FLYERS NEWS

The Flyers traveled to NY tonight for a matchup with the Islanders as they looked to string together back to back wins for the first time in a while. Considering they came into the night with a Flyer's record 16 straight wins over the Isles, a 2nd straight win overall shouldn't have been too much to ask for. Unfortunately, Brian Boucher had a horrid and unlucky night allowing 3 goals less than 8 minutes into the game. First two bounced off Flyers and into the net leaving the Orange and Black in a shell shocked state from which they never recovered. It was 4-0 just 3 minutes into the 2nd period. Then after Aaron Asham finally got the Flyers on the board late in the 2nd, NY made it 5-1 just 2 and a half minutes into the 2nd period and Boucher was actually yanked from the game in favor of rookie Jeremy Duchesne, who was just called up from the AHL yesterday.

He only allowed one more score the rest of the way, but that was enough to for New York to hold off the Flyers. James Van Reimsdyk, Danny Briere, and Darroll Powe all scored in the 3rd, but it was too little too late, as the Orange and Black eventually succumbed 6-4. With only 6 games left in the regular season and the Flyers desperately needing every point possible to lock up a playoff spot, this was exactly the kind of night they didn't need. It's hard to see Boucher being good enough to help the Flyers hang in there for another 6, but what other choice do the Flyer's have? at this point no matter what he's going to be the only goalie on the roster eligible to play for the Orange and Black in the postseason until Micheal Leighton returns, but that would be sometime after the playoffs start. So basically the Flyers are really going to have pick things up defensively down this last stretch of games or they're not going anywhere this season. For now they're still somehow 6th in the East, with tiebreakers over the 7th and 8th seeds(Montreal and Boston) and 2 points ahead of 9th place Atlanta.