Flyers hope snow scares away cats

Boy this is the life. Winter break is in full swing, sleeping til I please, waking up and writing about the Flyers, who I shall get to watch later on and maybe even write some more about. No sir, can't complain about that... well, lately watching the orange and black has become a bit of a chore, so maybe... no. I will remain steadfast. They will win tonight... or I will likely blow a major gasket and wander off into the woods to start filming "Into the Wild 2: Electric Boogaloo."

Consider yourself warned Flyers. I'm not sayin' but I'm just sayin'.

I was able to spend yesterday watching one of the area's non-inglourious teams clinch a playoff spot in person as the Eagles rolled over the 49ers, 27-13. Good times were had by all, despite the fact that a few obnoxious fans decided to start pelting the field with snow balls during the third quarter. Also, thanks to the winter storm that rocked the area over the weekend, the parking lot was covered in a watery-slush like mixture. This was a problem for those of us wearing boots with holes in them.... which I'm sure was just me.

Oh well. I've heard that having trench foot is actually quite the pleasant experience. At least, that's what I've read on Wikipedia anyway and that's where I get all my information. It's because of that fine site that I know Abraham Lincoln was the 3oth President of the United States and that cheetahs can breath underwater, making them nature's most lethal predator on both land and sea.

Alright, well you've come here for hockey and so far I've given you football and a not-so-brief run down of what's going on with my feet. I can only assume that, as much as you've enjoyed all that gibberish, you would like hockey so here we go.

You know what else is weird about my feet? I kid, I kid.

Tonight the Panthers are in town for their third go-around with the Flyers this season. The teams have split the series so far with each team winning at home. Florida won the first game, 4-2 and the Flyers took the second, 5-1.

It was during this last game that Flyers center Mike Richards demolished Panthers star winger David Booth with a highly controversial hit in open ice. Fans are still mixed on whether it was clean or not but Richards wasn't suspended for the play. Booth suffered a concussion and hasn't played since.

Check out the hit for yourself

In my humble opinion, the hit looked clean, but I wouldn't have complained too loudly had he gotten suspended for it. The thing was just too close to call. After the game, Richie kept saying that he was just trying to get Booth off the puck, even though replays show that Booth had just passed the puck before getting hit. In all likely hood, Richie couldn't see where the puck actually was and wouldn't have had time to pull up even if he did. As I said, if he got suspended, I wouldn't have had a problem, it was just that close.

The Panthers have been plodding along around .500 since then, but recent games have seen young center Stephen Weiss turn into a legitimate NHL star. If the Flyers plan on winning this one, they'll likely need to shut down the duo of Weiss and Nathan Horton, who have been carrying a lot of the offensive load in Booth's absence.

Also, the Flyers should try scoring goals. I can't give them any more advice then that. Hopefully, Simon Gagne will continue to play well as he gets back into game shape after missing almost two months with a groin injury.

Lastly, I don't want to hear any of this "build on Saturday's third period" nonsense. Honestly, the Rangers were very, VERY content to win that game 2-1, hence they put very little pressure on the orange and black the entire period. They simply sat back and let their world class netminder Henrik Lundqvist handle things. The Flyers will need to do more then out shoot a disinterested team if they plan on beating the Panthers, who have won four of their last six games and have points in five of those six.

Predicted Player of the game: Danny Briere