







PHILADELPHIA -- Hey, the Flyers won tonight. And for the most part, the issues of the last several games were completely nonexistant. Maybe that had something to do with the fact that they were playing a tired Carolina team that played in Raleigh less than 24 hours ago, but the Flyers were certainly the better team from start to finish tonight.

I'll blame Jaromir Jagr and Claude Giroux for that. Jagr scored two goals and Giroux had four points in the win, and that top line with Scott Hartnell was the only line to score at even strength for the Flyers on the night. Max Talbot added a shortie in there during the third period, but it was mostly the Jagr, Giroux and Hartnell show all night.

Brian Boucher was Booooooooooshed in his return to the WFC, and he kept the Canes in the game throughout the first two periods. In the third, though, Boucher basically fell apart along with his team as the Flyers rolled to the win. The back breaker could very well have been Max Talbot's shorthanded goal, on an assist from Giroux, which made it 3-1 with about 14 minutes left.

As for the much maligned defense, the Flyers looked decent in their own end tonight, but there's still a severe lack of anything that can be called organization below the circles and around the crease. It's just ugly, and if Carolina was on their game a bit more tonight, some more pucks may have scooted by Ilya Bryzgalov.

The goalie, for the record, played well tonight. Glad to see that after his little therapy session with the media on Thursday night. If not for Hartnell falling into him (so cliche, isn't it?) and allowing the lone Carolina goal, he would've had a shutout tonight. So close.

All in all, a nice win for a team that really, really, reaaaaaaaaalllllly needed one. Questions with answers and the comment of the night after the jump. Oh, and video of Jaromir Jagr's post-game interview, complete with Max Talbot singing Mooooooves Like Jagr....

Fast forward to about the 2:30 mark here to see Max Talbot sing Moves Like Jagr.

Questions with Answers

Brian Boucher is in goal for the Canes. How's that? And speaking of goalies, how does Ilya Bryzgalov bounce back from his little therapy session the other night? Boosh was very good through two periods, but it all fell apart, both for him and his teammates, in the third. Talbot's SH goal was a back-breaker, and one Boosh should've had. Sounds familiar. The defense has been absolutely atrocious lately. All over the place, out of position, slow. How do they look tonight? It was better, but still not great in their own zone. Progress, though. And as a team, how is the defense? Does Laviolette make any lineup changes in an attempt to improve the team D? And can it be like... even a little bit better? Nodl was in, but it's tough to say if he would've been had Danny Briere not been injured. Overall it seemed much better, but Carolina also didn't play all that well save for a few short spurts. Hartnell and Jagr have been carrying the offense -- we're kind of ignoring most of the Winnipeg game, for the record, since it was so nuts, although even there, those two still played well in the offensive zone. Can we get some other contributions tonight? The top line did all the even-strength scoring. All of it. The Flyers should win the special teams battle tonight, but will it actually happen? Didn't have to kill many penalties. Just three. Scored a shortie, too, so that'll work.

Comment of the Night