Sport-scan daily brief

Alt, a 6-3, 205-pounder whose father, Jon, played in the NFL, is expected to join the Phantoms.

Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 04.08.2013

668827 Philadelphia Flyers

Flyers sign second round pick

POSTED: Sunday, April 7, 2013, 7:11 PM

With the top talent on his Golden Gophers team bailing on their senior seasons, Minnesota defenseman Mark Alt felt little need to stay in school.

The Flyers officially signed Alt to an entry-level deal over the weekend. He will report to the Phantoms.

Alt, 21, is a former second round pick (2010) by Carolina and was acquired from the Hurricanes in January along with Brian Boucher.

Alt had a disappointing junior season, with a 15 point drop-off in offensive production, and saw a decrease in playing time under coach Don Lucia. The No. 1 ranked Gophers were knocked off in the NCAA tournament in an upset by Yale. Nick Bjugstad, Nate Schmidt, Zach Budish and Erik Haula have all signed in the NHL.

The Flyers are high on Alt's athleticism. He's a former star high school quarterback before shipping off to play for one of college hockey's marquee programs. His father, John Alt, was a two-time Pro Bowl left tackle for the Kansas City Chiefs.

"Alt is 6-3, he can skate, he's playing in a good program on a good team," Paul Holmgren said back on Jan. 13 after the trade. "We've liked him. He's a good, young prospect."

Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 04.08.2013

668828 Philadelphia Flyers

Barely in playoff hunt, Flyers face crucial game vs. Islanders

Sam Carchidi, Inquirer Staff Writer

Posted: Monday, April 8, 2013, 1:48 AM

The Flyers are five points out of a playoff spot and running out of time.

They have 10 games remaining, including Tuesday's matchup with the host New York Islanders, who hold the eighth and final Eastern Conference playoff spot and have played one more game than the Flyers.

The Flyers aren't calling it a must-win situation, but they know a loss would place their playoff hopes on life support.

"We've had some success against the Islanders in the past, especially on Long Island, so we've got to stay positive and not get too down," winger Scott Hartnell said Saturday after an awful second period sent the Flyers to a 4-1 loss in Winnipeg. "Play 60 minutes. That's what we did in the last four games" before the Winnipeg disaster.

It appears the Flyers will not get any of their injured defensemen back to face the Islanders. Nick Grossmann has been listed as day-to-day for about two weeks, but it is "unlikely" he will play Tuesday, general manager Paul Holmgren said.

The Flyers are 1-1 against the Isles, scoring a 7-0 road win on Feb. 18 and blowing a 2-0 lead and dropping a 4-3 shootout at the Wells Fargo Center on March 28.

Since then, the Flyers have won four of five games.

Hartnell said the Flyers may have been too confident against a Jets team that had lost five straight.

"We might have thought maybe it was too easy [and] we'll just win out" the rest of the season, "and things will be all great here," he said. "We've got to take it as a wake-up call to get back at practice and get focused again and get up for the Islanders."

A regulation loss Tuesday would put the Flyers seven points out of a playoff berth.

"We can't think one game is more important than another one," said Ruslan Fedotenko, whose five-game points streak is his longest since 2009. "It's every game; we need every point."

The Flyers fell apart Saturday after defenseman Luke Schenn was hit in the head with the puck and went to the locker room for stitches. The Jets scored two goals while Schenn was out, and the Flyers' already-depleted defense left goalie Ilya Bryzgalov scrambling.

"We shut it down for the second period," winger Wayne Simmonds said. "It wasn't the defense or the goaltending. It was everybody."

The Flyers probably need to win seven of their final 10 games (five home, five away) to have a realistic shot at a playoff berth. Their schedule includes two games with the Islanders and one with the Rangers, teams that are five points ahead of them.

Breakaways

The Flyers were off Sunday and will practice in Voorhees at 11 a.m. Monday. . . . Bryzgalov is expected to make his 23d straight start Tuesday. He is the only NHL goalie to have all of his team's wins this year. . . . The Flyers announced they had signed University of Minnesota defenseman Mark Alt, 21, to an entry-level contract. Before the season, the 6-foot-4, 201-pound Alt and Brian Boucher were acquired from Carolina for minor-league center Luke Pither. Alt, a former second-round draft pick, will report to the Phantoms in the AHL.

Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 04.08.2013

668829 Philadelphia Flyers

Flyers might be doomed by 6:28 glitch

Frank Seravalli , Daily News Sports Columnist

Posted: Monday, April 8, 2013, 1:14 AM

IT WAS THE BEST of times, and one bungling span of 6 minutes and 28 seconds in Winnipeg on Saturday afternoon made it the worst of times.

That hideous stretch of hockey, in which the Jets scored four times, wiped out a week's worth of penance when the Flyers had begun to capture the imagination of a city starving for a playoff berth.

A four-game winning streak and five-game points streak evaporated quicker than the thick haze in the mezzanine at Saturday's Fleetwood Mac show. The 4-1 loss killed any momentum the Flyers had gathered over their near-miraculous march through the schedule with a roster full of names we barely recognize.

With it went the Flyers' best shot at making the Stanley Cup playoffs since the first day of this whacked-out, shortened season. Before Saturday's game, the Flyers were a 22.3 percent shot to make it - with a chance to push it toward 30 with a win. Their probability heading into Monday? Just 12.1 percent.

"We sucked," Wayne Simmonds told reporters. "What do you want me to say? We reverted back to our old ways."

You could almost hear the Flyers' playoff hopes being flushed down a Manitoban toilet with that second-period dump . . . and chase. It wasn't just that the Flyers lost, but the Islanders and Rangers both won. Suddenly, the Flyers are five points back of a playoff spot with 10 games to play, a banged-up roster and three teams to jump over.

They still have a heartbeat. It's just faint.

There are two small benefits: One is that neither the Rangers nor the Islanders has distanced themselves from each other. The Flyers are five points back from one of two playoff spots.

The other benefit is that they play the eighth-place Islanders twice in these final 3 weeks of the season. That is a potential eight-point swing, which could ultimately be the difference between a long summer and an intriguing spring. Tuesday night will mark the Flyers' most important game at Nassau Mausoleum since the 1980s. Who'd have thunk it? Given their awful positioning in the standings 10 days ago, I'm sure not even the Flyers did.

Livin' on the edge

Watching the puck flutter across the blue line before Tobias Enstrom's blast hit Luke Schenn in the face on Saturday afternoon made me think of something Phantoms coach Terry Murray said recently.

"You have composite sticks, you've got rolling pucks, you've got bad ice, you've got players shooting one-timers who shouldn't be shooting one-timers," Murray told the Glens Falls Post-Star in New York. "One of the rules of all time is that you never shoot a rolling puck; you have to get a flat puck as a defenseman, because that's what happens.

"Those things are not even talked about anymore. Just shoot the puck."

The puck was clearly on its edge when it arrived on Enstrom's stick.

Luckily, Schenn - the Flyers' most important defenseman these days - was stitched up and returned to the game quickly. He was wearing a visor, which might have prevented a career-threatening injury. Rangers defenseman Marc Staal wasn't as lucky March 5 against the Flyers - and he still hasn't returned.

Honestly, I've never heard anyone even mention Murray's golden rule. While it is idealistic, it's just out of touch with reality. Players are diving - sometimes facefirst - at a ridiculous rate to keep the puck out of the net, even when shots are getting harder and faster. That didn't happen as often in the 1970s, when Murray played for the Flyers.

The art of shot-blocking is evolving, not devolving. And with the money on the line each game, asking players to show respect by settling a puck down - at the risk of not getting it on net - is out of the realm of possibility.

Alt signs

With the top talent on his Golden Gophers team bailing on their senior seasons, Minnesota defenseman Mark Alt felt little need to stay in school. The Flyers officially signed Alt to an entry-level deal over the weekend. He will report to the Phantoms.

Alt, 21, is a former second-round pick (2010) of Carolina and was acquired from the Hurricanes in January along with Brian Boucher.

Alt had a disappointing junior season, with a 15-point dropoff in offensive production, and he saw a decrease in playing time under coach Don Lucia. The top-ranked Gophers were upset by Yale in the NCAA Tournament. Nick Bjugstad, Nate Schmidt, Zach Budish and Erik Haula have all signed in the NHL.

The Flyers love Alt's athleticism. He is mobile, even at 6-3, and he was a star high school quarterback. Alt has the pedigree, too: His father, John Alt, was a two-time Pro Bowl tackle for the Kansas City Chiefs.

Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 04.08.2013

668830 Philadelphia Flyers

Eric Wellwood leaves Phantoms game with injured lower leg

Deanna Vasso, Philly.com

Posted: Sunday, April 7, 2013, 10:08 PM

Eric Wellwood left the game between the Flyers affiliate Adirondack Phantoms and the Bridgeport Sound Tigers on Sunday during the second period after a skate sliced through the back of his lower right leg.

He left the ice bleeding while the puck was still in play. He never returned to the game after being rushed off the ice. He was then rushed to a nearby hospital in Bridgeport, Conn.

According to the Phantoms,

“Head coach Terry Murray reported that Wellwood was then transported to an area hospital where he had surgery to repair the initial damage. Wellwood will stay overnight in Bridgeport and is possible to have another surgery Monday.”

Wellwood was sent down to the AHL on Jan. 26, after Danny Briere returned to the Flyers from a wrist injury. Wellwood only played four games with the Flyers this season.

With only a month left in the season and the possibility of a second surgery on his injured leg, it is likely that Wellwood's season is over.

Philadelphia Inquirer / Daily News LOADED: 04.08.2013

668831 Philadelphia Flyers

With 10 games to go, a daunting task

By Wayne Fish Staff writer

Posted on April 7, 2013

Just 10 games to go for the Flyers and now the margin for error is ... well, there really is none.

When the Flyers resume play on Tuesday night on Long Island to complete a three-game road trip, they will be no less than four points out of a playoff spot.

Based on their poor road record — 5-13-1 — the schedule doesn’t really work in their favor either. Five of the remaining games are away from home, including stops at Buffalo, Montreal, Carolina and a season-ender at Ottawa.

Realistically, the Flyers are going to have to go well over.500 to have a shot at the postseason, maybe something like 7-3 or 8-2. That means they’re going to have to play more like they did in Thursday night’s win at Toronto than Saturday afternoon’s loss at Winnipeg.

Would coach Peter Laviolette consider shaking things up by giving new goaltender Steve Mason a start this week, maybe even the Islanders? After all, he did put together a scoreless third period in Winnipeg after Ilya Bryzgalov.

Bryzgalov has started all but two of the Flyers’ 38 games and probably could use a breather. But the Flyers are getting a two-day break in their slate, so maybe the Russian continues on this streak of starts.

Perhaps one aspect of the schedule working in the Flyers’ favor is that they will play a lot of those 10 games against teams they are chasing. They have home games against Ottawa, the New York Rangers, the New Jersey Devils and the Islanders.

Alt signs

Mark Alt, a defenseman who came over from Carolina in the Brian Boucher trade on Jan. 12, has signed an entry-level contract.

The 6-foot-3, 205-pound University of Minnesota product was a plus-19 for the Golden Gophers this past season.

Alt helped Minnesota get to the Frozen Four in 2012. He was a second-round draft pick (53rd overall) of the ‘Canes in 2010. The Flyers dealt Luke Pither to Carolina for Alt and Boucher.

Notes

Mason became the 49th goaltender to appear in a regular season game in Flyers history. He is just the fourth former Calder Trophy (rookie of the year) winner to play for the Flyers at any point in his career, joining Peter Forsberg, Dale Hawerchuk and Brit Selby ... Mason is also just the second right-handed-catching goaltender to play a regular-season game in Flyers history, joining Stephane Beauregard.

Burlington County Times LOADED: 04.08.2013

668832 Philadelphia Flyers

With just 10 games to go, task daunting

Wayne Fish Staff writer

Posted on April 7, 2013

Just 10 games to go for the Flyers and now the margin for error is . . . well, there really is none.

When the Flyers resume play on Tuesday night on Long Island to complete a three-game road trip, they will be no less than five points out of a playoff spot.

Based on their poor road record – 5-13-1 – the schedule doesn’t really work in their favor. Five of the remaining games are away from home, including stops at Buffalo, Montreal, Carolina and a season-ender at Ottawa.

Realistically, the Flyers are going to have to go over .500 to have a shot at the postseason, maybe something like 7-3 or 8-2. That means they’re going to have to play on the road more like they did in Thursday night’s win at Toronto than Saturday afternoon’s loss at Winnipeg.

Would coach Peter Laviolette consider shaking things up by giving new goaltender Steve Mason a start this week, maybe even the Isles? After all, he did put together a scoreless third period in Winnipeg after Ilya Bryzgalov.

Bryzgalov has started all but two of the Flyers’ 38 games and probably could use a breather. But the Flyers are getting a two-day break in their slate, so maybe the Russian continues on this streak of starts.

Perhaps one aspect of the schedule working in the Flyers’ favor is that they will play a lot of those 10 games against teams they are chasing. They have home games against Ottawa, New York Rangers, New Jersey Devils and the Islanders.

/n

Alt signs: Mark Alt, a defenseman who came over from Carolina in the Brian Boucher trade on Jan. 12, has signed an entry-level contract.

Alt helped Minnesota get to the Frozen Four in 2012. He was a second-round draft pick (53rd overall) of the ‘Canes in 2010. The Flyers dealt Luke Pither to Carolina for Alt and Boucher.

/n

In case you were wondering. . .: Mason became the 49th goaltender to appear in a regular season game in Flyers history. He is just the fourth former Calder Trophy (rookie of the year) winner to play for the Flyers at any point in his career, joining Peter Forsberg, Dale Hawerchuk and Brit Selby. . .Mason is also just the second right-handed-catching goaltender to play a regular-season game in Flyers history, joining Stephane Beauregard.

Burlington County Times LOADED: 04.08.2013

668833 Philadelphia Flyers

Jets end Flyers' four-game win streak

Posted: Sunday, April 7, 2013 8:29 am | Updated: 9:25 am, Sun Apr 7, 2013.

Associated Press |

WINNIPEG, Manitoba — A big second period gave the Winnipeg Jets’ playoff hopes a sudden jolt that was desperately needed.

The Jets scored four times in less than seven minutes during the decisive second period and held off the Philadelphia Flyers for a 4-1 victory on Saturday that snapped Winnipeg’s five-game losing streak.

Evander Kane, Grant Clitsome, Kyle Wellwood and Bryan Little scored for the Jets, who dropped from first place in the Southeast Division to 10th in the Eastern Conference playoff race.

Ondrej Pavelec made 30 saves.

“We are woefully inconsistent,” Jets coach Claude Noel said.

Ruslan Fedotenko scored for the Flyers, whose four-game winning streak ended. Philadelphia is also on the outside of the postseason chase with only a few weeks left in the regular season.

“They played like they wanted it the last 40 minutes,” Flyers forward Scott Hartnell said. “The last four games, we played 60 minutes, and tonight we didn’t.”

Before they started their slide in late March, the Jets (19-19-2) were in control in the Southeast. Now they hope to just get into the tournament.

“Our top players have to be hot and get our team going, and I thought we did a good job of that,” said Kane, who had a goal and an assist. “We had to win this game to give ourselves a shot to even make the playoffs. Our season is on the line right now.”

Winnipeg struggled in the first period when it was outshot 13-4.

Grant Clitsome and Kyle Wellwood scored Winnipeg’s other goals. Blake Wheeler had two assists.

“I just think we shut it down for the second period,” Flyers forward Wayne Simmonds said. “It wasn’t the defense, it wasn’t the goaltending, it was everybody.”

Fedotenko’s long wrist shot from near the blue line beat Pavelec’s glove just past the 11-minute mark of the first. The Jets didn’t get off a shot in the final 15 minutes of the period.

But Winnipeg rallied in the second as it pounded the Philadelphia net, tying the game when Little passed to Clitsome in close and he snapped the puck past Ilya Bryzgalov at 12:38.

Bryzgalov had no time to recover when Kane passed to Wellwood from behind the Philadelphia net, and he made it 2-1 with a quick wrister 27 seconds later.

It was Kane’s turn less than two minutes later when he buried a loose puck after Mike Santorelli was stopped on a wraparound. He earned his first point with the Jets on an assist. He was picked up on waivers on Wednesday.

Little capped things off when he took off on a breakaway and found the corner with less than a minute left in the period.

“That first one kind of gave us momentum and we were flying from there,” he said. “To get that fourth one, it was a bit of a cushion for us and I thought we did a good job protecting it.”

After Bryzgalov allowed four goals on 16 shots, the Flyers pulled him to start the third and put in backup Steve Mason. Mason made his debut since coming to Philadelphia on Wednesday at the trade deadline. He stopped all nine shots he faced.

“It’s funny, but when you focus on the team game and you focus on the accomplishment of winning, how the scoring looks after itself, and the individual scoring takes care of itself,” Noel said.

Burlington County Times LOADED: 04.08.2013

668834 Philadelphia Flyers

Flyers Storylines: With 10 games left, no margin for error

April 7, 2013, 3:45 pm

Ten games.

That's all the Flyers have left as they make their final push for a playoff spot. They will play five of their remaining 10 games on the road and five in the comforts of the Wells Fargo Center.

The Flyers entered Sunday's action sitting in 11th place in the Eastern Conference, five points behind the seventh-seeded New York Rangers and eighth-seeded New York Islanders.

At this juncture, the Flyers have left themselves with virtually no margin for error and can't afford to throw away anymore valuable points that are up for grabs. They need every possible point they can get.

With that in mind, here are a few storylines we're going to be keeping an eye on this week.

More of Mason?

Newly-acquired netminder Steve Mason made his Flyers debut on Saturday after Ilya Bryzgalov was pulled in a 4-1 loss to the Winnipeg Jets.

Mason played the final 20 minutes -- stopping all nine shots fired his way -- but how much more of the 24-year-old will we actually see over the last 10 games of the season?

Bryzgalov has been a workhorse for the orange and black this season, starting 36 of the team's 38 games, but has allowed 14 goals in his last four contests combined.

Should Bryzgalov's shaky play continue or the Flyers fall out of playoff contention, the team will most likely want to get a good look at what Mason can bring to the table moving forward.

Mason is still getting accustomed to the Flyers' defensive schemes and seems eager to start fresh in Philadelphia.

It's unclear how much ice time the 2008-09 Calder Trophy winner will get, but it is certainly something worth keeping an eye on.

Key contributions

Before their crushing loss to the Jets, the Flyers won a season-best four games in a row.

A major reason why the Flyers were able to put that streak together was because of contributions from several players who had been struggling offensively this season.

Take Ruslan Fedotenko for example. The veteran forward had two goals and two assists during the Flyers' win streak after tallying just nine points in his previous 33 games. The 34-year-old even extended his points streak to five games with the Flyers' lone tally in Saturday's loss.

What about second-year center Sean Couturier? The 20-year-old went 15 consecutive games without a point before registering an assist in the Flyers' 3-1 win over Boston last week. He tallied a goal and four helpers during the four-game winning streak and has looked much more confident since busting out of his slump.

It's not all about offense, either. Veteran defenseman Kent Huskins has looked solid on the blue line since joining the Flyers. The 33-year-old has 13 blocked shots and two hits in his four games with the orange and black and has proved to be a dependable option at the fifth or sixth defenseman position.

With all of the injuries the Flyers have sustained this season, they will need to have continued production from their role players if they want to squeeze into the postseason.

4-1

The 24-year-old has played well since being called up from the Adirondack Phantoms. He even collected his first NHL point with an assist on Simon Gagne's goal against Montreal on Wednesday.

Lauridsen has shown a good physical edge to his game, registering 12 hits in his five contests with the Flyers, and has used his 6-6, 220-pound frame to his advantage in front of his own net.

Sure, Lauridsen has made a few mistakes, overcommitting at times, but the blue liner has been a pleasant surprise for the injury-depleted defensive corps.

Lauridsen was a minus-3 against the Jets, so it should be interesting to see how he responds to his worst game as an NHLer when the Flyers take on the Islanders on Tuesday.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 04.08.2013

668835 Philadelphia Flyers

Flyers sign Mark Alt to entry-level contract

April 7, 2013, 12:00 pm

The Flyers on Sunday signed defenseman Mark Alt to an entry-level contract, according to general manager Paul Holmgren.

Alt (6-3, 205) was acquired by the Flyers on Jan. 13 as part of the trade with the Carolina Hurricanes that brought Brian Boucher back to the organization.