more, and every step we took the injury reacted really well.  Unless there is a setback tonight, I believe I will be 100% tomorrow.”

“We would never think of bringing him back unless he was absolutely ready,” added Stevens. “He felt great the past couple days we just wanted to make sure after being pushed a little he didn’t have any setbacks. The doctor pretty much told me he was ready to go once he felt comfortable. It’s amazing that he is able to come back this quickly.”

Also on the injury front, Andreas Nodl could be back in the lineup after sitting out the last two games with a lower body injury. Nodl was playing on a line with Jeff Carter and Scottie Upshall before he got hurt.

“Nodl feels pretty good,” said Stevens. “I haven’t talked to [Flyers trainer] Jim Mccrossin yet, but Nodl is getting close.”

The Flyers reassigned forwards Boyd Kane and Nate Raduns to the Phantoms on Friday.

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Wednesday, November 5

2:04 p.m.
The Philadelphia Flyers skated at their practice facility for the second straight day, before heading to Ottawa in the afternoon where they will meet the Senators on Thursday night (7:30 p.m., Comcast SportsNet).

Danny Briere, who had surgery on October 25 to repair a lower body injury, skated for over an hour and said afterwards that he may be ahead of schedule. He was originally set to miss at least three weeks while recovering, which would take him to November 15 when the Flyers visit Montreal.

Danny Briere has been out since October 24 with a lower body injury. (Jack Cassidy)

FlyersTV: Briere talks about recovery

That game is the third of a three-game road swing for the club, but Briere hopes to be ready by the beginning of that trip on November 11 at Long Island.

"So far, I'm very pleased with the way things have gone," he said. "I don't know if it's going to be the first [game] on the road trip or a little later, but obviously I'd like to play somewhere around next week. I just don't know which game yet."

Briere, who accompanied the team to Ottawa, was still not able to participate in any contact drills.

"In the next couple days we'll increase the workload," he said. "Hopefully, we can start adding some contact drills and see how it reacts."

Clarke lends a hand - Hockey Hall of Famer Bob Clarke was out on the ice before the regularly scheduled practice session with the Flyers' centers to work on faceoffs. Briere, Mike Richards, Jeff Carter, Glen Metropolit and Nate Raduns all went out 15 minutes ahead of time to get Clarke's take on one of the most important but often overlooked aspects of the game.

FlyersTV: Metropolit, Richards talk about working with Clarke

It was the idea of head coach John Stevens, whose club is 27th in the league in faceoff percentage (46.0 percent).

"There's a lot of faceoffs that maybe the attitude just isn't right," he explained. "In my opinion, he was one of the best ever in the faceoff circle and I think anytime you can hear from a guy like that it's a great resource that's right at our fingertips and we need to take advantage of it."

"He's one of the most competitive guys ever to play the game," added Metropolit. "It was good listening to him."

Roster news - Rookie winger Andreas Nodl skated for the duration of practice, and hopes to return to his place on a line with Carter and Scottie Upshall on Thursday. Should he be unable to go, Boyd Kane would take his place, according to Stevens. Nodl missed Saturday's game against Edmonton with a lower body injury.

Raduns, who has never played an NHL game, will center the fourth line with Arron Asham and Riley Cote. Antero Niittymaki will get the call in net, in his first action since shutting out the Atlanta Thrashers on October 28, 7-0.

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Monday, November 3

2:15 p.m.
Simon Gagne was named as the league's Third Star of the Week for the week ending Sunday, November 2. The left winger had eight points (5g, 3a) in three games as Philadelphia won two of three matchups.

“It is always flattering and fun being recognized especially with me coming back from a tough injury last year and being able to play again," Gagne told On The Fly. "I am having some personal success early on this season and maybe last week was a good one with the trip with our dads to Atlanta. We played a good game there in Atlanta and after that we kind of kept rolling. It is always fun when you get those honors.”

As for his ongoing recovery from last season's concussion, Gagne said, "The more I play the more I will get comfortable and be able to be more of myself. But right now I have to say I am feeling pretty good. I am very happy the way things are going. I am getting better and better and more comfortable the more I play. But, I am getting close. I want to say that there is still room for improvement. Last week I really started to get that feeling I used to have when I was playing at my best.”

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Saturday, November 1

1:45 p.m.
The Philadelphia Flyers were back to work on Saturday morning at their practice facility to prepare for tomorrow afternoon's matchup with the Edmonton Oilers (1:00 p.m., Comcast SportsNet).

FlyersTV: Stevens speaks | Knuble/Biron/Richards

The Flyers have won their last four games, while Edmonton has lost its previous five (0-4-1) heading into today's afternoon game in Carolina. They have scored a total of just five goals in that span.

"When a team is in a situation like this, they become more dangerous, in my opinion," said John Stevens of the Oilers after practice. "I'm sure they're addressing many things, and demanding that their team plays harder and plays better. They are a good skating team and it's surprising they have not scored more goals."

"For us, [the key] is to be able to smother them down and play the defensive game that we've been able to play," added Martin Biron, who will get the start in net.

The Flyers also commented today on yesterday's parade down Broad Street for the Philadelphia Phillies. Although none of them were able to make it to the parade in person, it was an exciting event for the players to take in on television.

"It's certainly a big thrill," said Mike Knuble. "We have to feel as a group that we could do that as well, and we're close to maybe achieving something like that."

"Obviously Philly deserves a championship more than anyone," said Mike Richards. "You always want to win, but to see how cool is was yesterday and how passionate everyone was and happy to get a championship, drives you that much more and you want to bring that feeling back to Philadelphia."

Roster update - The Flyers have recalled Jared Ross from the Phantoms, as well Steve Downie, who was previously reassigned on Friday. Andreas Nodl may miss tomorrow's game due to a lower body injury, according to Stevens.