Sport-scan daily brief

"Alt is 6-3, he can skate, he's playing in a good program on a good team," Holmgren said at the time of the trade. "We've liked him. He's a good young prospect."

The 21-year-old recorded seven assists and a plus-19 rating in 39 games with the University of Minnesota this past season.

Carolina selected Alt with the 53rd overall pick in the 2010 draft.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 04.08.2013

668836 Philadelphia Flyers

Flyers Notes: Steve Mason makes his debut

April 7, 2013, 10:00 am

WINNIPEG, Manitoba – Given how tight the Eastern Conference playoff picture has been, you had to figure that the only way backup goalie Steve Mason would see action is if the Flyers were officially eliminated.

Or if Ilya Bryzgalov got pulled.

The latter occurred Saturday afternoon during an ugly 4-1 loss to the Jets in which Bryzgalov was pulled for the fourth time this season, allowing four goals on just 16 shots (see story).

Mason started the third period and finished the game with no goals allowed on nine shots.

He became the 49th goaltender to appear in a regular season game in Flyers’ history and the fourth this year.

“You have to be ready for anything,” Mason said. “When you look at getting your first taste of playing for the Flyers, this definitely wasn't the most pressure-filled situation.

“My job was to just go in and close the door for the remaining 20 minutes. Obviously, this wasn't the result we were looking for coming here [to Winnipeg]. We were looking to finish off a pretty good stretch and hopefully we'll bounce back against the Islanders.”

Acquired at the trade deadline for Michael Leighton and a third-round pick in 2015, Mason hasn’t had much time to study the Flyers’ defensive schemes or even get used to handoffs with the defense.

He catches right, too, which means those handoffs are different.

“These are entirely new players for me, a new system, "Mason said. "The Eastern Conference is a little bit different. The Western Conference is a lot more rush plays so for a goaltender it's really managing rush speed.

“I tried to make things simple out there and overall it was pretty good. It's something to build off of. Since the trade's been down, I haven't had a practice yet, so I'm looking forward to getting out there with the team and really starting to figure things out here.

“It's a new process, new things to understand and get accustomed to, and over the next couple weeks, I'm looking forward to it.”

He is just the second, right-handed-catching goaltender in Flyers history, joining Stephane Beauregard.

Fedotenko’s streak

Ruslan Fedotenko has a five-game point streak in which he has three goals, including the Flyers lone marker in the 4-1 loss to the Jets.

This matches his longest point streak since May 2009 with the Pittsburgh Penguins, who went on to win the Stanley Cup.

“I feel a little bit more of an opportunity to play, a little bit more ice time, and we're close [to] the playoff games,” Fedotenko said.

“I feel it's more my type of game. It's physical, more aggressive. I've felt pretty good, but I was just kind of waiting a little bit [for] my turn.”

Fedotenko began the season for the Flyers with just five points over his first 15 games. He now centers the “Alumni Line” with Mike Knuble and Simon Gagne and his chances to get points have increased.

“Even in the beginning you're trying to do as much offensively as you can,” he said. “And I feel since we got Knuble and Simon, I feel we have a little connection there to create some more chances, and even lucky ones are going in.”

Loose pucks

Kimmo Timonen, who incurred a leg/foot injury against Toronto, played 23:23. Though he looked to be skating awkwardly in warmups, he seemed fine during the game. … Kent Huskins led the Flyers with five blocked shots. … Rookie defenseman Oliver Lauridsen was minus-3 and veteran Bruno Gervais was minus-2. … Mason is just the fourth former Calder Trophy winner to play for the Flyers at any point in his career, joining Peter Forsberg, Dale Hawerchuk and Brit Selby. … Winnipeg scored four goals in the second period. That’s the first time this season the Flyers have allowed four goals in a period. The last time? April 3, 2012 against the Rangers.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 04.08.2013

668837 Philadelphia Flyers

Flyers got what they needed with minor moves

April 7, 2013, 9:00 am

The theme on e-mails and Twitter this past week regarding the Flyers' moves at the trade deadline had a familiar ring to them: They got a goon, a goalie, and another old winger.

On the surface, one can understand the fans' frustration, especially those from the age group that was around 38 years ago when the Flyers last won a Stanley Cup.

Then there are the season ticket holders, many of whom weren’t even born back then, who have no first-person Cup memories and have been waiting impatiently since the Lindros Era to see a parade on Broad Street.

As for the acquisitions, let’s start with Jay Rosehill, the “goon,” as so many people have labeled him.

Forget the Flyers’ bully image of the past. Has anyone noticed how their skill guys -- Claude Giroux, et al. -- have been getting hit lately?

There has been no active Flyer heavyweight enforcer for a while now. Jody Shelley is done for the season with hip surgery and hadn’t played much to begin with.

Tommy Sestito was picked off waivers by Vancouver as the club attempted to return him to the Phantoms.

Zac Rinaldo, currently injured, is not a heavyweight. Jakub Voracek, currently playing, is not a fighter.

The Flyers needed to get someone with NHL experience who could fight. Rosehill fit the bill. No problem with that.

Let’s skip to the older vet -- 32-year-old Adam Hall.

Once Max Talbot went down, the Flyers needed a depth forward with the ability to take faceoffs -- Hall's 54 percent execution is very good, and he can play on the penalty kill.

Hall didn’t cost them anything. The Flyers simply claimed him off waivers. It was a cost-efficient move for the final 13 games -- that’s a win. And Hall looked good against Toronto on Thursday.

Kent Huskins was not a move inspired by the trade deadline. Once Braydon Coburn and Andrej Meszaros joined Nick Grossmann on the injured front, the Flyers had to get a veteran defenseman with NHL experience.

Huskins looks very comfortable on the ice and seems to settle things down. All he cost the Flyers was a 2014 conditional draft pick. That’s a win, too.

Which brings us to the goalie -- Steve Mason.

Sure, the Flyers could have had Mason a number of times in the past several years, yet something kept them from pursuing a deal.

Once upon a time, he played like a rising star for Ken Hitchcock. Then his star flamed out.

A number of people were stunned to hear goalie coach Jeff Reese actually say Mason could refurbish his game in pressure-packed Philadelphia.

Frankly, this is the last place you want to bring a player -- especially a goaltender -- who is trying to find his game.

But was there a need for a backup goalie? Yes.

Flyers coach Peter Laviolette had zero confidence in Michael Leighton’s ability to spell Ilya Bryzgalov.

The Leighton who shocked the hockey world for three playoff rounds in 2010 hasn’t been seen since the Montreal series to decide the Eastern Conference title.

Starting with the 2010 Stanley Cup Finals on through this season, the “real” Leighton reappeared.

He simply wasn’t good enough in practice, let alone real games, to help the Flyers.

General manager Paul Holmgren made some very bad decisions last summer and Leighton was the worst. Holmgren signed him on the cheap at $900,000, and cheap is what the Flyers got as a backup.

Which brings us back to the question of whether it was a good move to trade for Mason, who has had four years of misery since winning the Calder Trophy as the league's rookie of the year in 2008-09.

The team in front of Mason in Columbus was poor. The team in front of him right now in Philadelphia is slightly better even though its defense is a mess, albeit not as much lately.

Unless Holmgren fixes the defense, neither Bryzgalov nor Mason will find any relief next season.

Goals against is not always a reflection of the goaltender. It’s a reflection of the team in front of him as well, and the Flyers have been a very poor defensive team 5-on-5 much of this season.

What fans wanted to see at the deadline was the Flyers making a bold move to get a scoring winger, like Minnesota did with Jason Pominville, or get a reasonably young impact defenseman who can manage the game, like Shea Weber or Ryan Suter would have represented last summer.

Holmgren’s job this offseason is to find two defensemen, including an impact guy, because there are serious doubts about whether Meszaros will ever be the player he once was.

Not only has Meszaros become injury-prone, he seems afraid of being re-injured when he plays. That’s a lethal combination on the ice.

And how about Coburn ... what has happened to him? He's lost his shot from the point, which was spectacular when he first got here. Now, he’s lost his ability to defend and seems to get stripped of pucks easily.

Coburn is not the player he was a few years ago, but he’s still young enough at 28 that he can recover.

Still, he's had a couple downer seasons wrapped around just one good one lately, and his offensive numbers have been in decline since 2007-08 -- from 0.46 points per game then to 0.15 this year.

The Flyers need to consider whether Coburn is going to recover as player with the Flyers or if he should be moved this summer instead.

League-wide, the one team that boosted its chances the best and outdid everyone else leading up to and through the trade deadline was the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Because the Penguins had no player on long-term injury (LTIR), every contract they got was pro-rated. That saved them millions on the salary cap to add Brenden Morrow, Douglas Murray, Jarome Iginla and Jussi Jokinen.

That aside, however, GM Ray Shero’s club also suffered the worst blow of any Cup contender -- the loss of Sidney Crosby to a broken jaw, amid rumors the best player in the game might also be concussed.

So far, the team says Crosby is not experiencing concussion symptoms.

You’ve already seen how the Pens have looked this week without Crosby in the lineup -- their 15-game winning streak came to an end with two defeats in a row. Right there, that could be the difference between a Cup or no Cup.

Similarly, the Boston Bruins, who lost out on both Morrow and Ryane Clowe, did well in picking up Jaromir Jagr. But the loss of Patrice Bergeron to yet another concussion dims their chances for the Cup.

It would have been interesting if Danny Briere (concussion) had been healthy this past week. There's no doubt he would have waived his no-movement clause to head to Boston, where he could work his usual playoff magic.

All of which brings us back around to the Flyers.

Give Holmgren credit for this: He did nothing this week that cost the Flyers a valuable prospect, high draft pick, or a top six player off his roster.

It tells us the Flyers are going to save their valuable chips this summer to restock the blue line, which remains their most pressing need.

Meanwhile, the debate will rage as to whether Bryzgalov would have been better down the stretch if the defense were better and he had more rest. Or maybe Bryz’s flashes of brilliance in late January into February and early March were just a mirage.

Mason is not here to take his job. He’s the backup.

And twice Holmgren has dodged questions about Bryz’s future in goal.

Ahh, that’s another column for another day.

Comcast SportsNet.com LOADED: 04.08.2013

668838 Philadelphia Flyers

Flyers still have a path to the playoffs

Apr 8, 2013 |

Randy Miller

Courier-Post Staff

WINNIPEG — Even before this so-called 48-game sprint began, Flyers players and coaches were going on and on about how every single game really would matter in this lockout-shortened NHL season.

There was a lot of talk about how it was more important than ever to get off to a good start, then when that didn't happen, an 0-3 record snowballed into more struggles from a team with high expectations, which led to a most everyone outside their dressing room proclaiming they were done.

They weren't. Winning four in a row last week proved it. They were back in the playoff hunt just two points out of a spot.

And then came last Saturday, a 4-1 afternoon loss in Winnipeg that became extra painful when the New York Rangers, New York Islanders and Washington won night games. That left the Flyers five points behind the New York teams for the last playoff spot.

Now they're really, really done, right?

Ah, no.

The margin for error is shrinking, though, and it's safe to say Tuesday night's game in Long Island is pretty darned close to a must win.

If the Flyers win, they're right back in it three points behind the Isles with nine to play.

If they lose, they're in deep trouble, especially because there's more teams ahead of them and on the playoff bubble than just the New York teams — Winnipeg, New Jersey and Buffalo.

"We need to win the next game, and when that game's over we need to win the next one after that," Flyers coach Peter Laviolette said.

What would really be in the best interest of the 17-18-3 Flyers is winning their two remaining games against the Islanders, beating the Rangers when they meet for the final time and then going 4-3 in their other seven games. A 7-3 finish would bump their point total from 37 to 51, and that probably would give them a fighting chance to making the playoffs. That kind of finish would be enough if a few things that could happen to happen, such as:

The Rangers, who hold the tie-breaker over the Flyers, win just four of their final 10 or the Islanders go 4-5-1 from here on out, plus Devils finish no better than 5-4 and Winnipeg doesn't rack up 12 or more points. The schedule could favor the Flyers. Besides playing three of their final 10 against the Rangers and Islanders, they're home for half of their remaining games. The Rangers end with six of 10 on the road, while the Islanders are home for just three of their final nine and end the season with a five-game road trip to Toronto, Winnipeg, Carolina, Philadelphia and Buffalo.

"Every game is very important," Ruslan Fedotenko said. "We can't think one is more important than another one. It's every game we need every point. It's unfortunate."

Unfortunate yet reality, and the Flyers can only blame themselves for their predicament. They'd be in a lot better situation had they just finished off the Jets after badly outplaying them in a first period that ended with a 1-0 lead. The game changed suddenly in the second when the Jets scored four unanswered goals in 6:28. Just like that, what could have been a five-game winning streak turned into a very costly loss.

"I think this is a little bit of a wakeup call," Scott Hartnell said. "We might have thought maybe it was too easy, we'll just win out and things will be all great here. We gotta take it as a wakeup call to get back at practice and get focused again and get up for the Islanders."

Sunday was a day off, but the Flyers will practice today in Voorhees before heading to Long Island to play a team they are an amazing 29-3-2 against since 2007-08.

"If we're not ready, it doesn't matter what our history is," Fedotenko said. "We have focus on our readiness so we're ready to battle for two points."

The Flyers whipped the Isles 7-0 on Long Island earlier this season, but blew a 2-0 lead in losing a shootout to them at Wells Fargo Center on March 28.

"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," Hartnell said. "Play 60 minutes. That's what we did the last four games and (against Winnipeg) we didn't."

Courier-Post LOADED: 04.08.2013

668839 Phoenix Coyotes

Phoenix Coyotes go on road in chase of Stanley Cup playoff spot

By Sarah McLellan azcentral sports Sun Apr 7, 2013 5:18 PM

In propelling themselves back into the Western Conference playoff conversation, the Coyotes have had to confront the demons that shoved them out of contention in the first place.

They’ve seemed to finally resolve their inconsistency issues, corralling three consecutive wins and a six-game points streak — both season highs.

The impact of a nagging injury bug that’s only left the Coyotes at full strength for the first two games of the season has diminished.

That was clear when the team used three different goalies to win all three games during its latest homestand, including Chad Johnson, who was assigned back to the American Hockey League on Sunday with No. 1 Mike Smith back healthy.

Last week’s stay at home helped the Coyotes jump four spots in the standings, from 13th to ninth after Saturday’s 4-0 win against the Colorado Avalanche.

“It doesn’t really do us much good if we don’t climb a couple more,” captain Shane Doan said. “We’re feeling better, but ninth doesn’t get you anything.”

So if the Coyotes want to keep rising, they’ll have to tackle what’s been the peskiest obstacle this season — a disappointing performance on the road. That challenge starts Monday night in Vancouver before stops in Edmonton and Calgary.

“It’s been one of our team’s strengths in the past, and it’s going to have to be again if we’re going to have any real success,” Doan said.

After posting the third-best road record in the West last season, the Coyotes currently own the third-worst in the league, with only four wins away from Jobing.com Arena.

What didn’t help was how isolated their early road games were. Their first three trips were only a game long and were part of a back-to-back set.

On their next two trips — which were both three games — the Coyotes took points in two of those games each time.

Rather than a fundamental problem, their struggles on the road seem indicative of their play at that juncture of the season.

Their franchise-worst scoring drought led to a 0-3-1 trip in mid-March. They snapped a seven-game losing streak on their next road swing but were still a fragile group, blowing late leads in two games to only earn a point.

That would suggest that this visit to western Canada should be a victorious one based on the team’s recent revival.

“Going on this road trip, you know it’s a legitimate chance,” Doan said. “We take of our own business, we keep on winning, we’re going to have a chance to maybe get into the playoffs. The last six points were huge, and we got them, but they don’t mean much if you go on this road trip and kind of lay an egg, so you have to be good.”

If their play the past week is the template for success, the Coyotes will be encouraged by how similar the structure of this three-game trek is to the homestand.

The Coyotes were motivated to beat the Los Angeles Kings, a squad in a comfortable playoff position (like the Canucks). They recognized the opportunity in keeping two points away from the Detroit Red Wings, Flames).

“As long as we win games, we give ourselves a chance to sneak in,” Smith said. “That’s all we can control.”

Canucks update

The Canucks have won eight of their past 10 games and have scored nine goals over the course of their past two wins. They’ve knocked the Minnesota Wild out of the top spot in the Northwest Division to sit third in the West with 48 points. C Henrik Sedin, who has two goals and three assists in his past two games, leads the Canucks with 36 points. G Cory Schneider has regained control of the starting job even though the Canucks held onto Roberto Luongo at the NHL trade deadline. Schneider’s save percentage (.926) and goals-against average (2.16) rank among the top 10 in the league. C Derek Roy, who the Canucks added at the deadline, has an assist in two games so far with the team.

Arizona Republic LOADED: 04.08.2013

668840 Phoenix Coyotes

NHL hoping to keep Coyotes in Phoenix

Associated Press Sun Apr 7, 2013 9:06 PM

DETROIT — The NHL’s goal is the keep the Coyotes in Phoenix.

Whether it will happen is still in doubt.

Speaking at the league’s announcement of the 2014 Winter Classic on Sunday, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said the league’s focus is to leave the Coyotes in the desert.

“We’re not planning on moving Phoenix as we stand here today,” he said.

The Coyotes have been run by the NHL since 2009, when former owner Jerry Moyes took the team into bankruptcy in a bid to sell to Canadian billionaire Jim Balsillie, who would move the franchise to Hamilton, Ontario. The NHL vehemently opposed that plan, and a U.S. Bankruptcy Court judge later refused to allow the sale to go through.

The Coyotes have had several suitors since then, but haven’t been able to complete a deal.

The latest, with former San Jose Sharks CEO Greg Jamison, fell through when his group couldn’t come through with its finances in time to meet a deadline on a 20-year, $308 million lease agreement with the City Glendale for Jobing.com Arena.

Despite reports that the league has looked at relocating the franchise, Bettman said it hasn’t looked at that option yet.

“We haven’t been exploring the alternatives,” Bettman said. “We are exploring everything we can do to work this out, and there seems to be considerable interest. If you go through the history of this, there have been lots of reasons — not excuses, but lots of reasons — this has taken a lot of time. There seems to be now, in the calm of the moment, a lot more interest than we’ve ever seen.”

Canadian businessmen George Gosbee and Anthony LeBlanc submitted a purchase bid last week, and a group led by Buffalo, N.Y. businessman Darin Pastor also put in a proposal.

Jamison is still working on a deal, and former suitor Matthew Hulsizer is reportedly interested.

Bettman said the league would select an ownership bid before talking with Glendale about a lease agreement for Jobing.com Arena. The city recently hired a company to find a manager to run the arena and handle negotiations with prospective owners.

“I’ve been in regular touch with the mayor and we agreed that when we get a framework lined up, then we would come see the city,” Bettman told reporters. “We don’t want the city to have to expend resources and time getting involved until there’s something concrete to present to them.”

Arizona Republic LOADED: 04.08.2013

668841 Phoenix Coyotes

Bettman: More interest in Coyotes than ever

April 7, 2013, 6:28pm

Staff Report

HOME STRETCH: NHL on fast track to selecting potential Coyotes buyer; then comes tricky part.

Just two days after FOXSportsArizona.com's Craig Morgan reported that at least three ownership groups are pursuing a potential purchase of the Coyotes, possibly under pressure from the NHL due to a desire to move forward after four years without an owner, Commissioner Gary Bettman said Sunday that the league is not yet exploring relocation and has recently received more interest in the team than ever before.

Bettman, speaking at the league's announcement of the 2014 Winter Classic, spoke at length about the Coyotes' situation, as reported by Yahoo Sports' Nik Cotsonika. With investment professionals George Gosbee and Darin Pastor both submitting ownership paperwork this week, long-involved suitor Greg Jamison still in the mix and one-time frontrunner Matthew Hulsizer possiby still involved, Bettman said interest in the franchise isn't an issue.