The Flyers season will start on Saturday January 19th. It was reported a week ago that the NHL was considering a Flyers-Penguins matchup in Philadelphia to kick off the new season. Now, it appears to be an all but foregone conclusion that the game will in fact take place. The one issue facing the league is that Penn State is scheduled to play Vermont at the Wells Fargo Center Saturday night at 7:30 pm.

NBC10’s John Clark is reporting that both games will still take place. According to Clark, the Flyers will take on the Penguins at 3:00 pm (could be pushed to 3:30 pm) and the game will be a national broadcast on NBC. Subsequently, the Penn State-Vermont game will be pushed by the 8:15 pm.

Flyers fans, who are also Penn State fans, are in for a big day. It is hard not to get excited for the beginning of the season. It is just nine days away!

-Steve Dolan
Follow Steve on Twitter @SDolan3
Follow Whiz Wit on Twitter @WhizWitSports

There is growing optimism around the country that the NHL and NHLPA will resolve the lockout soon and the season will get underway with a mid-January start. The sides are certainly close but they have been close in the past as well so practice caution with optimism. Nonetheless, the league must be prepared for a season if a deal is reached within the next week. Many believe that there still could be a 48 game season.

Flyers fans are looking ahead towards January 19th which is the date that the season would start if a deal is reached. The Flyers are currently scheduled to take on the Calgary Flames at the Wells Fargo Center the afternoon of the 19th with Penn State taking on Vermont later that night. But the 48 game schedule means teams will only play in-conference opponents.

With the January 19th opponent slated to change, would the NHL schedule the hated Penguins for the opening game? Rob Rossi of the Pittsburgh Tribune writes that the NHL is, indeed, considering opening  the NHL season with one of its most bitter rivalries.

The Flyers ended the Penguins season last year in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. The series was highlighted by Claude Giroux and Sidney Crosby going at it, the lack of goaltending for both teams, and the continuous bad blood between the two teams. It made for great television and was exactly the kind of thing the NHL wants to capitalize on. It would certainly be the icing on the cake if the lockout ends with the Flyers taking on the Penguins in Philadelphia.

-Steve Dolan
Follow Steve on Twitter @SDolan3
Follow Whiz Wit on Twitter @WhizWitSports

It would be one of the best gifts this holiday season to have NHL hockey back in Philadelphia. In the same breath, it would make me nauseous to think that Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins would be driving forces behind getting a deal done. Reports out of New York state that Penguins co-owner Ron Burkle and captain Sidney Crosby were instrumental in getting some bit of traction during yesterday’s owners-players meeting.

Penguins’ writer Rob Rossi of the Pittsburgh Tribune states that Burkle and Crosby took it upon themselves to try and get a season.

“Burkle and Crosby were described by participants in the five-hour talks as voices of reason. Their shared point of view: The NHL should not risk another round of canceled games — they’re already canceled through Dec. 14 — and the league may not recover if a season is lost to a labor dispute for the second time in eight years.”

If a deal is reached relatively soon and some semblance of a season is saved, the actions of Burkle and Crosby need to be considered one of the driving factors. There is no doubt that the players want to get back to action. Speaking to a former member of the Flyers on Saturday, he stated that all he wants to do is get back to playing meaningful games in the NHL.

As much as it pains me to say this but Crosby and Burkle should be commended for their actions yesterday if it gets a deal in place. However, I still intend on booing him mercilessly when he comes through the Wells Fargo Center, whenever that may be.

-Steve Dolan
Follow Steve on Twitter @SDolan3
Follow Whiz Wit on Twitter @WhizWitSports

Everything you thought about Sidney Crosby is all true. This realization is brought to us by 25Stanley.com who found the Penguins captain at a Justin Bieber concert last night. We are used to seeing this guy whining to referees, taking cheap shots, and getting protected by the league. So, needless to say, he is viewed by the Philadelphia faithful as the whimpy star. The obvious correlation for Crosby is…. Justin Bieber.

I don’t know about you but, to me, seeing Crosby at a Bieber concert just makes sense. That’s pretty much all we have on Crosby’s night out but it was too perfect not to pass along.

-Steve Dolan
Follow Steve on Twitter @SDolan3
Follow Whiz Wit on Twitter @WhizWitSports

The Real Househusbands of Philadelphia are back and their new target is Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby.

Video: FlyersinHD

Game 6 at the Wells Fargo Center today. The Flyers enter with a 3-2 series lead but have dropped the last two games to the Penguins. The Flyers are approaching Game 6 at home as if it is Game 7. The Flyers enter today without Nicklas Grossmann again who is out with a concussion and the Penguins are without defenseman Paul Martin. The Penguins have relied heavily on Marc-Andre Fleury and he came up big in Friday night’s 3-2 Penguins victory in Game 5.

The Flyers are 11-8 all time in Game 6 when they had an opportunity to eliminate an opponent. They are looking to bounce back after two consecutive losses at the hands of the Penguins. Brandon Manning is on the ice for warm-ups as is Tom Sestito.

The team that has scored first has lost all five games this series.

Puck drop is slated for noon. The game can be seen on NBC and heard on 94.1 WIP.

-Steve Dolan
Follow Steve on Twitter @SDolan3
Follow Whiz Wit on Twitter @WhizWitSports

It’s Friday and, more importantly; it’s Game 5 tonight in Pittsburgh. The Flyers and Penguins head back to the Steel City for a Game 5 matchup at the CONSOL Energy Center. The Penguins enter their home arena with their backs still against the wall but have finally gotten their first win under their belts. Wednesday night featured an offensive onslaught on the Flyers defense and goaltending. Pittsburgh scored 10 goals and held the Flyers scoreless after the first period. Both Ilya Bryzgalov and Sergei Bobrovsky allowed five goals apiece. The Flyers goaltending as bad and the defense in front of the goaltenders was even worse. A major momentum shift has occurred with personnel after Game 4. The Penguins get James Neal and Craig Adams back after one game suspensions for their barbaric play in Game 3 at the Wells Fargo Center. The Flyers will be without defenseman Nicklas Grossmann, who suffered a concussion in the Game 4 loss thanks to a cheap head shot from Evgeni Malkin.

The Flyers are looking to rebound from the worst home playoff loss in franchise history. In net will be Ilya Bryzgalov who, despite the report on Twitter about a possible hip injury, appeared to be healthy during today’s morning skate. The loss of Grossmann hurts, a lot. Braydon Coburn, who is usually paired with Grossmann, will likely be paired with Kimmo Timonen tonight. That makes it two defensemen lost during the first five games as Marc-Andre Bourdon has been out since suffering an upper body injury in Game 1. The return of forward James van Riemsdyk is still up in the air. JVR practiced with the team yesterday and was paired with Matt Read and Jakub Voracek, but he did not participate in the optional morning skate this morning. Head coach Peter Laviolette would not release any information about his lineup for tonight but JVR is a game-time decision and has not been ruled out. The Flyers are now 3-7 all time in Game 4s when up 3-0 in a series. Of the previous six times the Flyers have lead 3-0 and lost Game 4, they are 5-1 in Game 5.

The Penguins get boosted by the return of Neal and Adams but will be without the services of defenseman Paul Martin, who will miss his second consecutive game after getting steamrolled by Brayden Schenn. The Penguins are 25-23 all time when facing elimination and are facing a Flyers team that is 14-7 in Game 5s when leading the series 3-1. The Penguins are 15-18 all time against the Flyers in the playoffs and 8-9 at home. The Penguins will be looking to build on their 10 goal outburst.

Interestingly, the team that has scored first has lost all four games in the series. Puck drops at 7:30 pm. The game can be seen on Comcast Sportsnet and heard on 610 am WIP.

-Steve Dolan
Follow Steve on Twitter @SDolan3
Follow Whiz Wit on Twitter @WhizWitSports