Philadelphia Flyers Daily Clips- October 25, 2011 FLYERS Headlines 1. Philadelphia Inquirer- Pronger injures eye as Flyers stop Leafs, 4-2 2. Philadelphia Inquirer- Pronger-less D steps up 3. Philadelphia Inquirer- Flyers Notes: Jagr, Hartnell get on the scoreboard 4. Philadelphia Daily News- Pronger injury overshadows Flyers' win 5. Philadelphia Daily News- Flyers' Bobrovsky earned his start 6. Philadelphia Daily News- Pronger’s injury simply horrifying 7. Philadelphia Daily News- BOOPSTATS: The Jagr First-Goal Report 8. CSNPhilly.com- Flyers end skid but lose Pronger 9. CSNPhilly.com- Pronger out two weeks after taking stick to face 10. CSNPhilly.com- Source: Couturier not going back to juniors 11. CSNPhilly.com- Should Flyers be worried about Ilya? 12. CSNPhilly.com- Flyers awfully optimistic about Pronger timetable 13. Delaware County Times- Flyers dodge bullet on Pronger, beat Leafs 14. Delaware County Times- Holmgren: Pronger to be advised to wear visor 15. Delaware County Times- Pronger suffers serious eye injury 16 Bucks County Courier-Times- Flyers' win tempered by Pronger injury 17. Bucks County Courier-Times- Holmgren: Pronger will wear shield upon return 18. Bucks County Courier-Times- Shelley finally gets a chance 19. Camden Courier-Post- A bittersweet win: Jagr scores 2; Flyers lose Pronger 20. Camden Courier-Post- Pronger expected to miss 2-to-3 weeks 21. Camden Courier-Post- Flyers try to fix communication issue on

defense 22. Philadelphia Flyers- On The Fly: Scary Incident 23. TSN.ca- Hodgemail: Should visor use be decided only by the players? 24. TSN.ca- Jagr scores twice as Flyers down Maple Leafs; Pronger hurt 25. TSN.ca- Pronger injured by high stick, leaves game against Leafs 26. NHL.com- Jagr busts out with 2 goal game for Flyers Toronto Maple Leafs Headlines (FLYERS Last Opponent) 1. TSN.ca-SIEGEL: Mistakes Cost Leafs in Philadelphia 2. Toronto Sun- Burke's Leafs hit sad milestone in Philly 3. Toronto Sun- Gustavsson can't save Leafs 4. Toronto Sun- Leafs call up Scrivens from Marlies Montreal Canadiens Headlines (FLYERS Next Opponent) 1. NHL.com- A game of inches 2. NHL.com- Returns and reinforcements 3. The Press- Enterprise- Panthers hand Canadiens sixth straight loss NHL Headlines 1. NHL.com- Pens' injuries grow: Michalek out 4-6 weeks 2. NHL.com- Alfredsson out Tuesday with hip injury 3. NHL.com- Blues relieved as Backes returns to practice 4. NHL.com- Quick's dominance earns him NHL's 'First Star’ 5. NHL.com- Lester Patrick Award a family affair for the Johnsons 6. TSN.ca- Capitals No. 1 in NHL Power Rankings 7. TSN.ca- Your Call: What has been the NHL's biggest surprise so far? 8. TSN.ca- Sale of Stars to Gaglardi takes a step forward 9. TSN.ca- Sabres' Ennis out indefinitely because of ankle injury FLYERS Articles

1. Philadelphia Inquirer- Pronger injures eye as Flyers stop Leafs, 4-2 Sam Carchidi It was billed as the first-ever matchup of the Schenn brothers - the Flyers' Brayden and the Toronto Maple Leafs' Luke. About 12 minutes into Monday's matchup, however, it became known as The Game That Could Change the Flyers' Season. Chris Pronger, the team's captain and undisputed leader, was struck in the face by an inadvertent stick - Mikhail Grabovski was following through on his shot when he struck the defenseman - and the future Hall of Famer dashed off the ice in excruciating pain, holding his right eye. Apparently the injury wasn't as bad as initially feared. After the Flyers' 4-2 win over Toronto at the Wells Fargo Center, general manager Paul Holmgren said Pronger was hit on the outer side of his right eye, but he hoped he could resume skating in about 10 days and return to the lineup in a few weeks. Holmgren said Pronger experienced blurred vision in the eye at first, but it returned to normal. The GM said Pronger, 37, who had an injury-plagued 2010-11 season, would visit an eye doctor during each of the next four days. He was examined Monday night by Stephen Goldman, the team's eye doctor. "He has a little bit of an issue with his eye," Holmgren said. ". . . He'll basically be on bed rest for three days, and the hope is he'll be fine within a few weeks here. We're hoping he can rejoin the team within 10 days or two weeks."

"It's scary, obviously, to see him clutching his eye," winger Scott Hartnell said. "Chris Pronger is one of the biggest warriors in the NHL." Hartnell and Jaromir Jagr each scored their first two goals of the season as the Flyers ended a two-game losing streak. But Pronger's eye injury overshadowed the victory. "The hope is that blood doesn't build up there. That's why we have him on bed rest the next four days," Holmgren said. Pronger is one of the few players on the team who does not wear a protective visor. "When Chris comes back, he'll be wearing a visor," Holmgren said. "We made it mandatory in the American Hockey League. To me, it's not an issue. Obviously, some of these guys have gone a long time, and for whatever reason they don't want to wear them. The improvements they've made with the visor compared to what it was 10, 15 years ago are tremendous. "I'm not sure our doctor would clear him to play unless he wears a visor." Pronger's injury stunned his teammates. "You try to block it out as much as possible," said center Danny Briere, who collected his 600th career point on a second-period assist. "Obviously, it is in the back of all of our minds and we wish him the best and that he will be OK. But once you are on the ice, you try not to think about it as much and just play the game." With the game tied, 1-1, Hartnell scored from one knee after taking a feed from Briere, who was behind the net with a little more than

four minutes remaining in the second period. That was Briere's 600th career point. "Those are milestones you'll look back at the end of your career and appreciate a lot more," said Briere, 34. "For now, that was a big goal. Toronto was all over us in the first half of the period, but we came back strong. We weathered the storm and did a much better job controlling the play and puck, taking shots on net the second half of the period." Backup goalie Sergei Bobrovsky (2-0) was sharp in his second start of the season. With Pronger injured, defensemen Andreas Lilja and Matt Walker figure to see a lot more action. Holmgren said Pronger "wasn't in the mood to talk. I think he was very scared - and rightly so. Something like that happens to your eye, you're worried and don't know what's going on. But I think he settled down and was fine when he left here." Matt Read also took a stick to the face. Read was hit by Joffrey Lupul's high stick in the opening period. Lupul was given a double-minor penalty. While Lupul was in the penalty box, Jagr scored his 647th career goal. Read later returned and played in all situations. Toronto got to within 3-2 with 8 minutes, 26 seconds left as a pass deflected off David Steckel's glove and appeared to nick Bobrovsky's stick before trickling into the net. But Jagr secured the win by scoring on another breakaway with 4:45 to go. 2. Philadelphia Inquirer- Pronger-less D steps up

Sam Carchidi With Chris Pronger exiting in the first period when he was accidentally struck near his right eye by the stick of Toronto’s Mikhail Grabovski, the Flyers’ other five defensemen played more minutes and picked up the slack in Monday’s 4-2 win over the visiting Maple Leafs. “I thought our team defense was good,” coach Peter Laviolette said after the Flyers improved to 5-2-1. “The defensemen had to jump in and double up on some of the shifts.” Veteran Kimmo Timonen had two assists and three blocked shots while playing a game-high 26:35. Braydon Coburn played 26:11 and had three hits. Andrej Meszaros (five hits), Matt Carle (two blocks) and Matt Walker also contributed. “All of them were really solid,” Laviolette said. The Leafs “have a lot of skill out there and they’re quick. They generate things, so I thought our guys did a pretty good job." Ditto goalie Sergei Bobrovsky (2-0), who has been sharp in his two starts. With Pronger sidelined for two to three weeks (see accompanying story), Andreas Lilja will go back into the lineup. The Flyers have just $21,000 in cap room, so they aren’t left with a lot of flexibility. * * * Just like in his previous NHL days, Jaromir Jagr saluted after each of his two goals Monday. They were his first two scores of the season.

“We were wondering...We had a little wager on the side on whether he was going to do it or not,” Scott Hartnell said. “He hasn't lost a step with that, and he had a big grin on his face." Hartnell and Jagr, each of whom had two goals and an assist, were again wingers on a line centered by Claude Giroux (two assists). The line combined for four goals, four assists and a plus-six rating. Jagr had a game-high six shots. * * * It'll be interesting to see if Laviolette goes back to the $51-million man, Ilya Bryzgalov, on Wednesday in Montreal. The guess here: He does. 3. Philadelphia Inquirer- Flyers Notes: Jager, Hartnell get on the scoreboard Sam Carchidi Jaromir Jagr and Scott Hartnell, goal-less entering Monday night, ended droughts and keyed the Flyers' 4-2 win over Toronto at the Wells Fargo Center. After taking an inadvertent shot to the face, Flyers captain Chris Pronger clutches his right eye. Each player had two goals and an assist as the Flyers ended a two-game losing streak. They were wingers on a line centered by Claude Giroux (two assists). "It's nice to get one, even though I had to get on my knees and shovel it under his pads," said Hartnell, referring to his first goal, which was scored on the power play. "There was a lot of talk about

everything [his struggles], and it's nice to help out and more importantly to get the win." Added Hartnell: "We had to get dirty tonight . . .. We won a lot of one-on-one battles, and that's what you need to be successful. It seemed like all four lines were doing it." Jagr used his trademark salute after scoring each goal, including one on the power play. "I thought it would be kind of nice to do it again," said a smiling Jagr, who played the last three years in Russia. Jagr scored on two of the three breakaways he had against goalie Jonas Gustavsson. He used the same move on both of his goals. "Why change from something that's working?" he said. Shelley returns For the first time this season, enforcer Jody Shelley was in the Flyers' lineup, playing left wing on the fourth line. Shelley missed the first five games because of a league-mandated suspension, then was a healthy scratch in the next two. He had been suspended for 10 games, including five in the regular season, for boarding Toronto's Darryl Boyce in a preseason contest. Shelley said he didn't want to be overhyped when he got back on the ice. "I'm going to keep it simple," he said. "Honestly, it doesn't matter if you sit out one game or the whole summer and it's your first game back, there's always that excitement. But you try to reel it in."

Then again, the Flyers, who were coming off consecutive clunkers at home, looked as if they needed some players to play with more of an edge. "If I can provide some energy, that'd be great," he said. Shelley was given a roughing penalty in the first period as he shoved defenseman Luke Schenn into Gustavsson, who dramatically fell to the ice. The fans booed the replay, wanting an unsportsmanlike penalty for diving. Winter Classic update Jamey Horan, an NHL spokesman, said Monday that the league "will make a determination" on a lottery for Winter Classic tickets when the final capacity for the Jan. 2 game at Citizens Bank Park is figured out. The Flyers have been allotted only about 19,000 tickets for the game. Horan said the home team gets the most tickets, followed by the visitors, the New York Rangers. Some tickets also are allotted to the Phillies, the NHL, and some youth hockey organizations. "We don't release specifics," Horan said when asked how many tickets each group receives. Breakaways Monday's game matched Flyers center Brayden Schenn against his brother, Luke. It marked the first time a Flyer played against his brother since 2006, when Kimmo Timonen, then with Nashville, faced Jussi Timonen, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Neither

Schenn had a point. . . . Assuming Sean Couturier plays in his ninth game Wednesday in Montreal, the Flyers will have to decide before Thursday's game against Winnipeg whether the rookie center will remain with the team. If he plays in his 10th game, his three-year, entry-level deal will have started. 4. Philadelphia Daily News- Pronger injury overshadows Flyers' win Frank Seravalli CHRIS PRONGER'S blood-curdling scream could be heard, loud and clear, throughout the Wells Fargo Center. The piercing yelp, when the stick of Toronto's Mikhail Grabovski connected with Pronger's right eyelid, was plain as day on the Maple Leafs' broadcast fed back to Canada. Flyers captain Chris Pronger goes to the locker room after taking a high stick in the first period. No penalty was called. Get Your Philadelphia Flyers Gear HereFor that brief second, as the Flyers' captain skated right to the bench and fell over in the hallway on the way to the locker room, time stood still. Stomachs turned over in fans and players alike. Pronger, a 17-year veteran, doesn't often writhe on the ice in pain or exaggerate an injury. The seriousness was apparent from the moment it happened with 8 minutes, 2 seconds remaining in the first period. "You try to play through it, you try not to think about it," teammate Danny Briere said. "Obviously, it was in the back of our mind. It doesn't really matter who it is, actually, you're worried about him."

From then on, the game and its details - in which Jaromir Jagr and Scott Hartnell each netted two goals to break a seven-game goal-less drought to start the season, powering the Flyers to a 4-2 win over the Maple Leafs - was secondary. Pronger was not wearing a visor on the play, which was not penalized as Grabovski was following through on a shot attempt. "A million thoughts go through your head," said Hartnell, who once dealt with his own eye injury because of a high-sticking incident. "Hopefully he is all right." Though Pronger regained vision in his right eye moments after the high stick, it appears that he is not out of the woods just yet. Pronger was not hospitalized, according to general manager Paul Holmgren, but was thoroughly examined by eye specialist Dr. Stephen Goldman before being sent back to his South Jersey home for strict bed rest. Pronger had a cut on his right eyelid, which caused swelling to the area. Now, the biggest fear is that blood could build up behind his eye in the form of a clot, which could cause permanent vision damage. "He's got a little bit of an issue with his eye," Holmgren said. "There's no real concern, other than if something happens over the next 3-4 days, if there is swelling or something behind the eye." The best-case scenario would be that Pronger could return to the ice in 3 to 4 weeks. "He's going to see an eye doctor every day for the next 4 days," Holmgren said. "We're hoping at that time that he'll be out of . . . I don't want to say . . . danger . . . If everything goes OK, and the

swelling goes down, he should be able to start an exercise program." For the Maple Leafs, Pronger's close call hit home. It was on March 11, 2000, that Toronto defenseman Bryan Berard lost most of the sight in his right eye after being high-sticked by Ottawa's Marian Hossa. Berard underwent seven eye surgeries over the next year-and-a-half to try to get his vision down to the league minimum of 20/400 in his right eye to be eligible. He played for the Rangers, Boston, Chicago, Columbus and the Islanders before failing to make the Flyers out of training camp in 2008. Pronger's team was down, 1-0, at the time of the incident but quickly rallied to score on a power play after a penalized high-sticking, which cut Matt Read, knotted the game. "We heard it and everyone was searching for the puck," Jagr said. "It was a stick. We were all worried." Jagr, who had three breakaways against Jonas Gustavsson, was able to beat him twice on the same net with the same shot to the same spot. Skating along the glass, as the Flyers fans roared, Jagr brought back his signature celebration: taking his glove off to salute the crowd. Jagr said the goals were a huge weight off his shoulders, as he helped his team snap a two-game losing streak in the process. "That's really what I needed. I feel a lot better," Jagr said. "I changed everything, my gloves, my skates. Then I got hit in the head in warmups. That helped." Other than Andreas Nodl and Jody Shelley, Hartnell and Jagr were

the only Flyers regulars to not net a goal so far this season. "It was nice to get one, even if I had to go on my knees and shovel it under his pads," Hartnell said. "It's nice to help out." Still, Pronger was the real focus. Now, Pronger and the Flyers will wait. And pray. Hartnell knows what Pronger will be going through over the next week, with his status up in the air. Hartnell was high-sticked by his own teammate in his second NHL season in Nashville, which quickly convinced him to play with a visor. "I had bleeding on my retina," Hartnell said. "It's scary. I was on bed rest for an entire week. You're laying there and you don't know if your career is over or if you're going to play again. It's a horrible feeling." Slap shots It was Jaromir Jagr's 114th career two-goal game . . . Danny Briere notched his 600th NHL point . . . With Chris Pronger out indefinitely, look for Andreas Lilja and Matt Walker to remain in the lineup. The Flyers do not have the salary-cap space to bring in a replacement defenseman unless Pronger is put on the long-term injured reserve, which would require him to miss 10 games or 25 days.\ 5. Philadelphia Daily News- Flyers' Bobrovsky earned his start Frank Seravalli SERGEI Bobrovsky and Ilya Bryzgalov have something in common.

Besides the fact that they're both Russian, both of the Flyers' goaltenders left the ice angry in their last start prior to last night's game. Get Your Philadelphia Flyers Gear HereLast Tuesday, Bobrovsky admitted he was upset after allowing a last-minute goal in a 7-2 win over the Ottawa Senators. On Saturday, Bryzgalov had a few blunt postgame suggestions for his defensemen after a communication breakdown with Braydon Coburn behind the net in the Flyers' 4-2 loss to St. Louis that left the net empty for a late goal. Some thought Bryzgalov's comments after the game might have been the reason Bobrovsky was pegged for last night's start against Toronto. Alas, Peter Laviolette diffused any question of controversy. "We had 'Bob' pegged for this start for quite a while," Laviolette said before the game. Why? For one, the Flyers have five games in 8 days this week, if you include Saturday's loss to the Blues. After last night's 4-2 victory over Toronto, the Flyers travel to Montreal for tomorrow's game, face Winnipeg at home on Thursday night, and host Brian Boucher and Carolina on Saturday. And Bobrovsky - who made 24 saves last night - has simply shown a little bit more this season to warrant the extra start - and we're not just talking about his one, measly appearance against a pathetic Ottawa team. Stacked up against all goalies who played at least 100 minutes in the preseason, Bobrovsky led the NHL with a ridiculously low 0.40 goals-against average. He also stopped 98.4

percent of shots faced. In reality, it's tough to compare a goaltender like Bobrovsky - with a relatively limited sample size - to someone who has as much of a pedigree as Bryzgalov. But a statistics professor at St. Lawrence University in New York, Michael Schuckers, has developed a stat that could better compare the jobs the two did last season on different teams in different conferences. Schuckers' stat, "Defense Independent Goalie Rating," is an adjusted save percentage-like metric that attempts to reveal a goaltender's true ability independent of his defensemen. Last season, Bryzgalov finished fourth among goalies who faced 1,000 shots with a .923 adjusted save percentage. Bobrovsky was 15th out of 32 goalies, but finished just .006 points behind with a .917 save percentage. What does all of that mean? The drop-off from Bryzgalov to Bobrovsky on any given night is not a big one. Even with the statistics, we know that just one number matters: the $51 million that will be in Bryzgalov's bank account after his 9-year deal. Battle of the Schenns Brayden Schenn and older brother Luke had met on the ice before. They played against each other in the Western Hockey League in 2008. They faced each other twice in the preseason last month. Last night, meeting for the first time in an NHL regular-season game, the stakes were a little bit higher. But the Schenn family loyalties remained divided.

Parents Jeff and Rita Schenn flew in from their home in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, to watch their sons face off - and brought along daughters Madison, 14, and Macy, 10. Macy decided to wear brother Luke's Maple Leafs jersey and Madison was left with Brayden's orange Flyers shirt. Just a week ago, with Brayden toiling in the minors with the Phantoms, this all seemed like a remote possibility. "You never think the dream is going to come true," Jeff Schenn said in an intermission interview on Comcast SportsNet. "But we dreamt about it and we are lucky to be a part of this and see the boys have success." Rita Schenn said the whole event was "very nerve-racking," noting that she refrained from cheering and clapping to prevent showing bias toward one team or another. With all of the Schenns in town on Sunday night, they got together for a rare family dinner in-season, something that has been hard to do since Luke left home for junior hockey in 2006. "It was great to get to go to dinner and catch up and talk," Brayden Schenn said. "We talk pretty much every day, but not [yesterday]. It was all business." Lineup changes After being subbed in for Andreas Lilja last Tuesday in Ottawa and sitting out for games against Washington and St. Louis, Matt Walker was back in the lineup last night as the Flyers' sixth defenseman. Walker, 31, ended up playing 11:37. That's likely more than Peter Laviolette budgeted, necessitated by Chris Pronger's scary, first-

period injury. Andreas Nodl was a healthy scratch for the second time in the last 7 days, as Jody Shelley skated in his first game after serving a five-game suspension to start the season. 6. Philadelphia Daily News- Pronger’s injury simply horrifying Rich Hofmann THE THING that is hard to forget is the panic. Chris Pronger is as confident a player, on the ice and with the media, as any of us has seen - any sport, any time, not an exaggeration. Then the stick hit him in the eye, a follow-through of a shot by Toronto's Mikhail Grabovski, and the reaction was so hard to process. Pronger covered his face immediately. Then he got to his feet and was so frantically assisted from the ice. That was the thing. There was Pronger, whose game is about size and strength and snarl, about body positioning and economy of movement and the restoring of order. At the times when he has not calculated the need for some physical agitation, the man oozes control. He dictates to the opponent and the game, not the other way around. You see him as the other team gathers itself on a rush and you see that he has sized up what is happening at ice level even as you work to figure it out with the benefit of seeing the play develop from high above. He makes the right decision an uncanny percentage of the time. With a single, long stride, or a quick poke of his stick, or a smooth, insistent body check, he so often smothers the moment. He is just so calm. But there Pronger was, suddenly, running. Running on skates. His face covered, his feet moving, his manner so unsettling, so frantic.

It was not him. It is horrifying to watch a player like that but, somehow, this was even worse because of who it was. Pronger sprinted through the gate and up the tunnel and seemed so panicked, so frightened, so unbalanced, hands over his eye, running, hobbling, that it appeared as if he was going to fall. That was the last we saw. And even after word reached reporters that the hope is that Pronger will be fine, you could only wonder: What kind of horrible, terrifying incident is it going to have to take for the NHL and its union to mandate that players wear visors? What kind of unspeakable tragedy? "When Chris comes back, he'll be wearing a visor," Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren said. "We made it mandatory in the American Hockey League. To me, it's not an issue - players should wear them. Obviously, some of these guys have been around a long time and for whatever reason they don't want to wear one. "I think the improvements with the visor over the last number of years, compared to what it was 10 or 15 years ago, are tremendous. Other than getting a little sweat on there sometimes, or maybe a little water, I don't think the visor is a big issue." It was last night, though. And how many more nights? The news on Pronger does not sound alarming, but it is not definitive, either. Holmgren said there is a cut on the outside of Pronger's right eye. He will be on bed rest for 3 or 4 days while the accompanying swelling comes down. Only then will the doctors be able to tell exactly what they are dealing with.

The hope is that it is nothing serious or complicated, and that Pronger will be back in a couple of weeks. According to Holmgren, the vision was blurred in the eye but never gone completely. And, so, they wait - as does a league that seems to believe that there is no need to force players to do something that most of them will end up doing anyway. But every time something like this happens, the need for action just seems so obvious. They have mandated helmets for 3 decades now, and this is the logical extension. Of the 20 skaters the Flyers are currently lugging around - 18 dressed last night, plus Andreas Nodl and Andreas Lilja - 15 wear visors. By most accountings, a significant majority of NHL players wear them. And why wouldn't they? After all, they grew up wearing visors or full shields or cages or some combination thereof as kids. They're required in the AHL. They're required in international competition if you were born after Dec. 31, 1974. Because of that rule, at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, Pronger was the only player on the gold medal-winning team from Canada not wearing a visor. After the game last night, several of his Flyers teammates were questioned about what they saw and what they were feeling when it happened. Each one of them used the word "scary," sometimes with a modifier, sometimes without. And they all seemed to have their stories. Scott Hartnell had a personal incident when he played in Nashville, when he worried if his career might be over. He now wears a visor. Danny Briere was one of the kids who thought he was bulletproof, who took off the shield when he came to the NHL only to put it on several years later after an accumulation of cuts and scrapes around his eyes left him wary.

"Chris is 6-6," said Briere, who isn't. "You would think a guy his height would be safe from it." This night, he wasn't. And now we will see if Pronger will change his mind and maybe acknowledge the risks just aren't worth it anymore. "I'm not sure our doctor would clear Chris to play if he wasn't wearing a visor," Holmgren said. "I think Chris was really scared by this incident here tonight. I would like to believe that he would want to wear one." Chris Pronger, scared. The words do not belong in the same sentence. 7. Philadelphia Daily News- BOOPSTATS: The Jagr First-Goal Report Bob Vetrone Jr. When Jaromir Jagr finally scored Monday night (right), the Flyers' season was 438 minutes and one second old. That is, by far, the longest into any of his teams' seasons that it took the future Hall of Famer to light his first light.

Below are the first goals of each of his 18 seasons.

Noteworthy: Before Monday, the longest Jagr had gone into a season without a tally was his most recent NHL campaign (2007-08) when it took him nearly 300 minutes to score for the Rangers ... His earliest goal came a year before that, when it took him all of 29 seconds to get on the board ... Eight times he has scored in his team's first game, including five in a row from 2001 to 2006 (three years with the Capitals, the strike year, and his first two with the Rangers) ... In four of those eight games, he scored in the first

period of the season.

Season

Date of Goal

Team Game

Elapsed Time

1990-91

Oct. 7, 1990 1st 114:10

1991-92 Oct. 15, 1991 5th 296:43

1992-93 Oct. 8, 1992 2nd 107:20

1993-94 Oct. 10, 1993 4th 192:13

1994-95 Jan. 20, 1995

1st 28:25

1995-96 Oct. 7, 1995 1st 18:26 1996-97 Oct. 11, 1996 3rd 131:0

9 1997-98 Oct. 4, 1997 3rd 151:2

2 1998-99 Oct. 10, 1998 1st 4:50 1999-00 Oct. 7, 1999 2nd 97:11 2000-01 Oct. 13, 2000 3rd 167:4

3 2001-02 Oct. 6, 2001 1st 26:44 2002-03 Oct. 11, 2002 1st 20:33 2003-04 Oct. 9, 2003 1st 2:04 2005-06 Oct. 5, 2005 1st 46:28 2006-07 Oct. 5, 2006 1st 0:29 2007-08 Oct. 13, 2007 5th 298:5

1 2011-12 Oct. 24, 2011 8th 438:0

1 8. CSNPhilly.com- Flyers end skid but lose Pronger Tim Panaccio He hasn’t been smiling lately. Wasn’t his usual chatterbox self. Although Jaromir Jagr insisted he wasn’t squeezing his stick, his body language through seven games suggested otherwise.

All of that ended Monday night as the 39-year old wonder-Czech scored twice to lead the Flyers past the Toronto Maple Leafs, 4-2, at Wells Fargo Center. Not only did his smile return, but so did that famed Jagr salute after scoring a goal. “It’s what I needed,” Jagr said. “I feel a lot better than I did yesterday, that’s for sure. I changed everything. Skates, gloves, I got hit in the head in warm-up.” Why the salute? “Well, it’s been 15 years and nobody did it,” Jagr said, laughing. “It would be kinda nice to do it again after 15 years.” His teammates weren’t sure the salute was coming. “We had a little wager on the side on whether he was going to do it or not,” said linemate Scott Hartnell, who also scored his first pair of goals of the season. “He hasn't lost a step with that and he had a big grin on his face." The win snapped a two-game losing skid on home ice. It was a costly win, however. Team captain Chris Pronger took a stick to the right eye during the first period and will miss up to two weeks. He got hit on a follow swing motion by Mikhail Grabovski off a shot in the first period. Pronger had a cut around the eye and swelling. Because it was an attempted shot, it’s considered incidental contact

and not a high-sticking penalty. Pronger is among a handful of players from the 1990s generation who came into the NHL during the era where helmets and visors were not commonplace. Two springs ago during the playoffs, Ian Laperriere’s Flyers career, for all intents and purposes, ended after being struck in the eye by a puck. “It’s scary,” Hartnell said. “You get a high stick, especially around the eye, is a dangerous thing. You never know what is going to happen...a million thoughts go through your head. That's why I wear a visor. I got high-sticked my second year and it’s a scary thing.” Coach Peter Laviolette rotated four of his remaining defensemen the rest of the game and they performed admirably. “Anytime somebody goes down, they get a stick something goes wrong anytime it gets near an eye you really get nervous so to lose a guy like that it’s tough on everybody,” Laviolette said. “I thought our defense played really good. Team defense, I thought was good. Defensemen jumping in having to double up on some of the shifts… Kimmo [Timonen] had a big game. All of them really solid. “Even from the back and the forwards. Toronto had a fast team. They have a lot of skill out there and they are quick. They generate things so I thought our guys did a pretty good job." The Leafs had three high-stick infractions called during the game. “Seems like they’re swinging their sticks pretty easy,” Hartnell said. “You got to do a better job watching your stick. They cut

three of four of our players.” Hartnell’s second goal, coming in the third period, gave the Flyers a 3-1 lead. Toronto made a one-goal game at 11:34 on a goal from David Steckel. Things looked dicey until Jagr’s last breakaway when he scored at 15:15 off a nice feed from Timonen. It was Jagr’s 114th two-goal game of his career. Both of Jagr’s goals beat goalie Jonas Gustavsson to the far (stick) side. “Well, I had three breakaways,” Jagr said. “The first one I scored, the second one I tried to do something different. I thought maybe if I would shoot, I would have a chance to score. The third one I said, ‘Why change something that is working?’ And he was cheating a little bit. I think he lifted a leg there, but I kind of waited a little longer and I had a spot there.” Toronto scored on its very first shot of the game when Phil Kessel, the NHL’s leading scorer (15 points), got a rebound of a John-Michael Liles shot off the skate of Braydon Coburn that caromed directly to him in the right slot. Kessel caught goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, making his second start of the season, leaning the wrong way and roofed the puck for a 1-0 lead at 6:11. Jagr, who said at the morning skate that a hat trick would be nice but not realistic, finally nailed his first at 16:22 on the power play. Skating through neutral ice, he took a perfect pass from Claude Giroux, stick-handled past the Toronto defense, and wristed the puck into the left corner of the net.

He had another breakaway in the second period and Gustavsson made a terrific right pad save on him. That period saw the Flyers buzzing the net. Players talked about finding energy throughout shifts and in the final eight minutes, Sean Couturier’s fourth line with Jody Shelley and Max Talbot did just that with a sustained attack that had Gustavsson moving all over the crease. As the period wound down, the Flyers got a late power-play goal and took a 2-1 lead. Hartnell, making a pest of himself in front of the goalie, was able to ram the puck under Gustavsson’s pads laying prone on the ice at 15:46. “Yeah, it’s nice to get one even if I had to get on my knees and shovel it in under his pad,” Hartnell said. “It’s a lot of talk and stuff about everything, it’s nice to help out and a good feeling to get the win more importantly.” The assist was Briere’s 600th career point. “Those are milestones where you'll look back at the end of your career and probably appreciate at lot more,” Briere said. “For now, that was a big goal. Toronto was all over us in the 1st half of the period but we came back strong.” 9. CSNPhilly.com- Pronger out two weeks after taking stick to face Tim Panaccio It could have been a lot worse for Chris Pronger.

As it is, the Flyers’ captain is expected to miss up to two weeks after taking a stick to the right eye during Monday’s 4-2 win over Toronto at Wells Fargo Center. “It’s a very scary incident for Chris and all of us to come off the ice like that,” general manager Paul Holmgren said. “He had a little bit of a cut on the outside of the right eye. The eye doctor [Stephen Goldman] checked him out thoroughly. “He’s got a little bit of an issue with his eye. Over the next three or four days, no real concern other than swelling or something behind the eye. He’s going to be on bed rest for the next three days. “The hope is he’ll be fine in a few weeks here. He will see the eye doctor for the next four days.” Pronger would then begin an exercise program and rejoin the club within 10 days or two weeks to skate again. Holmgren said Pronger would wear a visor when he comes back. Holmgren cautioned the time frame was for Pronger rejoining the team and not necessarily returning to the lineup. “To me, it’s not an issue, players should wear them,” Holmgren said. “Some of these guys have been around a long time and for whatever reason don’t want to wear them. When Chris comes back, he’ll be wearing a visor.” At 11:57 of the first period, Pronger was struck in the face by Mikhail Grabovski's stick during a follow-through of a shot in the left circle. Pronger does not wear a shield. The stick caught him flush. Pronger hurriedly left the ice, clutching his right eye. Because that

was incidental contact off a shot, it is not considered a high-sticking penalty. Pronger was not hospitalized as Goldman was called to the arena. “You try to block it out as much as possible,” Danny Briere said. “Obviously, it is on the back of all of our minds and we wish him the best and that he will be OK. But once you are on the ice you try not to think about it as much and just play the game.” The Flyers are hoping blood does not build up around the eye; hence the bed rest, Holmgren said. Pronger missed 32 regular season games and 8 playoff games last year with recurring back and wrist injuries that required multiple surgeries. 10. CSNPhilly.com- Source: Couturier not going back to juniors Tim Panaccio Rookie Sean Couturier will not be going back to juniors, a club source told CSNPhilly.com. A decision on the 18-year old’s status would have to be made after 10 games. Once a player stays for an 11th game, one year of his deal automatically counts as having been exercised on his three-year NHL entry level contract. That decision would have to be rendered after Thursday’s game against Winnipeg. The source said the club has no plans on sending Couturier back to Drummondville. “There is no reason to,” the source said. “He can learn just as easily here on the job.” Couturier came into Monday’s game against Toronto with two goals and two assists for four points in seven games. 11. CSNPhilly.com- Should Flyers be worried about Ilya?

CSNPhilly.com Staff For those of you who already think $51 million doesn't buy what it used to... Jason Brough over at ProHockeyTalk.com came up with a short list of teams that should be concerned about their goaltending. And wouldn't you know it, the Flyers are on that list. He breaks it down into teams that should be not that concerned, slightly worried and enormously concerned. See which category he has the Flyers in. And here's his writeup: Ilya Bryzgalov (2.85 GAA, .895 SV%) – We all know how much the Flyers have invested in Bryzgalov. He started out well with his new team, but hasn’t been good his last two games. Philadelphia can score enough goals to mitigate a spell of poor goaltending, but Bryzgalov isn’t playing behind Dave Tippett’s system anymore, and there are more than enough people who will be happy to point that out. 12. CSNPhilly.com- Flyers awfully optimistic about Pronger timetable Jay Greenberg Until the last veteran covers his face with a shield, the most horrifying sight in hockey remains the player going up the runway with a towel covering his face. Pain thresholds of hockey players being what they are, you know it’s not likely the cheekbone, nose or teeth, but the eye. So you begin to pray for that millimeter’s difference that will determine whether or not a player has a career remaining.

The Flyers apparently have been given reason to believe Chris Pronger still does, but experience suggests initial diagnoses of eye traumas are as blurry as was the defenseman’s initial vision in the locker room. (See story.) Paul Holmgren put Phil Esposito on his rear with a celebrated hit in his first NHL game while playing with an eye that had made contact with a skate blade at the bottom of an AHL brawl a few days earlier. It wasn’t until swelling set in the next night in a Boston hotel room that Holmgren became aware there was a serious problem. Bob Clarke and Barry Ashbee took the rookie to the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, where he needed an emergency operation to plug a fluid leak to save his vision. A reaction to the anesthetic sent Holmgren into convulsions on the table and he almost died that night. Instead, he scored 144 goals over nine seasons while having trouble seeing pucks directly at his feet. Bernie Parent, the right eye slit of his mask inadvertently invaded by the stick of Don Maloney as the Ranger was grabbed by Jimmy Watson, skated right up the runway, too, at the Spectrum in February 1979 and the initial reports were much like those about Pronger: Bed rest while the blood drains from the chamber. “If all goes well, Bernie could be back in three weeks,” said Flyers physician Dr. Edward Viner. Earlier that season, Rick MacLeish had been clipped in the eye and been back in two. But two conjunctival tears were found in Parent’s eye at Wills Eye Hospital and he never played again. So at the very least, two weeks sounds awfully optimistic for Pronger’s return.

13. Delaware County Times- Flyers dodge bullet on Pronger, beat Leafs Anthony Sanfilippo PHILADELPHIA – The Flyers won Monday, but everyone wanted to talk about the loss. That’s because the 4-2 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs took a backseat to a serious eye injury to Flyers captain Chris Pronger. Late in the first period, Pronger took a stick to his right eye and crumbled to the ice screaming in pain. He stumbled to his feet and with the assistance of Danny Briere and referee Rob Martell was helped to the bench and hustled down the tunnel toward the locker room hunched over in obvious pain. He was immediately followed by the Flyers training staff. Pronger was reaching his stick out to deflect a shot by Mikhail Grabovski. He got the shot off, but his follow-through went high and clipped Pronger in the eye. No penalty was called because the incident was accidental and came in the act of shooting. Pronger did not return and is now on bed rest for four days. He will see the eye specialist for each of those days and if all goes well, he is expected to resume skating with the team in 10-14 days and back playing in about three weeks. However, the four days he’s on bed rest are crucial, because although the eye heals faster than any other part of the human body, blood clotting can cause additional problems that could have much longer-term effects on Pronger. “I just heard him start to scream," Danny Briere said. "I didn’t see it happen, but I… knew he was in trouble and needed help. It’s

pretty scary when that happens. I was there when it happened to Ian (Laperriere) a couple years ago, too, so I was having bad flashbacks.” As for the game itself, the Maple Leafs were a little careless with their sticks, taking three high-sticking penalties aside from the shot that caught Pronger. The Flyers took advantage of two of Toronto’s indiscretions and potted a pair of power play goals – one pretty and one ugly – continuing their success with the man-advantage. After falling behind by a goal on Phil Kessel’s ninth goal of the season, Jaromir Jagr tied the score at one with a beautiful breakaway move that very few goalies – if any – in the league could have stopped. He finished things off with his trademark salute celebration, something he hasn’t done since his days in Pittsburgh in the 1990s, to mark his first goal as a Flyer after tormenting them for the better part of two decades. “In 15 years, no one has done it,” Jagr said. “So I thought it would be kind of nice to do it again after 15 years.” Jagr scored his second goal as a Flyer as an insurance marker late in the third period – on another breakaway – catching Toronto goalie Jonas Gustavsson leaning the other way. Another salute came. Jagr now has seven points in eight games with the Flyers. “Truly, I needed it,” Jagr said. “I feel a lot better right now than I have, that’s for sure. I changed everything: the skates, gloves, I got hit in the head during warm-ups, so that helped.”

He didn’t know whose shot hit him in warm-ups, but he guessed it was Hartnell. If so, it jump started both of them. Hartnell netted his first goal from his knees, banging in his own rebound on the power play following a beauty of a setup pass through the crease from Briere. He later added the game-winner, wrapping up a brilliant tic-tac-toe play that went from Jagr, to Claude Giroux to Hartnell for a one-timer. It was a fine night for that trio, which bounced back from an unimpressive performance against St. Louis Saturday to be the Flyers’ best line two nights later. Both Hartnell and Jagr finished with three points in the game while Giroux had two assists. It was Hartnell’s 22nd career two-goal game. It was No. 114 for Jagr. "It's nice to get those guys on the board,” coach Peter Laviolette said. “I've said to you earlier Jaromir had a lot of chances in the early games and lots of opportunities and their line was good. Hartnell’s now had two solid games in a row, tonight being his best one. It’s good to get those guys going, sure." With the exception of the first eight minutes or so of the second period, when they were still reeling from the Pronger injury, the Flyers were swarming in the Toronto end of the ice. Gustavsson lived up to his nickname and was a “monster” in goal much of the night with a series of big stops that kept the Leafs in the game, most impressively stoning Jagr on a second breakaway

by flashing his right pad to prevent another score. Sergei Bobrovsky got the start for the Flyers – his second of the season – and played well enough to get his second win, making 24 stops. Kessel’s goal in the first period was a sniper special, but Bobrovsky was victimized by some crazy bounces on the second goal by David Steckel that hit about seven different pieces of equipment before slinking over the line. Nevertheless, the Flyers played a strong defensive game, especially after Pronger was taken away, limiting the speedy Maple Leafs’ chances. Laviolette was impressed with the forwards helping out, but Bobrovsky was gushing about the other five defensemen who played most of the game. “I'm always very happy that I have all of this defense,” he said. “This is one of the best defenses in the NHL and I'm very happy to have them around me while I’m in the net." Toronto 1 0 1—2 Philadelphia 1 1 2—4 First Period_1, Toronto, P.Kessel 9 (Lupul, Liles), 6:11. 2, Philadelphia, Jagr 1 (Giroux, Timonen), 16:22 (pp). Penalties_Grabovski, Tor (high-sticking), :28; Shelley, Phi (roughing), 3:46; Lupul, Tor, double minor (high-sticking), 14:31; L.Schenn, Tor (roughing), 19:20; Carle, Phi (hooking), 19:20; Talbot, Phi (roughing), 19:20. Second Period_3, Philadelphia, Hartnell 1 (Briere), 15:46 (pp). Penalties_Komisarek, Tor (interference), 14:15; MacArthur, Tor (high-sticking), 20:00.

Third Period_4, Philadelphia, Hartnell 2 (Giroux, Jagr), 8:34. 5, Toronto, Steckel 3 (Frattin, Lombardi), 11:34. 6, Philadelphia, Jagr 2 (Hartnell, Timonen), 15:15. Penalties_Briere, Phi (goaltender interference), 1:42. Shots on Goal_Toronto 5-12-9_26. Philadelphia 9-10-11_30. Power-play opportunities_Toronto 0 of 3; Philadelphia 2 of 5. Goalies_Toronto, Gustavsson 1-2-0 (30 shots-26 saves). Philadelphia, Bobrovsky 2-0-0 (26-24). A_19,569 (19,537). T_2:26. Referees_Rob Martell, Brad Meier. Linesmen_Bryan Pancich, Pierre Racicot. 14. Delaware County Times- Holmgren: Pronger to be advised to wear visor Rob Parent PHILADELPHIA – You don’t have to tell an old Flyer about eye injuries. Old Flyers, a club into which Chris Pronger has been eagerly accepted, have had too many brushes with eye injuries to ever overlook this most dangerous of hockey player booby traps. No one has to tell any old Flyer – especially the one running this new Flyers team, who saw Monday night what was almost a potentially catastrophic eye injury to Pronger during a 4-2 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs -- from eye injuries.

Paul Holmgren knows what eye injuries can do. Knows that such an injury prematurely felled the careers of two of the most revered of old Flyers, Bernie Parent and Barry Ashbee. Knows how scary they can be, both to the pained player and the frightened witnesses. “When Chris comes back,” Holmgren said after breathing a sigh of relief over Pronger after the game, “he’ll be wearing a visor.” Team captain Pronger, one of the old NHL guard whose careers were born in the 1990s and never included a permanent facial guard hanging in their locker stalls, will likely miss the next 2 to 3 weeks of action after taking a stick blade to the face. It happened with just over 8 minutes remaining in the first period, after Toronto shooter Mikhail Grabovski’s blade deflected off Pronger’s stick and shot up to the side of his right eye. Pronger was not made available after the game, but Holmgren said there are still reasons for immediate concern. “There’s a lot of swelling around his eye and the hope is the clot doesn’t build up there and create an issue,” Holmgren said. Due to that, Pronger has been ordered to bed rest for three to four days, with daily checks by a specialist. If no clotting concerns are encountered, he could be skating again in about 10 days with a targeted return of perhaps a week hence. No matter how long the recovery takes, Pronger can consider himself lucky.

“It’s a dangerous thing,” said reformed visor devotee Scott Hartnell, who scored two goals in helping to dispatch the Leafs. “You never know what’s going to happen. A million thoughts go through your head. That’s why I wear a visor. I got high-sticked my second year. It’s a scary thing.” Guess what old Flyer knows that all too well? Though Holmgren’s face can attest to years of going without a shield during his long playing career, an eye injury early on eventually affected his eyesight. Holmgren then went to a visor. “We made it mandatory in the American Hockey League. To me, it’s not an issue,” Holmgren said. “Players should wear them. Obviously some of these guys who have been around a long time, for whatever reason they don’t want to wear them. But when Chris comes back he’ll be wearing a visor.” Holmgren, of course, knows that under the collective bargaining agreement, he can’t mandate that Pronger don a shield. But that said… “I’m not sure our doctor would clear him to play unless he wears a visor,” Holmgren said. “Chris was really scared by the incident here tonight. I would like to believe he’d want to wear one.” Maybe the debate will rage at a later date. For now, Pronger is at home resting comfortably while his teammates, coaches and general manager hope he indeed has dodged a bullet. Old Flyers know how to do that, too. 15. Delaware County Times- Pronger suffers serious eye injury Anthony Sanfilippo

Chris Pronger took a stick in the right eye with eight minutes to play in the first period Monday and is out for at least two weeks - and that's if things go well over the next 96 hours. Trying to block a Mikhail Grabovski slapshot during the Flyers 4-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs, Pronger was clipped in the eye by Grabovski's stick on the follow through to his shot. Pronger dropped to the ice and started screaming. It was a scary moment. Pronger will need bed rest for four days, and assuming there's no further problems, can start skating in about two weeks. But he's not out of the woods yet. These next four days are critical. If blood starts to coagulate and clot, it could mean more problems lie ahead, and a tougher and longer road to recovery. Here's Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren on the injury: Q: (Inaudible) “… very scary incident, in particular watching him come off the ice like that. Right now, he had a little bit of a cut just on the outside of his right eye here. The eye doctor checked him out thoroughly, and he’s got a little bit of an issue right now with his eye. We think max, three or four days… no real concern, other than what might happen over the next three or four days, whether it’s swelling or something behind the eye. So he’s basically going to be on bedrest for three days, and hopefully he’ll be fine within a couple weeks. Q: Did he go to the hospital?

“No, our eye doctor came here. He’s going to see the eye doctor every day for the next four days. We think after that time that he’ll be out of, we don’t want to say danger, but if everything goes ok and if the swelling goes down, he should start on some kind of an exercise program shortly after that, and we’re hoping he’ll be able to rejoin the team within ten days to two weeks. And skating-wise, not necessarily playing wise.” Q: Is there a prognosis on it? “Well, not really. The prognosis is that he was hit on the side here and there’s a lot of swelling around his eye and the hope is that the blood doesn’t build up there and create issues. That’s why he’s going to be on bedrest here for the next four days.” Q: Which doctor? “Doctor Goldman.” Q: Holmgren, when this happens, (inaudible)? “Well, when Chris comes back, he’ll be wearing a visor. We made it mandatory in the American Hockey League and it’s not an issue. Obviously some of these players have been around a long time and for whatever reason they don’t want to wear them. When Chris comes back… (inaudible). I think the improvements on the visor over the last few years, compared to what it was ten or 15 years ago, are tremendous. Other than getting a little sweat in there and some water on the visor, I don’t think it’s a big issue. I’m not sure our doctor would clear him to play unless (inaudible).” I think Chris was really scared after this incident tonight, and I would like to believe (inaudible). Q: Did he lose his sight at all?

“No. It was blurred.” Q: Because of the salary cap right now, I don’t know if you guys can afford to bring somebody else up or are you comfortable with Lilja, Walker and… “We have players we can use. We’ll be fine.” Q: (inaudible) he was obviously in a lot of pain. “He wasn’t in the mood to talk. I think he was very scared, and rightly so. When something like that happens to your eye, you’re worried and you don’t know what’s going on, but I think he settled down over a period of time and was fine.” Q: Did you think Toronto was a little careless with their sticks tonight overall? “It’s a fast game, and things happen quickly. The first six games you could say we were careless with our sticks. It’s a freak accident, and obviously a very scary accident.” 16. Bucks County Courier-Times- Flyers' win tempered by Pronger injury Wayne Fish PHILADELPHIA -- The scoreboard said the Flyers had won the game, that Jaromir Jagr had scored his first two goals of the season, but there was little cause for celebration. Their captain, Chris Pronger, had to leave the game at 11:58 of the first period after getting struck by the stick of Toronto's Mikhail Grabovski on the followthrough of a shot.

Pronger appeared to be hit by the blade of Grabovski's stick on or near his right eye. He immediately bent over in pain, hobbled off the ice and hurried to the locker room. No penalty was called on the play because rules state a followthrough is not subject to a penalty. The Flyers went on to secure a 4-2 victory, featuring the two Jagr goals and two goals by Scott Hartnell, including his power-play goal at 15:46 of the second to break a 1-1 tie and put the Flyers ahead for good. But there was hardly any joy in the Philadelphia room. Pronger's condition was cause for consternation. General manager Paul Holmgren said Pronger's condition is still not certain but the defenseman did not go to a hospital -- rather he was examined by the team doctor -- leading to speculation that the injury was not a permanent threat to Pronger's vision. "It was a very scary incident for Chris,'' Holmgren said. "And for all of us really, to watch him come off the ice like that. "Right now he has a little bit of a cut on the outside of his right eye. The eye doctor checked him out thoroughly ... we're not sure right now with his eye. We're concerned if something happens (negatively) over the next three or four days -- swelling, or something behind the eye. "He's basically going to be on bedrest for three or four days. We hope he will be fine within a few weeks.'' Pronger does not wear an eyeshield.

"His vision did come back,'' Holmgren said. "He's going to see the eye doctor each day for the next four days. We think after that, he will be out of -- I don't want to say danger -- he will be able to start on an exercise program after that. "We're hoping he'll be able to rejoin the team within 10 days to two weeks.'' The Flyers rallied from a 1-0 deficit when Jagr scored at 16:22 on a breakaway. With the Flyers on a power play, Claude Giroux sent Jagr up the middle and then free for a break-in on goalie Jonas Gustavsson. In the second, Hartnell scored off a Daniel Briere feed. Gustavsson stopped Hartnell's initial shot but the winger poked the puck under the goalie's left pad. It was a night of some reckless stick play by the Leafs, who managed to clip Pronger, Matt Read and Briere, among others, with errant sticks. Hartnell scored again in the third. Jagr and Giroux worked the puck to Hartnell, who scored from the slot at 8:34 for a 3-1 lead. Then, after a Toronto goal by Les Steckel that required a review, Jagr struck on another breakaway, this time off a strong outlet by Hartnell with 4:45 to play. Both Jagr and Hartnell expressed relief at getting the scoring monkeys off their backs. Neither had scored in the first seven games. The two had a wager over who would score first. Jagr won the bet by a few minutes.

"It's what I needed,'' Jagr said. "I feel better now after this one, that's for sure.'' Hartnell said: "He hasn't lost a step. It's nice to see him with a big grin on his face.'' As for his own struggles, Hartnell also said this was a well-needed performance. "It's nice to contribute,'' he said. "It's nice to help out and, more importantly, to get the win.'' Laviolette was pleased to see both Jagr and Hartnell get into the scoring column. "It's nice to get those guys on the board,'' Laviolette said. "I've said to you earlier Jaromir had a lot of chances in the early games and lots of opportunity and their line was good. Hartnell's now had two solid games in a row tonight being his best one. It's good to get those guys going, sure." NOTE: Goalie Sergei Bobrovsky made his second start of the season and ran his record to 2-0. 17. Bucks County Courier-Times- Holmgren: Pronger will wear shield upon return Wayne Fish PHILADELPHIA — A lot of the Flyers have been there before, hit in an eye when they were young. That’s why many of them wear protection. Chris Pronger is old school. He’s one of the few who doesn’t wear a shield. And Monday night, the downside of that decision was

made evident. Pronger was struck in the right eye by the follow through of a Mikhail Grabovski shot at 11:58. The Flyers captain immediately doubled over in pain and hurried to the locker room. It was a scary moment. And when the biggest, probably toughest, player on the team is put in such a compromised position, it’s an alarming sight. “It’s scary,’’ Scott Hartnell said. “You get a high stick, especially around the eye, it is a dangerous thing. You never know what is going to happen ... a million thoughts go through your head. “That’s why I wear a visor. I got high sticked my second year and it’s a scary thing. Hopefully he is alright, I haven’t seen him since. We are thinking about him.” To their credit, the Flyers didn’t lose their concentration after the incident. Trailing 1-0 at the time, the Flyers kept their composure and went on to a 4-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Wells Fargo Center. Coach Peter Laviolette said the team did manage to stay focused. “It’s always difficult,’’ he said. “Any time somebody goes down, they get a stick, something goes wrong ... any time it gets near an eye you really get nervous so to lose a guy like that it’s tough on everybody.” Like most Europeans, Jaromir Jagr wears a shield. He’s seen too many players suffer eye damage. “I saw the replay,’’ Jagr said. “Everyone thought it was the puck, but it wasn’t the puck, it was a stick. It’s pretty scary if you don’t

have a visor and you get hit that high, but I’m glad he’s OK. We checked after the first period and hopefully he’s going to be back soon. We need him.” Daniel Briere also uses eye protection. He’s a diminutive player and perhaps more susceptible to careless stickplay than others. In fact, he got hit in the face in Monday night’s game. “He’s one of the leaders, guys were worried about him,’’ Briere said. “You try to play through it and try not to think about it. But it’s in the back of everybody’s mind.’’ General manager Paul Holmgren also suffered a serious eye injury during his career and was forced to wear a shield. So he knows first-hand how scary this sort of thing is. Pronger was examined by team eye doctor Stephan Goldman. “When Chris comes back, he will be wearing a visor,’’ Holmgren said. “We’ve made them mandatory in the American Hockey League. To me, it’s not an issue. Players should wear them. “Obviously, some of these guys who have been around a long time for whatever reason don’t want to wear them. But when Chris comes back, he will be wearing a visor.’’ Of course, there’s nothing in the collective bargaining agreement that says a player has to wear a visor. So we’ll have to wait and see on that one. “I think the improvement over the last 10, 15 years have been tremendous,’’ Holmgren said. “Other than getting some water (sweat) on the visor, I don’t think it’s a big issue. “I’m not sure our doctor will clear him to play unless (Pronger)

wears one. I think Chris was scared; I’d like to think that Chris will wear one.’’ 18. Bucks County Courier-Times- Shelley finally gets a chance Wayne Fish PHILADELPHIA — A dozen games off due to suspension and healthy scratches might faze a rookie but Jody Shelley has been there, done that. Back in the lineup on Monday night for the first time since a 10-game (including five in the preseason) banning and a couple games off, the 35-year-old enforcer said he was excited about playing the Toronto Maple Leafs. “It’s been tough, the start of the suspension was the hardest part,’’ Shelley said before the game. “When you’re eligible to play, you’re anxious but then you realize the situation. “Honestly, it doesn’t matter if you sit out one game or the whole summer. When you first come back, there’s always that excitement, but you try to reel it in.’’ Coach Peter Laviolette also gave backup goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky his second start of the season and likewise put in defenseman Matt Walker for just his second game of the campaign. Better communication Flyers goaltending coach Jeff Reese spent some time with goalies Ilya Bryzgalov and Sergei Bobrovsky during Sunday’s practice and again during the Monday morning skate at the Wells Fargo

Center going over communication between the netminders and the defensemen. This aspect of the game came to light in Saturday night’s 4-2 loss to St. Louis. Bryzgalov and defenseman Braydon Coburn got their signals mixed up, resulting in the Blues’ fourth goal. “We’re just trying to simplify things,’’ Reese said at the morning skate. “So it will make things easier back there.’’ Reese said any sort of language barrier between the defensemen and the two Russian netminders really isn’t the issue. After all, Bryzgalov talks seemingly nonstop in decent English every day during locker room joking sessions. “Bryz understands English, you know that,’’ Reese said with a chuckle. “But sometimes things happen now and then.’’ Now that the team has worked on the issue, look for things to improve. “You would like to simplify it as best you can,’’ Reese said. “But the goalie still has to grab the puck and read what is happening and the defenseman has to see if the goalie is going to back the play. “We have to be communicating back there. We’re just working on a few commands out there.’’ Tight schedule The Flyers are in the middle of a nine-games-in-17-days stretch and Laviolette said he’s trying to keep the team as fresh as

possible. That said, the team has not had a day off since Oct. 16. “We’ve been trying to spread the ice time out,’’ Laviolette said. “We’re going to a lot of four lines when we’re at even numbers. We try to keep the shifts short. This is the start of it, it seems. We have a busy schedule coming up here. “I think we’re rested and ready to go. We’re trying to get the guys the rest that they need in different situations, but the most important thing is winning the game.’’ Short shots With Shelley and Walker back in the lineup, forward Andreas Nodl and defenseman Andreas Lilja were healthy scratches. . . . Going into Monday night’s game, the Flyers had outshot their opponents in six out of the seven games played this season. 19. Camden Courier-Post- A bittersweet win: Jagr scores 2; Flyers lose Pronger Randy Miller PHILADELPHIA — There was an eerie hush in the stands and fear on the Flyers bench. Chris Pronger, the Flyers captain and best defenseman, went down to the ice like he’d been shot Monday night, then just as quickly picked himself up and skated to the dressing room, hands over face. This was scary, not just any stick-to-the-face incident that seems to

occur in the NHL far too often, but potentially a lot worse for the 37-year-old former MVP. This was Toronto Maple Leafs center Mikhail Grabovski winding up for a slap shot and connecting soundly just to the side of Pronger’s right eye. The Flyers were good and lucky the rest of the night. Playing with heavy hearts, the Flyers grinded out a 4-2 win over the Leafs, and afterward somewhat comforting news came that Pronger might just miss two to three weeks. “It’s pretty scary if you don’t have a visor and you get hit that high,” Jaromir Jagr said after scoring his first two goals as a Flyer in his eighth game, both coming on breakaways. Jagr, who has worn a visor during his long entire career, received a scare during warm-ups Monday when he was drilled in the head by a puck. “It helped,” Jagr joked. The Flyers were able to enjoy this victory, their first in three games and second in five, after hearing that Pronger had escaped serious injury. Jagr even had some in-game fun by celebrating his first goal the way he used to when winning scoring titles with Pittsburgh — by taking off a glove and saluting the crowd. “I thought it would be kind of nice to do it again after 15 years,” Jagr said. “We had a little wager on the side if (Jagr) was going to do it or

not,” Scott Hartnell said. “He hasn’t lost a step with that and it was nice to see him with a big grin on his face.” Hartnell also scored his first two of the season, goals that turned a 1-1 tie into a 3-1 Flyers lead that goalie Sergei Bobrovsky made stand in his second win in two starts filling in for starter Ilya Bryzgalov. Missing from the winning dressing room was Pronger, who already had left Wells Fargo Center. “Chris was very scared (initially),” Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren said. “When something like that happens to your eye, you’re worried what’s going on. I think he settled down in time and he was fine when he left.” Toronto scored first when Phil Kessel scored his NHL-leading ninth goal 6:11 into the game, and the Flyers were still trailing when Pronger was injured while in his zone near the left circle with 8:02 left in the first. Flyers booed loudly when no high-sticking penalty was called, but the referees got it right because a shooter’s stick, by rule, is permitted to strike an opposing player up high on the follow-through, which was the case here. “It’s scary when you get a high stick around the eye,” Hartnell said. “You don’t know what’s going to happen. A million thoughts go through your head.” Pronger missed 32 games last season with back, hand and knee injuries, but was healthy by early into this season’s training camp and leading the Flyers in ice time at 23 minutes, 30 seconds per game through seven games. Not noted for his scoring, Pronger also is on the team in scoring with seven points on a goal and six

assists. “I’m glad he’s going to be OK and hopefully he gets back soon,” Jagr said. “We need him.” 20. Camden Courier-Post- Pronger expected to miss 2-to-3 weeks Randy Miller Flyers captain Chris Pronger is fortunate. Give or take a few days, the veteran star defenseman could be back playing games in 2-or-3 weeks. It could have been a lot longer. He could have been done. He could have lost an eye. Instead, Maple Leafs center Mikhail Grabovski’s stick just missed Pronger’s right eye in the first period of the Flyers’ 4-2 victory Monday night at Wells Fargo Center, instead connecting a hair to the side. “Anytime it gets near an eye, you really get nervous,” Flyers coach Peter Laviolette said. Pronger was really scared, GM Paul Holmgren said. His right eye swollen. He was cut. He was in pain. He had to be worrying if he’d have temporary, or God forbid, permanent vision problems. As the night went on, though, Pronger went through an exam that

brought great news: He’s expected to make a full recovery fairly quickly. “Right now, [Pronger] had a little bit of a cut just on the outside of his right eye,” Holmgren said. “The eye doctor checked him out thoroughly and he’s got a little bit of an issue right now with his eye. Basically, he’s going to be on bed rest for three days, and, hopefully, he’ll be fine within a couple weeks.” Pronger has never worn a visor, but will be ordered to by Holmgren when he returns. “We made it mandatory in the American Hockey League and it’s not an issue,” Holmgren said. “Obviously, some of these players have been around a long time and for whatever reason they don’t want to wear them. I think the improvements on the visor over the last few years, compared to what it was ten or 15 years ago, are tremendous. Other than getting a little sweat in there and some water on the visor, I don’t think it’s a big issue. I’m not sure our doctor would clear him to play unless [he wears one]. I think Chris was really scared after this incident and I would like to believe [he’ll want to wear one.” 21. Camden Courier-Post- Flyers try to fix communication issue on defense Randy Miller PHILADELPHIA — With goaltending coach Jeff Reese at his side, Flyers goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov was hard at work before Monday’s morning skate, working to solve communication issues with his defensemen. A mix-up Saturday night between Bryzgalov and blue-liner Andrej Meszaros led to the St. Louis Blues scoring a third-period goal that

iced a 4-2 victory over the Flyers. “Once you work on something, there’s no guarantee that’s it (and the problem is solved),” Flyers coach Peter Laviolette said. “We’re a work in progress. We work every day to get better on defensive zone coverage and the cycles that we use and those schemes that we use. Just because we go over things once in practice, that’s not the end all. That’s the beginning.” Laviolette says he’s not upset with Bryzgalov for discussing the communication issues in a postgame interview instead of waiting to approach defensemen with no media around. “When you ask for our left-wing lock scheme, I don’t take it to the newspaper, but I think after a game you get asked questions and you answer them,” Laviolette said. Backup goalie Sergei Bobrovsky made his second start of the season Monday night against Toronto, but sitting Bryzgalov apparently had nothing to do with his public blabbing or having allowed nine goals in his two previous games, both Flyers losses. “We looked at the schedule of the month and thought this would be a good spot for (Bobrovsky),” Laviolette said. Schenn vs. Schenn: It was a Schenn family reunion Monday night, with Flyers rookie forward Brayden Schenn opposing his older brother, Toronto defenseman Luke Schenn. They’d played against one another earlier this month in a preseason game in Toronto, but this was their first meaningful head-to-head clash. Their parents and two sisters, Madison and Macy, traveled from Saskatoon to Philadelphia for the game, but the brothers failed to

score. Acquired in June from Los Angeles in the Mike Richards trade, Brayden Schenn, 20, was called up from the American Hockey League last week. He went scoreless with a minus-3 plus-minus rating in his first two games, both Flyers losses. A natural center, Schenn has played the last two games as a left wing with center Danny Briere and right wing Jakub Voracek. “I thought that Danny’s line with Brayden on it looked good,” Laviolette said. “I think the more time that he spends with Danny and working the wing, if that’s where we decide to go with it, I think the more comfortable they’ll get.” Busy, busy, busy: The Flyers’ game with Toronto began a stretch in which they’ll play four games in six nights, and they started it without having a true day off because there was no practice two Sundays ago. The Flyers changed up their lineup Monday. Besides Bobrovsky in goal, fourth-line winger Jody Shelley was in the lineup for the first time this season and defenseman Matt Walker played for the second time. Winger Andres Nodl and defenseman Andres Lilja were scratched. “We’ve been trying to spread the ice time out,” Laviolette said. “We’re going to a lot of four lines when we’re at even numbers. We try to keep the shifts short. “We have a busy schedule coming up here. I think we’re rested and ready to go. We’re trying to get the guys the rest that they need in different situations, but the most important thing is winning the game.” 22. Philadelphia Flyers- On The Fly: Scary Incident

Joe Siville Chris Pronger will be wearing a visor from now on. We haven’t heard that from Pronger himself, but his general manager Paul Holmgren assured the media that would be the case after tonight’s scary incident in the first period. At the 11:57 mark of the opening period Chris Pronger was turning to the bottom of the face off circle to jump on a loose puck. So too was Toronto forward Mikhail Grabovski, who flung his stick at the puck in hopes of getting it to the Flyers net for a goal-scoring opportunity. His stick missed the puck, but not Pronger. Replays showed the blade of his stick strike Pronger just above his right eye causing Pronger to hit the ice, cover his face and go off to the locker room with blood on his hands, sweater and face. As a result, Holmgren addressed the media and stated that the next 3-4 days Pronger will be closely monitored by eye doctors and is likely out of action for up to 10-14 days. “Right now, he had a little bit of a cut just on the outside of his right eye here. The eye doctor checked him out thoroughly, and he’s got a little bit of an issue right now with his eye. We think max, three or four days… no real concern, other than what might happen over the next three or four days, whether it’s swelling or something behind the eye. So he’s basically going to be on bed-rest for three days, and hopefully he’ll be fine within a couple weeks.” Pronger did not lose vision in his eye, although Holmgren did state

that it was blurred at the time. No penalty was called on the play, however the Maple Leafs first period were full of stick infractions. Claude Giroux took a stick up high just 28 seconds into the game and forward Matt Read was victim to a bloody nose after former-Flyer Joffrey Lupul hit him up high and was assessed a double-minor towards the end of the first. An incident like this however is more and more common in today’s fast-paced game, and while it was a freak accident, Holmgren states the importance of players wearing the protective shield. “I’m not sure our doctor would clear him to play unless he wears a visor,” added Holmgren. “We made it mandatory in the American Hockey League and it’s not an issue. Obviously some of these players have been around a long time and for whatever reason they don’t want to wear them. “I think the improvements on the visor over the last few years, compared to what it was ten or 15 years ago, are tremendous. Other than getting a little sweat in there and some water on the visor, I don’t think it’s a big issue. I think Chris was really scared after this incident tonight, and I would like to believe he want one.” * * * 8:29 p.m. Following a high-stick by Toronto center Mikail Grabovski at the 11:57 mark of the first period, Flyers captain Chris Pronger will not return to the game according to Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren.

No penalty was called on the play. The Flyers fell victim to three high-sticking incidents during the first period alone. Claude Giroux was the recipient of the first just 28 seconds into the game by Grabovski, while the third was committed by Joffrey Lupul, who received a four-minute double minor after high-sticking Matt Read with just over five minutes remaining in the first. 23. TSN.ca- Hodgemail: Should visor use be decided only by the players? TSN.ca Staff TSN's Dave Hodge sounds off on all the hockey issues of the day in Hodgemail. Write in to answer Dave's weekly question and watch the NHL on TSN later tonight to see if he reads your response. It's a debate in hockey that's older than head shots and no-touch icing. The issue is the use of visors - and it came up again after Monday's game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Philadelphia Flyers. In the first period, Flyers defenceman Chris Pronger and Toronto's Mikhail Grabovski sprinted for a loose puck. Grabovski slapped at the puck and his stick connected with Pronger's stick and the blade went straight up into Pronger's face. Screaming in pain, Pronger quickly clutched his face and went straight to the dressing room. The Flyers hope their captain - who

complained of blurred vision after the incident - will get back in two to three weeks depending on how the injury heals and said that he will need to wear a visor to be cleared to play. "I think he was very scared and rightly so," GM Paul Holmgren told the Associated Press. "When something like that happens to your eye, you're worried about what's going on." Which begs the age-old question - should Pronger (like any of his fellow NHLers who still skate on the ice with just a helmet) have worn a visor in the first place? A lot of players feel the use of visors restrict their vision on the ice and affect their play. The league and players' association have done their best to educate them on health and equipment-related decisions, but wearing a visor is still a choice that a player makes on his own. Is it time to take that stance a step or two further? So here's Dave's question to you - "Should the use of visors be decided solely by the players themselves?" 24. TSN.ca- Jagr scores twice as Flyers down Maple Leafs; Pronger hurt Associated Press PHILADELPHIA -- All Danny Briere could hear were the agonizing screams. Chris Pronger buried his face in his hands after taking a brutal blow to the outside of the right eye, fearful of the worst for his eyesight. Hunched over, Pronger skated straight to the bench, his hands over his eyes.

"I knew he was in trouble and needed help," said Briere, who skated with Pronger to the bench. Pronger, the Flyers captain, will miss two to three weeks and spend the next few days on bed rest, putting a scare in Philadelphia's 4-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday night. "He was hit on the side, and there's a lot of swelling," Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren said. "The hope is that there's not a lot of blood buildup there where it will create issues." Pronger and Toronto's Mikhail Grabovski sprinted for a loose puck in the circle after a rebound off Flyers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky in the first period. Grabovski slapped at the puck, but his stick connected with Pronger's and the blade shot straight up into the defenceman's face. Pronger did not return after the blow that hushed the crowd. Flyers forward Scott Hartnell called Pronger one of the "biggest warriors" in the NHL. Pronger, an 18-year veteran, does not wear a visor. The protective piece is not required in the NHL, though several players have had their careers prematurely end after blows to the face. Holmgren said Pronger would not be cleared to play unless he wears one. Holmgren said Pronger complained of blurred vision. "I think he was very scared and rightly so," Holmgren said. "When something like that happens to your eye, you're worried about what's going on. I think he settled down over a period of time and was fine when he left." Grabovski was not penalized for the play because it came on a shot. He was whistled for high-sticking only 28 seconds into the

game when he nailed Claude Giroux in the face on a faceoff. The injury overshadowed the first two goals of the season for Jaromir Jagr and Scott Hartnell. Jagr scored his first NHL goal since April 6, 2008. He left to play three seasons in Russia before signing a one-year deal with the Flyers. He split defenders on a breakaway, courtesy of a sweet feed from Giroux, and flipped the puck past Jonas Gustavsson late in the first for the power-play goal. Jagr removed his right glove and saluted the crowd and his teammates. Flyer Wayne Simmonds leapt into Jagr's arms and the rest of his teammates mobbed him as if he had scored the winning goal. Jagr has become an instant team leader and fan favourite, even as concerns over his scoring slump lingered. Not any more. "I needed it," Jagr said. "I feel a lot better right now than I have, that's for sure. I changed everything: the skate, gloves, I got hit in the head during warm-ups, so that helped." Hartnell put the Flyers ahead 2-1 in the second on a great second effort. He shot at close range from one knee, then fell to both to pound in the rebound for his first goal of the season. Briere had the assist for his 600th career point -- a big number for a 5-foot-10 forward once deemed too small to play in the NHL. Hartnell added the insurance goal in the third, helping the Flyers snap a two-game losing streak. The Flyers and goalie Ilya Bryzgalov allowed nine goals over two straight home losses. Bryzgalov got a breather Monday, and Bobrovsky was solid in net. Bobrovsky won 28 games as a rookie last season, but the Flyers felt they needed a proven veteran winner to get them to the Stanley

Cup finals. The acquired Bryzgalov from Phoenix and Bobrovsky was relegated to the bench. He got beat early by Phil Kessel early in the first period for his NHL-best ninth goal. Kessel fired from the circle and scored on Toronto's first shot of the night. Bobrovsky was perfect from there until David Steckel beat midway through the third that cut Philadelphia's lead to 3-2. Bobrovsky stopped 24 shots. "I'm always happy to play behind this defence," he said. "This is one of the best defences in the NHL, and at times, they can make it easy on me." Jagr put any thought of a late-game collapse to rest when he got all alone on a breakaway for the easy score -- and one more salute. "You don't want to see Jaromir Jagr coming in alone with nobody around him," Maple Leafs coach Ron Wilson said. "He is going to more than likely bury it." Bobrovsky beat Gustavsson in the battle of the backups. Gustavsson got the start with James Reimer out with a neck injury. The game also had brothers playing against each other: Philadelphia's Brayden Schenn and Toronto's Luke Schenn. Notes: The last time a Flyer played against his brother in a regular season or playoff game was Nov. 29, 2006: Philadelphia's Jussi Timonen vs. Nashville's Kimmo Timonen (NSH), according to the Flyers. ... The Maple Leafs recalled G Ben Scrivens from the Toronto Marlies of the AHL. 25. TSN.ca- Pronger injured by high stick, leaves game against

Leafs Associated Press with files from TSN PHILADELPHIA - Flyers defenceman Chris Pronger will miss two to three weeks and spend the next few days on bed rest after taking a stick near his right eye against Toronto. Pronger and Toronto's Mikhail Grabovski sprinted for a loose puck in the circle after a rebound off Flyers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky on Monday night. Grabovski slapped at the puck, but his stick connected with Pronger's stick and the blade shot straight up into the defenceman's face. Pronger screamed in agony and instantly clutched his face. Hunched over, he skated straight to the bench, his hands over his eyes, and went to the dressing room with 8:02 left in the first period. Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren told TSN that Pronger saw an eye specialist at the arena. Pronger will be on bed rest for three to four days out of concern for possible blood pooling. The Flyers hope that Pronger will get back in two to three weeks depending on how the injury heals, and said that he will need to wear a visor to be cleared to play. The team said that Pronger complained of blurred vision after the incident on Monday. "I think he was very scared and rightly so," Holmgren told the Associated Press. "When something like that happens to your eye, you're worried about what's going on. I think he settled down over a period of time and was fine when he left." The tough 37-year-old defenceman lost 32 games to various

injuries last season. 26. NHL.com- Jagr busts out with 2 goal game for Flyers Dan Gelston PHILADELPHIA—Jaromir Jagr flashed a few reminders of his old MVP style. That signature move. He broke out a salute to fans and his Philadelphia Flyers teammates after each of his two goals -- a trademark Jagr hadn't regularly displayed since his Pittsburgh Penguins days. That smile. After a rough start to the season, Jagr had a pair of wide grins to celebrate the goals that helped snap the Flyers out of a two-game funk. That celebration. Flyers forward Wayne Simmonds leapt into Jagr's arms after his first goal and the rest of his teammates mobbed him as if he had scored the winning goal in a playoff game. In NFL terms, it was Mile High Salute meets Lambeau Leap. In his NHL return, Jagr has become an instant team leader and fan favorite, even as concerns over his scoring slump lingered. Not any more. "I'll take Jagr on any goalie in the league, any time," Flyers forward Scott Hartnell said. All that was missing was the mullet. Jagr and Hartnell each scored two goals in Philadelphia's 4-2 win

over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday night, giving the Flyers a reason to feel good about a game where they lost captain Chris Pronger to a serious eye injury. Jagr had the breakout game courtesy of the breakaway. Both of his goals came when it was Jagr-on-Jonas Gustavsson and nothing but ice between them. Jagr scored his first NHL goal since April 6, 2008, courtesy of a sweet feed from Claude Giroux, when he split a pair of defenders and skated into the open ice for a power-play goal late in the first period. After the Maple Leafs cut the deficit to 3-2 in the third, Jagr found himself all alone on a breakaway for the easy score -- and one more salute. "You don't want to see Jaromir Jagr coming in alone with nobody around him," Toronto coach Ron Wilson said. "He is going to more than likely bury it. Another breakaway. We had them on the fullcourt press. He's a fantastic player when he gets time and space like that." Jagr had his best game as a Flyer since he returned from a three-year stint in the Kontinental Hockey League for Avangard Omsk. He enjoyed Russia, but wanted one more shot at the NHL. He played last spring for the Czech Republic in the world championships, totaling nine points in nine games, and proved he had still had something left in the tank. The preseason returns for the 1999 league MVP showed he hadn't lost much of a step. Jagr scored four goals and it was natural to think that would carry over into the regular season. Not quite. Jagr had four assists, but struggled to find shots, much less the net. Even for a veteran and a Stanley Cup champion, the

goal-scoring drought affected his confidence. Jagr changed everything from his skates and gloves to mix up his luck. He laughed when he said he was hit during warmups, which might have jostled free the recipe for that old scoring touch. "I thought I was going to play better than I did, that's for sure," Jagr said. "After a while, you're mentally tired and you're pressing and you just can't score. You stop playing your game. A lot of stuff is mental, trust me. You could see the difference on anybody when they score and when they don't score." Jagr now has 648 goals in his NHL career, ranking among the game's all-time best. The Czech star is one of 25 players with a Stanley Cup and gold medals from the Olympics and world championships. His teammates preached patience as Jagr adjusts to an evolved NHL game. "He had a great preseason and I think everyone was expecting 50 goals in 50 games," Hartnell said. "It's not reality." Jagr had so much fun, he bust out the salute for busting out of the slump. Jagr said he hadn't pulled off the move in 15 years. "We had a little wager going on the side to see if he was going to do it or not," Hartnell said. "He hasn't lost a step with that. It's nice to see him with a big grin on his face." The Flyers needed a reason to smile after losing Pronger, their star defenseman and leader, to a serious eye injury. Pronger will miss two to three weeks and spend the next few days on bed rest after taking a brutal blow to the outside of the right eye. Pronger and Toronto's Mikhail Grabovski sprinted for a loose puck in the circle after a rebound off Flyers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky in

the first period. Grabovski slapped at the puck, but his stick connected with Pronger's and the blade shot straight up into the defenseman's face. Pronger, who does not wear a visor, complained of blurred vision. "I think he was very scared and rightly so," Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren said. "When something like that happens to your eye, you're worried about what's going on. I think he settled down over a period of time and was fine when he left." In the postgame locker room, Flyers were visibly relieved when questions shifted from Pronger to Jagr. Jagr had his 114th career two-goal game -- but with both scores on breakaways, he knows he has to find more creative methods. "I've got to find another move," Jagr said, with one final big smile on the night. Toronto Maple Leafs Articles (FLYERS Last Opponent) 1. TSN.ca-SIEGEL: Mistakes Cost Leafs in Philadelphia Jonas Siegel PHILADELPHIA – Dion Phaneuf paused to consider the question. Did the youthful Leafs – without starting netminder James Reimer, Tim Connolly, Colby Armstrong and Tyler Bozak on Monday night – gain confidence from keeping a game close against a team considered one of the Eastern Conference elite? "Where are they at in the standings?" he asked sharply.

In the eyes of the captain, the Leafs had no reason to look up at the Flyers. With an overhauled roster – that no longer included Mike Richards and Jeff Carter – Philly had as much to prove as anyone. Two points up on the Flyers entering the game, the Leafs were beaten 4-2 by a more talented squad at Wells Fargo Center, done in by the self-destructing duo of penalties and simple mistakes. But if the team from Philly is in a class above that of the Leafs – who entered the game with a sparkling 5-1-1 record – Phaneuf was not willing to concede it. "We made some mistakes that gave them life, gave them momentum," said Phaneuf. "Don't get me wrong – they worked hard, they played hard, but we made some mistakes that cost us." Jaromir Jagr scored twice on three breakaways – looking like a player half of his 39 years - and Scott Hartnell added a pair of his own as the Leafs lost in regulation for just the second time this season. Hartnell's power-play goal in the second period broke open a 1-1 tie – beating Phaneuf to the net – later extending the lead to two with the eventual game-winner midway through the third on a play that saw rookie Jake Gardiner just a second late to react. "It was just bad positioning," said Gardiner after the game. After David Steckel closed the gap back to one with his third goal in three games, Gardiner saw a puck bounce unfortunately over his stick in the neutral zone, springing Jagr for his second goal and the 4-2 clincher. "You don't want to see Jaromir Jagr coming in alone with nobody around him," said Ron Wilson, following the game. "He's going to more than likely bury it." And he did on two of three occasions.

While the second was an unfortunate break that sealed the game, the first was preventable. Jagr somehow managed to meander past four Leafs on a power-play, beating a helpless Jonas Gustavsson for his first goal of the season. "We were caught sleeping," conceded Wilson. Gustavsson made 26 saves in defeat, quite sturdy in just his second start of the season – this with Reimer sidelined by a minor neck injury. Starting on the day of his 27th birthday, Gustavsson began the game in fine form, stopping deflected point shots from Chris Pronger and Kimmo Timonen. "He played well," said Wilson. "A couple of spectacular saves, but we didn't do a good enough job obviously in front of him to help him win the game." Sergei Bobrosky (24 saves) at the other end wasn't tested enough for Wilson's liking. "I thought we had some real quality scoring chances," said Wilson. "I'm disappointed though that we didn't shoot the puck more when we had opportunities. We were trying to make an extra play, an extra pass and we hit a lot of sticks." Still searching for his first NHL goal, Matt Frattin had a number of good scoring chances as did the trio of Mikhail Grabovski, Nikolai Kulemin and Clarke MacArthur – although they failed to shoot enough in Wilson's eyes. Phil Kessel meanwhile, continued his torrid start, scoring his ninth goal of the year to open the game. The Leafs can't be faulted for the teams they've faced and beaten thus far – Montreal twice, Ottawa, Calgary and Winnipeg – but they'll need to handle a few better teams in the near future if only to establish credibility. A fast start is one thing, but continuing it against higher talent lends weight to its legitimacy. Up next they'll face the struggling Rangers in New York followed by the always plucky Penguins at home on Saturday.

Reimer is expected back on Thursday at Madison Square Garden. Wilson also inferred that Tim Connolly will make his Leafs debut against the Rangers with Tyler Bozak likely to return as well from a foot injury that's sidelined him the last two games 2. Toronto Sun- Burke's Leafs hit sad milestone in Philly Terry Koshan First posted: Monday, October 24, 2011 10:22 PM EDT Flyers’ Chris Pronger wails out in pain after being hit in the face by Leafs forward Mikhail Grabovski’s stick. (AFP) Change text size for the story Print this story Report an error TORONTO - Brian Burke probably could not care less, but the Maple Leafs general manager hit a milestone on Monday night. With the Leafs’ 4-2 defeat against the Philadelphia Flyers, Burke hit 100 regulation losses in his time as the Leafs GM, a tenure that began nearly three years ago, on Nov. 29, 2008. Burke is close to the same mark in wins, as the Leafs are 99-100-33 since Burke was hired. For those who keep track the old-fashioned way — where a loss is a loss no matter what the prize is for finishing with one less goal than the opposition — the Leafs are 34 games under .500 with Burke in charge. Burke is continuing to try to build what could be a playoff contender, and the majority of remnants of the past are gone. This team is his.

While there has been some wondering about the future of coach Ron Wilson, especially if the Leafs miss the playoffs next spring, where the club goes with Burke could be up for discussion under that same scenario. Richard Peddie’s replacement could have other ideas in mind if there’s another playoff-free April at the Air Canada Centre. POINT SHOTS Phil Kessel wouldn’t have scored his ninth goal of the season, giving Toronto a 1-0 lead, if not for some relentless forechecking by Joffrey Lupul and Matthew Lombardi. Lupul managed to ward off Matt Walker and Wayne Simmonds along the side boards before Lombardi forced Matt Carle off the puck in the Flyers’ end ... Jaromir Jagr’s first goal of the night was his first in the NHL since April 6, 2008, when he was with the New York Rangers. Jagr went 1,296 days without scoring in North America, but, if course, he spent the past three seasons with Omsk in the Kontinental Hockey League. Jagr had 66 goals in 155 games in the KHL ... For someone who is going to be 40 in February, Jagr had no trouble jumping up and splitting the defence pair of Luke Schenn and Mike Komisarek before beating Jonas Gustavsson with a low shot. Later, when Jagr deked to his forehand on a breakaway, Gustavsson made a fine save with his right pad ... Schenn gave his little brother, Flyers rookie Brayden Schenn, a wakeup call when he deked past his sibling in the neutral zone. It was the first NHL game involving both brothers, and the personal rivalry that develops between the two in the next several seasons will be fun to watch ... When Darryl Boyce was cut by the Leafs at the end of the pre-season, he wondered aloud if Philippe Dupuis’ superior penalty-killing skills were a reason that Boyce was out of a job. Dupuis made a diving play to take a scoring chance away from James van Riemsdyk and then broke up a play at the blue line during a Flyers man advantage ... Jake Gardiner’s vision should

lead to a pile of assists in what will be a lengthy NHL career if he stays healthy. The freshman Leafs defenceman set up Mikhail Grabovski in the slot and then sent David Steckel in on a 2-on-1 with Matt Frattin thanks to a smart heads-up pass. If he is not already, Gardiner before long will be the Leafs’ top puck-moving defenceman ... The Steckel-Frattin combination came through in the third period for the Leafs’ second goal. Frattin skated past a sprawling Carle and sent a waist-high, cross-crease pass to Steckel, who got his stick on the puck to re-direct it behind goalie Sergei Bobrovsky ... John-Michael Liles got caught up the ice on the play that led to Jagr’s second goal, one that killed hope of a Toronto comeback. In eight games, Liles has six assists, but just two that were not on power plays, and is minus-2. FROM THE HASH MARKS For one game at least, Gustavsson put to bed some of the concerns that have caused some to wonder whether he is a capable backup to James Reimer. Gustavsson made a number of big-time saves, and importantly, did not wilt when the Flyers applied lots of pressure in the latter half of the second period. When he was beaten by Scott Hartnell, there was nothing Gustavsson could have done to stop the puck from going into the net. Gustavsson was lying on his chest after making the initial save on Hartnell, but no Leaf was quick enough to clear the puck ... Kessel hasn’t ironed out all of the questionable habits quite yet. He carried the puck into the Flyers’ end and tried to pass back to a defenceman, but the Flyers intercepted and spent the next minute or so in the Leafs’ end, peppering Gustavsson ... There’s a simple reason why Grabovski was not penalized for high-sticking Chris Pronger in the face in the first period. Because it was on a follow through, it was not a penalty. Part of NHL Rule 60.1 states that while players must be in control and responsible for their sticks, “a player is permitted accidental contact on an opponent if the act is committed as a normal windup or follow through of a shooting motion.” ... It’s

also fairly simple how the Flyers will replace Pronger, no matter how long he is out: They won’t ... The Flyers are the only Eastern Conference team that has not gone to a shootout against the Leafs ... If Bobrovsky keeps playing like that, No. 1 netminder Ilya Bryzgalov, stupidly long nine-year contract or not, might have something to worry about. 3. Toronto Sun- Gustavsson can't save Leafs Rob Longley Leafs goalie Jonas Gustavsson makes a save on the Flyers' Jaromir Jagr last night in Philadelphia. PHILADELPHIA - No need to remind Jonas Gustavsson that it had been a while since he started a game and finished it with a win. He’s still waiting after the Leafs lost 4-2 to the Philadelphia Flyers here Monday night, but this time the Monster was far from a horror show. Getting his second start in three games replacing the injured James Reimer, Gustavsson kept his team in the game for the longest time. But when one of the league’s all-time greatest scorers was handed three breakaways, what’s a backup to do? Jaromir Jagr, the 39-year-old sensation who hadn’t scored an NHL goal in 1,296 days, converted on two of those breakaways, ultimately providing the margin of victory for his team. “Of course you want to stop them, but he’s a skill guy,” Gustavsson said when asked about facing Jagr one-on-one. “He scored twice at the same spot. He’s got a long stick there so you can’t really cheat, either, then he’s going to fool you. You

have to be ready for anything there when he shows up.” With the Leafs offence generally gone dry — save for Phil Kessel’s ninth of the season, another rocket that beat Sergei Bobrovsky to open the scoring — the visitors had little answer for Jagr. The loss dropped them to 1-2 on the team’s four-game road trip which will be completed Thursday night in Manhattan when they face the New York Rangers. Leafs coach Ron Wilson said the team will have some reinforcements for that one in multiple forms. Reimer, who suffered whiplash when being run over by Brian Gionta on Saturday in Montreal, is expected to return. So to are centres Tim Connolly, who could make his regular-season debut as well as Tyler Bozak, who has missed the past two games with a foot injury. On Monday, the Leafs hung with the Flyers until deep into the second period when Jagr and Scott Hartnell, who also had a pair, took control. “I thought that Monster was really good for us, he gave us a chance to win,” Leafs captain Dion Phaneuf said of the Leafs backup, who hasn’t had a complete-game win since Jan. 6.. “He made some really big saves. You look at the goals and he didn’t have much of a chance on any of them. I thought he was really good for us tonight. I wish we could have helped him a little big more.” Jagr, a five-time NHL scoring leader from 1995 to 2001, looks like he hasn’t lost a step since his return to the NHL. He hadn’t scored in the Flyers’ first seven contests and was itching to break out. When defensive breakdowns gave him wide swaths of open ice, he put on a show.

“You don’t want to see Jaromir Jagr coming in alone with nobody around him,” Wilson said. “He’s more than likely going to bury it. He’s a fantastic player when he gets time and space like that.” It was just like old times for Jagr, who offered his trademark post-goal salute. “It’s nice to see him get a couple tonight and hopefully we keep on rolling,” Hartnell said. “We were wondering ... we had a little wager on the side on whether he was going to do it or not. He hasn’t lost a step with that and he had a big grin on his face.” After the NHL’s leading scorer, Kessel, opened things, the Flyers tied it up on the power play with Jagr’s first breakaway set up by a Claude Giroux pass and a flat-footed Leafs defenceman Mike Komisarek. Hartnell added another with the extra man to give the Flyers a 3-1 lead 8:34 into the third. Toronto centre David Steckel, who scored his third in as many games, pulled the Leafs to within one at 11:34 but then Jagr got loose one more time and put it away with just less than five minutes remaining. “Truly, I needed it,” Jagr said. “I feel a lot better right now than I have, that’s for sure. I changed everything: The skate, gloves, I got hit in the head during warm-ups, so that helped.” 4. Toronto Sun- Leafs call up Scrivens from Marlies PHILADELPHIA - Leafs goaltending prospect Ben Scrivens doesn’t expect to get any game action with the big team but plans to soak up the experience of being around the NHL squad just the same. Scrivens was recalled from the AHL Marlies on Monday to back

up Jonas Gustavsson, who got the start against the Flyers while James Reimer continues to recover from a whiplash-like injury he suffered Saturday in Montreal. Reimer is expected to be back in action on Thursday when the Leafs play the Rangers in New York. Scrivens played the back-up role for the Marlies on Sunday afternoon and then hopped on a 7 a.m. flight to Philly, just in time to join the Leafs for the pre-game skate. “The more you can be up here and get comfortable around the guys and get comfortable with the system and how they play, the better off you are, especially for a goalie, getting comfortable with the speed of the shots” Scrivens said. “These guys are just a half step quicker with their shots and releases. “The more you can face and the more they are hitting you, the better and more comfortable you feel. “That’s my goal for this call up: I’m going to try as hard as I can in practice to make as many stops as possible and be ready if I’m needed.” Flyin’ High When Leafs forward Joffrey Lupul was a Flyer from 2007-09, he truly felt he was going to be part of a Stanley Cup contender. With young stars around him, such as Mike Richards and Jeff Carter, the team was one of the most promising in the NHL. Now most of them are gone though, with forward Scott Hartnell the only one Lupul remains in contact. “I played on a lot of good teams here,” said Lupul, who had 45 goals and 96 points in 135 games as a Flyer.

“A lot of us were just establishing ourselves. Now a lot of us are on different teams but kind of playing a key roll on our new teams. It was a good development for us here. “Obviously we would have liked to win a championship but I enjoyed all my time here in the city.” Meanwhile, Leafs vice-president of hockey operations, Dave Poulin, is still revered in Philly. The captain of the Flyers team that went to the Cup final in 1985 and 1987 is enshrined in the Flyers Hall of Fame. Brotherly Love They’ve played against each other in pre-season games and in their junior career in the Western Hockey League, but Monday night brothers Luke Schenn and Brayden Schenn lived a childhood dream when both were in the lineup for the Flyers-Leafs contest. “Our goal and dream as a kid was to be here going against each other, so it’s pretty cool,” Flyers forward Brayden said. “It’s not only exciting for us but for our family. We’re brothers can’t be on ice. It’s a profession it’s our job. We have to go out and compete against each other.” To mark the occasion, the rest of the Schenn family was on hand at the Wells Fargo Center — mother Rita, father Jeff and younger sisters Macy and Madison. Both Schenn brothers admit they have to follow rule No. 1 from Mom: No fighting allowed. “I definitely don’t see that happening,” Leafs defenceman Luke said. “If you get the opportunity you have to play physical on him, but there’s definitely no need to fight your bother.”

As for rooting interests, it is expected the Schenns will be divided in their loyalties. “One of my sisters will where a Flyers sweater and the other one will be Leafs,” Luke said. Quick hits Leafs prospect Joey Crabb didn’t spend any time sulking after being sent down to the Marlies at the end of training camp. The centre was named the AHL player of the week for the period ending Oct. 23 after recording three goals and two assists in two weekend games for the Marlies. Crabb has a share of the Marlies’ scoring lead with six goals and six assists ... Clarke MacArthur entered Monday’s game with 12 points in 13 meetings with the Flyers in his career ... As usual, the two teams meet four times this season but not again until Feb. 9 followed by two March dates ... There was a time when a player like Colton Orr would be an automatic for a game in Philly. The tough guy was a healthy scratch on Monday. Montreal Canadiens Articles (FLYERS Next Opponent) 1. NHL.com- A game of inches News canadiens.com MONTREAL – On the heels of another tough loss, the Habs continue to believe that with the right effort in place, it's only a matter of time before the bounces start to go their way. In a night that saw the Canadiens do a lot of things right, the elusive win that’s hung out of their reach for that last five games continued to evade them. Despite solid performances from Peter

Budaj and the team’s power play unit, the Habs still walked away from their Monday night tilt without a point to show for their efforts. “We’re getting the shots, but it just seems that it’s never enough. When you look at the chances we had, I can’t believe the puck didn’t go in. One of these games it will have to fall for us. But until it happens, we have to find a way and do some things differently,” said a frustrated Josh Gorges who fired four shots of his own on Jacob Markstrom Monday night. “When a team gets up by a goal late in the game, you know they’ll play safe,” added No. 26. “It’s not a time for us to start thinking that we should go coast to coast or try to make cute plays at the blue line.” Turning aside 29 of the 31 shots he faced from the Panthers, Peter Budaj had to content himself with a loss despite being named the game’s second star on the heels of an impressive debut. “I felt really good tonight. The crowd was great, the fans were chanting. It was an exciting game, we had a lot of chances, the crowd was into it, so I felt good out there. At the end of the day though, I’d much rather feel bad and get the W,” admitted Budaj whose night included a highlight reel save on Florida breakaway. “In the second period when the score was 1-1, I kind of thought that the next goal was going to make the difference – I was hoping it was going to be our goal, but unfortunately, it was theirs.” Scoring his first goal as Hab – and a much needed power play marker to boot – Erik Cole had no intention of celebrating the moment, tainted instead by the group’s continued struggles. “We did some good things, had some opportunities, and some

great kills in the second period but the result still ended up the same. Nobody likes losing,” said No. 72, who registered a game-high six shots on goal. “We’re tired of this. It’s tough that this wasn’t the night for us to get over the hump, because I really feel like we could have.” “Every team is going to face adversity over the course of the season,” finished Cole. “This is ours.” 2. NHL.com- Returns and reinforcements Canadiens.com BROSSARD – Spacek makes his return, Nokelainen and Blunden make their debuts, and Budaj gets his first start as a Hab. With eight points on the table for the last week of October, the Canadiens know they have the perfect opportunity to get their season back on track. The last-minute additions of Petteri Nokelainen and Mike Blunden to Monday night’s lineup look to add some bulk and grit to the Habs’ fourth line. “I jumped on a plane about 24 hours ago. There was a storm in Chicago that slowed things down a bit, but I traveled all night and managed to make it here for the morning skate and that’s what matters,” explained Nokelainen of his trip to Montreal that ended with him jumping on the Brossard ice within a couple of minutes of his new teammates. Petteri Nokelainen, Michael Blunden and Jaroslav Spacek “It’s always a surprise when you get traded, especially at the start of the season,” admitted the Habs’ newest arrival. “But it’s great to come and play in a hockey market like this. Saku [Koivu] texted me yesterday just to let me know what a great place this was to

play.” The current Canadiens roster made their introductions one-by-one between drills at the morning skate, offering up a series of quick hellos and handshakes. For the Habs’ new No. 15, the team’s record to this point in the season isn’t an issue – he’s just content to fill the role he was brought in to play. “I’ve only been here for about five minutes, so I don’t really know what the situation is. But I’m pretty sure my job here is going to be to contribute on the penalty kill and win some face offs,” finished Nokelainen who brings 58,8% efficiency into the face off circle while also representing the team’s only center with a right-handed shot. Also arriving for the morning skate, Mike Blunden found himself once again donning the bleu-blanc-rouge after playing in five of the Canadiens’ eight preseason match-ups. “It was a shock. We were doing team building in Hamilton when Brock [Trotter] got pulled aside. We were all surprised that he got traded, and then about 40 minutes later, they let me know that I was going up, so I’m just really happy to be here,” said Blunden whose 6-foot-4, 218 lbs frame ranks him as the team’s second largest player behind only Hal Gill. “I know the Bell Centre is a loud place, so I’m sure I’ll feel nervous for the first couple of shifts before I settle down,” expressed Blunden of his regular season debut. “But I always just try to go out and give it everything I’ve got on every shift, whether I’m playing in the AHL or the NHL.” Along with some new faces up front, Habs fans can also expect to see a familiar one back on defense as veteran Jaroslav Spacek makes his return to the lineup to face the Panthers.

“I’m very happy to be back. There’s nothing tougher than just sitting there and watching the games. I’d always rather be out there with the guys and I’m hoping I can help,” dropped Spacek, who was shelved for five games with an upper body injury. “I’ve been running some drills and was just waiting to get cleared by the doctors, but I’m feeling good now and there’s no pain so I’ll be ready to go,” added Spacek. “We have a lot of young guys on the back end right now, so I’m going to try and talk with them as much as possible during the game and always be communicating between shifts – hopefully that will help make a difference.” After starting the first seven games of the 2011-12 season, Carey Price will get a rest in the first game of a busy week as backup Peter Budaj gets set to step into the crease against Florida. 3. The Press- Enterprise- Panthers hand Canadiens sixth straight loss Associated Press MONTREAL (AP) — Jacob Markstrom got his first NHL victory and Scottie Upshall scored 5:02 into the third period to help the Florida Panthers extend Montreal's losing streak to six with a 2-1 win over the Canadiens on Monday night. Markstrom made 40 saves in his second career start. Tomas Fleischmann scored a power-play goal in the first for the Panthers, who won their second in a row to improve to 5-3. Montreal fell to 1-5-2, continuing its worst start in 70 years. It is the deepest the Canadiens have gone into a season with only one win since 1941-42, when they got off to a 1-10-1 start that included a pair of losses to the Brooklyn Americans.

Erik Cole scored on a power play 3:08 in for his first Montreal goal. Backup Peter Budaj stopped 29 shots in his Canadiens debut. Upshall deflected Dmitry Kulikov's shot in midair, redirecting the puck past Budaj to give Florida its first lead. A video review upheld the goal. Both teams had new players picked up in trades in their lineups. Marco Sturm made his Florida debut after he was acquired along with Mikael Samuelsson from Vancouver on Saturday in a deal that sent David Booth and Stephen Reinprecht to the Canucks. Petteri Nokelainen played his first game for the Canadiens, who acquired him in a trade with Phoenix on Sunday. Cole got his first Montreal goal 3:08 in with a power-play tally that was originally credited to Max Pacioretty. The puck struck Cole in front of the net on its way past Markstrom after Pacioretty deflected Yannick Weber's shot from the point. Cole, who signed a four-year, $18-million free agent deal with the Canadiens on July 1, drew a cheer for his first goal in eight games when PA announcer Michel Lacroix announced the scoring change early in the second. The goal was only the Canadiens' third in 30 opportunities with the man advantage this season. Montreal failed to score on two other power plays, including the final 50 seconds after Jason Garrison was called for hooking, falling to 3 for 32 overall. Fleischmann drew Florida even 1-1 with a power-play goal at 15:59. Kris Versteeg got an assist as Fleischman beat Budaj with a shot that squeaked through the Montreal backup's pads.

Pacioretty left the game after he was injured late in the second. He did not return. NOTES: Markstrom was Florida's first choice — 31st overall — in the 2008 draft. ... Samuelsson got permission from the Panthers to remain in Vancouver. He will remain there for the next few days recovering from abdominal soreness that sidelined him for the Canucks' last two games. ... Florida C Mike Santorelli made his season debut after missing seven games with a shoulder injury. ... Canadiens defenseman P.K. Subban drew a big cheer for his hit that sent Versteeg flying backwards at the end of a Panthers power play in the second. ... Montreal G Carey Price was rested for the first time this season. Price had failed in five straight attempts for his 100th career win since the Canadiens' 5-1 win in Winnipeg on Oct. 9. NHL Articles 1. NHL.com- Pens' injuries grow: Michalek out 4-6 weeks Alan Robinson PITTSBURGH -- Defenseman Zbynek Michalek is the latest name added to the Pittsburgh Penguins' ever-lengthening injury list, with a broken finger that is expected to sideline him for 4-6 weeks. Michalek was hurt while blocking a shot by the Devils' Rod Pelley during Pittsburgh's 4-1 victory on Saturday -- or just when the division-leading Penguins finally had a full complement of defensemen. Brooks Orpik returned Thursday against Montreal after being out eight games with a sports hernia. "He plays a lot of minutes," defenseman Ben Lovejoy said of

Michalek. "Obviously, everybody is going to have to absorb a few more. We'll certainly miss him." Michalek, who was struck on the right hand, apparently will not need surgery. Michalek joins star centers Sidney Crosby (concussion) and Evgeni Malkin (right knee soreness), forward Tyler Kennedy (concussion) and defenseman Brian Strait (hyperextended elbow) among the injured Penguins. Kennedy, coming off a career-high 21-goal season, hasn't practiced since getting hurt Oct. 15 against Buffalo. Forward Dustin Jeffrey (knee) also was out the first eight games. While Crosby is participating in full practices, he still hasn't played since Jan. 5 and his return date remains uncertain. Malkin, off to a strong start with a goal and 3 assists in three games, has missed five consecutive games, although he also practiced Monday. He was out the final 2 ½ months of last season with two torn right knee ligaments. Missing Crosby alone would be difficult for any team. Add in Malkin, the NHL's leading scorer and Conn Smythe Trophy winner when the Penguins won the Stanley Cup in 2008-09, plus Orpik, Kennedy and now Michalek, and their depth and resiliency are being severely tested. "It's nice to have a healthy team," defenseman Paul Martin said. "Hopefully, sometime during this year, we get one." For all their injuries, the Penguins aren't having any problem winning -- they're 6-2-2 with a three-game winning streak and at least one point earned in all but two games. What's proving difficult is finding enough players healthy to keep on winning.

They have played only two games with each of their top three centers -- Crosby, Malkin and Jordan Staal -- since an Eastern Conference Semifinals series against Montreal in 2010. All three missed about half of last season, although the Penguins overcame their absence to accumulate 106 points, the second most in their history. "It's tough," Martin said. "But you've got to move on and try to find a way to win." The Penguins' 350 total man-games lost to injury ranked seventh in the NHL last season, and they already have 39 this season. Malkin's status for Tuesday night's game at the Islanders is uncertain; he looked ready to return after participating in the morning skate Saturday, only to be scratched that night. Michalek's injury will require even more lineup maneuvering -- especially on the League-best penalty-killing unit -- by coach Dan Bylsma, who hasn't had the luxury of working with a full roster in 18 months. Michalek, who had a goal and 2 assists in 10 games, has been paired with Martin since the two signed with Pittsburgh before the 2010-11 season. "You hate to see anybody get hurt," Martin said. "But it's a part of the game and we have some other good defensemen who will step in and do the job. We've been dealing with a lot of injuries, so whoever is in there has to do the job." During Monday's practice, Martin was paired with Kris Letang, while Orpik was with Deryk Engelland and Matt Niskanen was with Lovejoy. "You develop a certain level of comfort when you spend that much

time paired with a certain guy," Martin said. "You start to realize where they are going to be and what you are going to do. But the way we play, that's going to be OK playing with another guy. For me, personally, it doesn't matter who I play with." Lovejoy was a healthy scratch against the Devils, and Bylsma doesn't anticipate recalling another defenseman from Wilkes-Barre Scranton (AHL). "He's a huge piece for us," Lovejoy said of Michalek. "But the defensemen and forwards are, too, and our goaltenders are the biggest part of that. They've especially been impressive on the penalty kill. We've given up one penalty-kill goal. We take pride in that as a team and as a penalty-killing unit. It's something we want to continue even without Z there." The Penguins had the NHL's top penalty-killing unit last season, and lead the league again after permitting a lone power-play goal in 33 attempts (97 percent) -- and that was during a 4-on-3 situation. "Z is exceptional at it and excels at it, but Brooks is back in there and we are going to have to count on some other guys to step up and do that," Bylsma said. "Kris Letang has grown into being a penalty killer that last couple of years and he is going to be relied on a little more heavily." 2. NHL.com- Alfredsson out Tuesday with hip injury NHL.com Ottawa Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson will not be in the lineup when his team visits the Carolina Hurricanes Tuesday night. Alfredsson, who has 5 points in eight games this season, is

reportedly suffering from a hip flexor that will keep him sidelined as Ottawa goes for its third win in a row. As a result of the injury, Ottawa has called up forward Kaspars Daugavins from its AHL affiliate in Binghamton. Alfredsson was quoted in Monday's Ottawa Sun as saying, "I'm feeling okay, (but) the last four or five days I have felt my hip flexor get weaker and weaker. … It's at a point where if I look after this now, it won't become more of an issue." The 38-year-old Swede expects to be back in the lineup Thursday when the Senators host the Florida Panthers. 3. NHL.com- Blues relieved as Backes returns to practice Louie Korac HAZELWOOD, Mo. -- This time, the St. Louis Blues can breathe a sigh of relief. When the Blues' David Backes collided with Philadelphia's Chris Pronger and Backes hit his head on the ice, it was easy to assume the worst given the amount of concussions the team has suffered through in recent history. But Backes was back on the ice Monday and will be in the lineup when the Blues hit the road again for a three-game Western Canada swing, beginning Wednesday night in Vancouver. Backes left the Blues' 4-2 win over the Flyers Saturday night midway through the second period and did not return, sparking fears of a concussion. And although Backes said he initially felt "some symptoms," he was cleared to get back on the ice with the team after suffering no repercussions on Sunday and Monday morning.

"It happened so fast," Backes said from St. Louis Mills, the team's practice facility. "You can't tell what causes major impact. "It's a play where I'm around the first defenseman and I think I'm in to the net. I'm looking where I'm doing to shoot the puck and when I start to shoot, (Pronger) came from the weak side. I didn't see him until maybe the last second." Pronger and Backes are both captains, and it was the 6-foot-6, 220-pound Pronger, a former Blue, who delivered a crushing shoulder-to-shoulder check on the 6-3, 225-pound Backes that sent the Blues' power forward hard to the ice. His head made pretty good impact with the ice and Backes had to be attended to by the team's head athletic trainer, Ray Barile. Backes called the hit clean on Monday. "He gets credit in my book for hitting me shoulder to shoulder," Backes said of Pronger. "He puts a huge hit on me. I don't know if I've been hit that hard in my career. "If he gets me in the head or the jaw or somewhere where I'm real susceptible, I'm probably in for scans and taking all those neuro-psych tests or whatever you the heck you have to do when you have concussions." The Blues, who have already lost Andy McDonald and Carlo Colaiacovo -- who has since returned -- to concussions this season along with B.J. Crombeen (fractured shoulder), couldn't really afford another key injury to an impact player. David Perron (post-concussion syndrome) continues to sit out, but has started skating regularly with the team. "Yeah, it was a big hit, a big collision, two big bodies, but

definitely good to see him back out there this morning," Blues coach Davis Payne said. "It was two big guys going to a tough area. You don't necessarily see every defenseman in the world willing to take on that kind of guy coming to your net in that fashion. Two big bodies playing the game the right way." Backes' teammates were thinking the worst since Backes didn't get back up immediately. "Especially a guy like Backs," winger Matt D'Agostini said. "He doesn't lay on the ice very often. "We knew it was serious. It was scary, for sure, when you see his head get hit and then he hits his head on the ice again. You always fear the worst. With what we've gone through professionally, it's disheartening. But he was out there today … he looks good." As for McDonald, who has not played since suffering a concussion Oct. 13 in Dallas, Payne said there is no new news regarding his situation. However, Crombeen visited the practice facility Monday, still wearing a sling over his left shoulder. Crombeen has not played since suffering his injury in the final preseason game on Oct. 1 against Dallas. He's missed all eight games thus far and is still in limbo. "It's kind of a slow point right now where you're just kind of waiting for the bone to heal," said Crombeen, who did not require surgery. "But the last little while, I've been able to get out and do some of the rehab and do some light activity. It's nice to not be sitting around as much. It's a boring part in the process right now." 4. NHL.com- Quick's dominance earns him NHL's 'First Star’ NHL.com

NEW YORK -- Los Angeles Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick, Ottawa Senators center Jason Spezza and Washington Capitals goaltender Tomas Vokoun have been named the NHL 'Three Stars' for the week ending Oct. 23. FIRST STAR -- JONATHAN QUICK, G, LOS ANGELES KINGS Jonathan Quick Goalie - LAK RECORD: 5-0-1 GAA: 0.81 | SVP: 0.972Quick became the first Los Angeles Kings goaltender to post three consecutive shutouts as the Kings improved to 5-1-1, matching the best seven-game start in franchise history. He made 27 saves in a 5-0 win over the St. Louis Blues Oct. 18 and recorded his 100th career NHL victory with a 28-save performance in a 2-0 victory over the Phoenix Coyotes Oct. 20. Quick became the third goaltender to post 100 wins with the club, joining Rogie Vachon and Kelly Hrudey, and did so in the fewest games (Quick 185, Hrudey 228, Vachon 230). Quick concluded the week with his club-record third consecutive shutout, making 28 saves in a 1-0 win over the Dallas Stars Oct. 22. He set another franchise mark by extending his shutout streak to 188:10, passing Vachon's 184:55 set from Oct. 26 to Nov. 1, 1975. The 25-year-old Milford, Conn., native is the first NHL goaltender to record three straight shutouts since Columbus' Steve Mason in December 2008 and improved to 5-0-1 with a 0.81 goals-against average and a .972 save percentage in six appearances this season. SECOND STAR -- JASON SPEZZA, C, OTTAWA SENATORS Spezza tallied seven points (three goals, four assists) last week, helping the Senators record two wins in three starts. Spezza figured in seven of the Senators' 10 goals, beginning with a single tally in a

7-2 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers Oct. 18. He recorded one goal and two assists in a 4-1 victory over the Winnipeg Jets Oct. 20 and closed the week by notching a goal and two assists in Ottawa's 4-3 comeback victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets Oct. 22. Spezza scored the game-tying goal at 19:24 of the third period and assisted on the game-winner by Milan Michalek at 19:55. The 28-year-old Mississauga, Ontario native leads the Senators in scoring and ranks third in the League overall with 11 points (4-7--11) in eight games. THIRD STAR -- TOMAS VOKOUN, G, WASHINGTON CAPITALS Vokoun helped the Capitals extend their franchise-record start to 7-0-0 by posting three consecutive victories with a 1.00 goals-against average, .968 save percentage and one shutout. The 35-year-old native of Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic, stopped 20 shots in a 3-0 win over the Florida Panthers Oct. 18, posting his 45th career NHL shutout. He turned aside 40 shots in a 5-2 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers Oct. 20 and handed the Detroit Red Wings their first loss of the season with a 32-save effort in a 7-1 win at Verizon Center on Oct. 22. Signed as a free agent by the Capitals on July 2, 2011, Vokoun improved to 6-0-0 on the season with a 1.80 goals-against average and .944 save percentage. 5. NHL.com- Lester Patrick Award a family affair for the Johnsons Corey Masisak Hockey has always been the family business for Mark Johnson, and countless families around the United States have benefitted from that. Johnson will be honored for his contributions to the sport in the U.S. Wednesday when he receives the Lester Patrick Award at

Saint Paul RiverCentre in St. Paul, Minn. His father, legendary coach Bob Johnson, received the award in 1988. "I was a little stunned at first and certainly humbled with being recognized. It is a real honor and it certainly puts a smile on your face in regards to what has been going on in my life for the last 30 or 40 years," Johnson said. "When [my father] received the award and the recognition for what he did, whether it was Wisconsin or USA hockey or what he did in Pittsburgh and Calgary in his career, it was obviously not only a special evening for him but certainly for our family. With my ability to go in and now be recognized, it makes the honor even that much more special. "It is a great award obviously and I'm certainly looking forward to Wednesday night." The Lester Patrick Award has been given to people for their contributions to hockey in the United States since the New York Rangers donated a trophy to honor Patrick in 1966. Other recipients this year are Jeff Sauer, the former Wisconsin and Colorado College coach, Bob Pulford, a Chicago Blackhawks executive and former NHL player, and Tony Rossi, an IIHF Council Member. Johnson's impact on the sport in this country in one important game 31 years ago might be enough to warrant such an honor, but his reach goes far beyond the 1980 Miracle on Ice U.S. Olympic team. He has become one of the premiere coaches in women's hockey and helped elevate the profile of the women's game both in his work for the University of Wisconsin and the U.S. Women's national team. He became a national hero on that fateful night in Lake Placid, N.Y., but Johnson put on the United States sweater more than 80 times during a career that included three seasons playing for his

dad at Wisconsin and 11 seasons in the NHL. Several of those games playing for the national team were also with his father behind the bench. "The fun part of playing for him was he always made coming to the rink fun and an enjoyable experience," Johnson said. "He certainly was as competitive as anybody and wanted to win hockey games, but I think with his teaching ability and upbeat, positive attitude I think a lot of players enjoyed playing that type of atmosphere he was able to create." Johnson followed in his father's footsteps and became a coach. He first spent time as an assistant to Sauer for the men's team at Wisconsin. He took control of the women's program in 2002, and the Badgers have been a powerhouse with Johnson at the helm. He has won the national title four times in the past six seasons and Wisconsin was also the national runner-up once in that span. The lone time in the past six years that the Badgers didn't play for the national championship Johnson wasn't there -- he took the year off to coach the national team in preparation for the 2010 Winter Olympics. "You try to create a culture that as a head coach you have the opportunity to create because you're running your own program," Johnson said. "Whether it is at Wisconsin, with the Olympic team or with the national team, it is that philosophy that what atmosphere you want to create after playing for a long time at a high level with many different coaches. You can use that experience to help create your philosophy and remember what it was like in certain situations when you were a player -- how you want to be treated, how you want to be held accountable. "When you have players understand that and buy into that, you

have a chance for something special. As coaches we look at the day-to-day procedure to create good habits and when the season is over you can reflect on what went well and what didn't. We've been fortunate here with kids who are willing to play as a team and we've been extremely fortunate to help these kids experience championships a few times, and that makes you feel good as a head coach. It is a process and a journey, and just as players do we learn from some of the mistakes we make as a coaching staff and how we can get better." Women's hockey has seen a dramatic rise in participation, both in this country and around the world. Canada and the United States remain the top national programs, but other countries have started to close what was once a tremendous gap. Johnson credits volunteers at the youth level for helping the women's game during his time as one of the faces of the sport. "We see the numbers, especially in the States, women's hockey in the last six or eight years has grown every year," Johnson said. "More young girls are getting a chance to go to the rink and play this great game. As more kids get involved, the base gets bigger and certainly as they start coming up through the college levels our product has gotten much better the last five or six years. That is attributed to more youth players and the volunteers around the country who get involved and are giving opportunities to these young ladies as well as good coaching and good competition. The end result as they move up the food chain is we're getting better players. The game has gotten so much better that people who come and watch us play are certainly impressed by the level of play and the quality of these athletes." Added Sauer: "I consulted with the women and I've enjoyed watching the job Mark has done with them, possibly more than the men. I watched them play a game against Minnesota last week and

it was just great, great hockey." Most of Johnson's family will be in St. Paul for the event to honor Mark, but his son might not be able to make it -- just as he was predisposed when his father was honored. Playing duties kept Mark away, just as it might be the case for his son, Patrick, who is in his first professional season with Wheeling in the ECHL. Besides his family there will be a guy in attendance who has known Johnson for his entire life. Sauer was an assistant coach for Johnson's father and has been close to the family for a long time. He even served as Johnson's babysitter at one point. "He played under my dad and coached under my dad and obviously watched me grow up," Johnson said. "Yeah, he babysat me and helped me go down the straight and narrow path. He's been a long-time friend of not only myself but my family. "There have certainly been a lot of people who have touched my life from hockey coaches and people close to my parents. Jeff was one of those individuals. He basically watched me grow up as a young player and certainly had a big influence on me as a player. When I got into coaching, I worked with him at Wisconsin for six years and I was very fortunate to have him help me grow as a player and grow as a coach." 6. TSN.ca- Capitals No. 1 in NHL Power Rankings Scott Cullen The undefeated Washington Capitals open the season on top of the TSN.ca NHL Power Rankings in the first update of the season. While the Capitals have cruised to a 7-0 record, with a league-best

plus-16 goal differential, they've been achieving this success with a more balanced approach. As Alexander Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom, most notably, have seen their ice time go down, the supporting cast has been providing offence for the Caps, as second-year centre Marcus Johansson and veteran left winger Jason Chimera are tied for the team-lead with four goals apiece. Backstrom, it should be noted, is bouncing back from a down season, leading the Capitals with ten points in seven games. Coming out on the wrong end of a pair of shootouts hurts the Chicago Blackhawks' overall record, but doesn't make them any less likely to win a seven-game series, so they come in second spot. Patrick Kane's move to the middle has helped Chicago's forward lines, allowing them to match up well with virtually any team. Considering that the Pittsburgh Penguins are still without Sidney Crosby and, for the last six games, have been without Evgeni Malkin, their early success has been remarkable. That they sit third without two injured superstars should be a scary proposition for the rest of the teams in the league. Among the early surprises, the Dallas Stars, Toronto Maple Leafs and Colorado Avalanche are unexpected entrants in the top ten. The variance of small sample sizes means that there will be rather sizeable shifts until more games are played, but the Stars, Leafs and Avs can revel in their favourable early results. At the other end of the scale, the Montreal Canadiens and St. Louis Blues were not expected to be better than in the bottom third, while the Columbus Blue Jackets certainly had higher hopes than a winless start through the first eight games. 7. TSN.ca- Your Call: What has been the NHL's biggest

surprise so far? TSN.ca Staff It's early in the 2011-12 season but there is already lots to talk about for hockey fans. Phil Kessel has led the Maple Leafs to a hot start in Toronto while the Canadiens are struggling early in Montreal. After another early playoff exit in Washington last year, the Capitals have bounced back with a perfect start to the season. Sidney Crosby is still out, but that hasn't stopped the Pittsburgh Penguins from bursting out of the gate to lead the Atlantic Division. And two unlikely teams are atop the Western Conference - the young Colorado Avalanche and the low-spending Dallas Stars. Our question to you is: what has been the biggest surprise so far this season? Kessel and the Leafs: The Leafs are coming off a 4-2 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers but still lead the Northeast Division with an impressive 5-2-1 record and leading the team's quick start is Kessel. The third-year Leaf leads the league in both goals (9) and points (15) so far this season. While it's unlikely Kessel will be able to keep this pace up for a full year, his early season performance is likely what Leafs president and GM Brian Burke envisioned when he traded two first-round draft picks for him. Canadiens slow out of the gate: Montreal's 2-1 loss to the Florida Panthers dropped their record to 1-5-2 to start the year. It also meant that for the first time in team history, the Habs lost their first five games at home. A number of key players, such as P.K. Subban and Erik Cole, are off to underwhelming starts as fan unrest has started to build.

Washington still undefeated: Everyone knew they would be good this year, but after last year's second-round playoff exit to the Tampa Bay Lightning, there were some question marks coming into this season as to just how good the Capitals would be. But the Caps are answering those questions by jumping out to a perfect 7-0 record; they are the only remaining undefeated team in the league. No Crosby, No problem: Sidney Crosby has yet to return from his concussion problems from last season, and Evgeni Malkin has only suited up for three games thus far this season, but the Penguins continue to play well - and lead their division with a 6-2-2 record. In Crosby and Malkin's absence, numerous other players have stepped up, including James Neal, who is second only to Kessel in goals scored - with eight. Colorado turnaround: The Avalanche finished second last in the league last year and are now tied atop the Western Conference with a 6-2 record. Rebuilding efforts usually take longer, but the team's young talent, including second-overall draft pick Gabriel Landeskog, has gotten off to a quick start to excel the process. No drop-off in Dallas: The Stars finished just two points out of the playoffs last year, but had a somewhat tumultuous off-season that could have precluded a drop-off in production this year. As the franchise figures out its ownership situation, player payroll has declined to the point where the Stars had to trade for a player to reach the salary floor earlier this season. But all of this hasn't stopped the team from jumping out to a 6-2 record and a share of the conference lead. You've heard what we've had to say, now it's your turn. What has been the biggest surprise in the NHL so far this season? As always, it's Your! Call.

8. TSN.ca- Sale of Stars to Gaglardi takes a step forward TSN.ca Staff The bidding deadline for potential buyers of the Dallas Stars franchise has come and gone, clearing the way for Vancouver businessman Tom Gaglardi to complete his purchase. Gaglardi was the only person to submit a bid to buy the team and remains in line to become the Stars' new owner. The league will now review the bid with the executive committee and then with the board to determine whether it will be approved. Assuming it is, it will go back to court as an "approved bid" and the court will use its own approval process and timetable. NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly suggested it will still take some time for any sale to be finalized; the league hoping the process can be finalized by the end of November. "Now that the bidding deadline has been reached, we will continue our due diligence process and will proceed with the Board's ownership transaction review process," Daly said on Monday. "We also will work with the courts in the continued hope of bringing this matter to a successful and expeditious resolution." Gaglardi, who holds majority ownership of the Western Hockey League's Kamloops Blazers, has a personal connection with Texas. His mother is from Longview and he has family in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. 9. TSN.ca- Sabres' Ennis out indefinitely because of ankle injury The Canadian Press

BUFFALO, N.Y. - Buffalo Sabres left wing Tyler Ennis will be out indefinitely because of an ankle injury. Ennis was hurt early in the first period of Buffalo's 3-0 loss to Tampa Bay on Saturday, and coach Lindy Ruff said on Monday that Ennis' status is week-to-week. Ennis has gotten off to a slow start this season after a strong campaign last year. He has yet to record a point in the first seven games after posting 20 goals and 49 points in 82 games in 2010-11. With Ennis injured, Ville Leino is likely to move from centre to wing.