Maple Leafs

After Six Failed Attempts, .500 Seems to Be Elusive For Flyers

February 26, 2013

Six times the Flyers attempted to get their record back to .500 and six times they have failed so far this season.

At 9-11-1, you have to start to wonder why that has been the case. It happened again last night when the Flyers dropped a home game 4-2 to the Maple Leafs, playing flat for the first 50 minutes of the game.

Is it mental? Are they snake-bitten? Or is this all just one big coincidence? Regardless, the Flyers need to earn every point they can get their hands on because this is a shortened season and every point matters just a little bit more if a team wants to make the playoffs.

(Pictured: Ilya Bryzgalov cannot stop a rebound shot by Mikhail Grabovski in the third period. Photo by Paul Bereswill/Getty Images)

Van Riemsdyk Returns to Philly; Invisible In Leafs Win

February 26, 2013

John Russo

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The last man on the ice for warm ups was James van Riemsdyk.

Fans were decked in orange and black as well as blue and white no. 21 jerseys all through the Wells Fargo Center before the Flyers 4-2 loss on Monday to Toronto. Decorated with signs, there were a handful of people awaiting the return of the man they call "JvR."

So when the Toronto Maple Leafs left winger finally walked down the visitor's tunnel for the first time and hopped onto the ice, he received some scattered applause from the fans who were ready to acknowledge the returning young star.

(Pictured: James van Riemsdyk shoots on goal against his former team. Photo by Paul Bereswill/Getty Images)

Flyers Struggle to Get to the .500 Hump Again; Lose to Toronto, 4-2

February 25, 2013

John Russo

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Getting to .500 has been an uphill battle for the Flyers and it continued on Monday against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

An absolute sluggish outing until the final half of the third period cost the Flyers a chance to even up in the standings and get some much-needed points. And though the Leafs were almost equally as sluggish, they came out with the 4-2 win in Philadelphia.

Perhaps the Flyers are pressing to get to .500, but whatever it is, the effort was poor once again. Head coach Peter Laviolette didn't think they were pressing though.

(Pictured: Jakub Voracek battles with Toronto's Cody Franson in front of goalie Ben Scrivens. Photo by Len Redkoles/NHLI via Getty Images)

JvR Returns to Philadelphia as the Flyers Host the Maple Leafs

February 25, 2013

John Russo

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Former Flyers winger James van Riemsdyk returns to Philadelphia for the first time since being traded this off season for Luke Schenn. He already has a goal against his former team back in Toronto and he is looking for more.

Former Leafs prospect budding in Carolina

February 14, 2013

Andrew Schopp

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In trading the prospect Dec. 3 2009, fellow general managers Brian Burke and Jim Rutherford agreed 2006 first-round pick Jiri Tlusty would not thrive in Toronto.

VIA The Toronto Star:

"(Tlusty) is a player who has a better chance to flourish in a smaller market," Hurricanes general manager Rutherford said in 2009. "It takes a certain type of character to flourish in Toronto. Some guys like it, some guys don't. It's something (Burke) and I talked about when we were making this deal."

The Maple Leafs gave Tlusty little time to develop - trading the Czech forward before his 22nd birthday - having played 74 games for the buds over a span of three ...

Flyers Start Six-Game Road Trip in Toronto

February 11, 2013

Chris Bengel

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The Flyers, who have earned points in each of their last four games, start a six-game road trip in Toronto. Luke Schenn returns to Toronto to face the team who drafted him.

Luke Schenn Returns to Toronto on Monday

February 10, 2013

Chris Bengel

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When the Flyers acquired defenseman Luke Schenn from the Toronto Maple Leafs, expectations obviously were extremely high.

On Monday night, the elder Schenn returns to Toronto to face the team that he spent the first four seasons with.

(Pictured: Luke Schenn battles for the puck on Saturday. Photo by Len Redkoles/NHLI via Getty Images)

Islanders vs. Maple Leafs 1/24/13: Isles Begin 5-Game Road Trip in Toronto

January 24, 2013

T.J. Weber

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The New York Islanders kick off their first road trip of the season tonight against the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Air Canada Centre. It will be the first of three meetings between the two teams during the shortened 48-game season.

With healthy head coach Jack Capuano back behind the bench, the Isles came out on Monday afternoon with confidence and agility. They look to keep the momentum going tonight and pick up another two points. (Photo Credit: gbalogh/Flickr)

First Isles Game Of The Season Now Oct. 26th

October 8, 2012

Rob McGowan

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Recently the NHL canceled regular season games through Oct. 24th, thus pushing back the start date for many teams to the 2013 season. The Islanders have erased six games from their October schedule with the new opening game being set for Friday, October 26th against the Toronto Maple Leafs. (Photo Credit: Robert Kowal/Flickr)

This would have been a marquee match-up ten years ago with every Islanders fan having this game circled on their calendars after a bloody, injury filled and violent playoff series with the Leafs in 2002. Those games were the start of the end for some players (Michael Peca) while the dawning of new beginnings for others (Trent Hunter). Steve Webb became a household name that still gets chanted at the Coliseum to this day, and no one will ever forget Eric Cairns' salute to the crowd after pummeling Shayne Corson at center Ice.

Boyes Will Be Boyes (Replacing PA at a discounted price)

July 30, 2012

Steve Giangaspro

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Isles fans have a way of forcing themselves to see the positives in most murky situations. They could hold a polluted, cloudy glass of water to the light and say “...at least its water!” The fan base is thirsty and have been parched for entirely too long. Saving the ‘stranded on an island’ metaphors, most fans that attend and/or watch each Islanders’ campaign needs something to bring them back after being consistently let down. (Photo Credit: Flickr/slidingsideways)

For the older generation of fans, the original cast that were around since the dynasty days, the reasoning is simple. They seemed to have accepted their apparent, under the table deal with the hockey demons as an exchange for those years as hockey’s prestige.

For the fans that weren’t around for those glory days, they hold on to moments or streaks of greatness. They hold the 1992-93 Islanders dear to their heart spending their days cursing Dale Hunter’s existence and asking hypotheticals about Pierre Turgeon’s unforeseen injury. They remember a good 1993-94 team that got dismantled by the Cup bound Rangers in a 4 game sweep but took the loss thinking they’d be right back eventually. How could they not?