Flyers overcome shaky goaltending to force Game 7

Well that was on hell of an Easter. After wins earlier in the day by the Sixers and Phillies, the Flyers followed suit by overcoming a terrible start in Game 6 to beat the Sabres, 5-4, in overtime. The win keeps the Flyers alive and brings the series back to Philadelphia for a do-or-die Game 7.

The Flyers went with Michael Leighton in goal for Game 6 and it quickly proved to be the wrong decision as he allowed 3 goals on just 8 shots in the first period. While the Flyers did manage one goal in the first period, they still found themselves in a 3-1 hole and forced to turn to Brian Boucher, the goat of their Game 5 loss.

Luckily, Boucher was up to the task, bouncing back nicely as he stopped 24 of the 25 shots he saw, including several huge saves that would have given the Sabres a two goal lead in the third period. With Boucher locking things down, the Flyers offense proceeded to peck away at the Sabres lead until Scott Hartnell tied the game halfway through the 3rd period.

The hero in overtime for the Flyers was Ville Leino, who punched a rebound past Ryan Miller for the game winner. Thankfully, Leino's goal was early on in the period and it spared us from the heart attacks that come from a prolonged overtime game when elimination is on the line.

The Flyers proved, once again, that they are a resilient hockey team. No goaltending is too terrible and no deficit is too great for this team to overcome. Why they have to keep making things so difficult for themselves is beyond me but at least they have the ability to find another gear when the chips are down. With the series shifting back to Philly for Game 7, the Flyers have a chance to prove that they really are the better team in the series. With Peter Laviolette already announcing that Boucher will be the starter in Game 7, hopefully the Flyers get the goaltending that allows them to prove it.

Could you have asked for a better Easter, Philly Sports fans? Last year, Donovan McNabb was shipped out of town on Easter. This year, every team in the city won. I'd call it an Easter miracle.

Flyers comeback for naught as Sabres win Game 5 in OT

Talk about a rollercoaster of emotions. From the pain of the the ridiculously terrible start to the joy of a thrilling comeback to the depression of an overtime loss, Game 5 was all over the place for the Flyers. Unfortunately, as the ride came to an end, the Flyers find themselves trailing in the series to the Sabres, 3-2.

Simply getting to overtime was quite a task for the Flyers, who had to overcome an atrocious start in net by Brian Boucher. Boosh was not himself tonight, giving up 3 weak goals on 11 shots before getting pulled in the first period. Enter Michael Leighton (yes, really), who found some of that playoff magic and didn't give up a goal for the rest of regulation.

Facing a 3-0 deficit is nothing new to the Flyers and the offense starting working their way out of it in the second period, beginning with a goal by James van Riemsdyk. While JVR hasn't put up a ton of points in the playoffs, an argument can still be made that he is playing the best out of all the Flyers forwards. Andrej Meszaros added another goal just over a minute later and they Flyers were well on their way to another comeback.

After several close calls, the Flyers finally tied the game early in the third period after Kris Versteeg, while on his backside, made a pass to Mike Richards who fed Danny Briere in front. After the obligatory Briere fist-pump, the Flyers had all of the momentum and controlled the play for the rest of regulation, even getting a powerplay with just over two minutes left. When they couldn't capitalize, the writing seemed to be on the wall, and the Sabres took advantage in overtime when Tyler Ennis put a big Leighton rebound in the back of the net.

Now trailing 3 games to 2, the Flyers find themselves in a difficult, but hardly impossible, situation. Anyone who followed this team last year knows that you can't count the Flyers out until the final buzzer sounds in their 4th loss in the series. With plenty of questions also surrounding who will start in goal for the Flyers in Game 6, the team finds themselves in an almost familiar situation. Now is the time where we find out whether this Flyers team still has some of that magic leftover from last year. If they get another terrible goaltending performance, though, all of the magic in the world isn't going to help them.
(AP PHOTO)

Boucher to start Game 3 for Flyers, Leighton the backup

The Flyers goaltending carousel continues to turn. After his poor performance in Game 2, Sergei Bobrovsky has lost the starting gig to Brian Boucher, who looked solid after taking over for Bob. Even more surprising is that the Flyers appear to be turning to Michael Leighton to be the backup.

Word out of Flyers-land from the beat reporters is that Bobrovsky doesn't even have a locker stall for all of his equipment in Buffalo while Leighton does, implying that Bob isn't even the backup tonight. I'm not sure what the Flyers are thinking dropping him to third goalie but it does make sense to have a veteran backup you can trust. The Flyers must feel that Bobrovsky is too inconsistent to be a reliable backup goaltender.

In other Flyers news, Andreas Nodl is out of the lineup tonight, and Nikolay Zherdev will get his first playoff action.

Michael Leighton clears waivers, returns to Flyers

Well, now he's officially back with the Flyers: Michael Leighton has cleared waivers. With every team in the NHL passing on the former Stanley Cup Playoff standout, despite being able to have him for half his salary, Leighton will now return to the Flyers and could be with the team as early as Friday.

GM Paul Holmgren made it clear that Leighton will be starting one of the final few games of the season but that doesn't mean he will be a starter in the playoffs. The move to bring back Leighton was strictly for depth, a move that gives them insurance should Sergei Bobrovsky not be able to shoulder the load in the playoffs.

Of course, you just know that Leighton is going to backstop the Flyers to their first shutout of the season.

Flyers place Michael Leighton on re-entry waivers

He's baaack! Just maybe not with the Flyers.

According to Bob McKenzie of TSN, the Flyers have placed Michael Leighton on re-entry waivers. Leighton, who played just one game for the Flyers this season, has been in the minors for a couple of months now and has been playing pretty well for the Phantoms. It's a somewhat curious move for the Flyers, considering they don't need a third goaltender this season and they could keep Leighton in the minors until next season, where he could be the backup to Sergei Bobrovsky.

It's very likely that another team will claim Leighton, considering they would only be on the hook for half of his 1.6 million dollar salary next season. While he isn't eligible to play for another team this season, he would be a bargain next year for a team in need of a goaltender. We will find out tomorrow the fate of the Flyers former playoff hero, but my guess is that another team takes a chance on him.

Leighton clears waivers, gets shipped to Phantoms

You have probably seen the last of Michael Leighton in a Flyers uniform. After clearing waivers today, the Flyers have sent Leighton down to the Phantoms, where he will play the remainder of the season unless the Flyers try to put him on re-entry waivers. Since any team can claim him for half the cost if the Flyers put Leighton on re-entry waivers, there is little chance he will be in the Flyers crease ever again.

For a journeyman goaltender like Leighton, he's back in a familiar position of NHL-limbo. He is likely extremely frustrated after he established himself as a starting goaltender in the playoffs last year but he is unfortunately caught up in a numbers game with the Flyers. Hopefully, at some point, Leighton gets another shot at being a starting goaltender in the NHL, just not with the Flyers.

Flyers place Michael Leighton on waivers

Here's how quickly someone can go from Stanley Cup goaltender to not having a job in the NHL: the Flyers have placed Michael Leighton on waivers. Leighton, who looked less than stellar in his first NHL start in months, has proven to be the odd man out in the Flyers crowded goaltending situation. Clearly, no other teams were interested in acquiring a goaltender who hasn't proven that he is healthy yet.

There are a few things that can happen next, from Leighton being claimed by another team to joining the Phantoms. Clearly, the Flyers are content with having Brian Boucher and Sergei Bobrovksy continue to battle it out for the starting spot in net. No matter what happens, the Flyers have cleared up a little more cap space by jettisoning Leighton

Michael Leighton is back in goal for the Flyers

He's baaaack. For the first time since Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals last season, Michael Leighton will be in between the pipes for the Flyers tonight as he makes the start against the Kings. With the way the Flyers goaltending situation has played out, should Leighton play well tonight, it's safe to assume he will get a few more starts in the coming weeks. There is no word as of now who the backup will be, though I would guess it will be Brian Boucher.

With the Flyers still keeping three goaltenders on the roster, things are going to get very interesting in the coming month. While their cap situation allows them to keep three goalies for now, the Flyers will likely have to move one at some point in the near future. While the easiest, and most depressing, choice would be to send Sergei Bobrovsky to the minors, the Flyers might try to trade Leighton or Boucher, with Leighton likely to be the better trade chip. So, while fans might be upset that the Flyers are giving Leighton the start tonight, it makes sense for them to see what Leighton can do and let the rest of the league see that he is healthy and ready to contribute.

Despite how great Bobrovksy and Boucher have looked this season, we can't forget what Leighton did in the playoffs last season. The Flyers legitimately have three goaltenders that could be their starter come playoff time, a fact that sounds good on paper but could be detrimental in the long run. The sooner the Flyers figure out their goaltending situation and let the two remaining guys settle into their roles and get some confidence, the better. Unfortunately, as Flyers fans, we are all too familiar with the problem of not having a number one goaltender.

Guess who's (almost) back! Yep, Michael Leighton

Just when you thought the Flyers goaltending situation was all settled, with Sergei Bobrovksy settling in as the starter and Brian Boucher the backup, a former playoff hero is almost ready to return to the mix. Michael Leighton, who backstopped the Flyers into the Stanley Cup Finals, has recovered from back surgery and is going to play 6 games for the Phantoms in a rehab stint.

What happens to the goaltender situation when Leighton returns to the NHL is anybody's guess. The Flyers have said that they would be willing to carry three goaltenders but the salary cap likely doesn't allow them to do that. Instead, the most likely scenario is for the Flyers to either trade Boucher or dump him into the minors and let Leighton and Bobrovksy battle it out for the starting job. Look for the Flyers to ride the hot hand until one of the two distinguishes themselves as the starter.

Leighton to have surgery, miss 6-8 weeks

Get ready for a whole lot more Sergei Bobrvosky in net, Flyers fans. Michael Leighton, who was previously thought to miss "about a month", will have surgery on his back in the coming days and will miss 6-8 weeks of the season. While he is out, expect the Flyers to stick with Bobrovsky as the starter with Brian Boucher also getting a few starts in net.

Back injuries are tricky things, so it would be a stretch to expect Leighton to come back in December and be the starting goaltender right away. By that time in the season, it's hard to say what the Flyers goaltending situation will look like, as Bobrovksy might established himself as the starting goaltender in Philly or he might fizzle out and need to go the minors. Given the injury situation and the way he looked last night, it's not to difficult to assume that Bob is going to be the man this season.

Flyers lose Leighton, Laperriere to injury

It must be hockey season because the Flyers have problems in net! In a conference call today, Paul Holmgren announced that Flyers starting goaltender Michael Leighton will miss about a month of the season with a bulging disc in his back. In his absence, the Flyers will likely go with Brian Boucher as the starter and either Johan Backlund or preseason sensation Sergei Bobrovsky as the backup.

In even worse news, the Flyers also announced that Ian Laperriere will be out indefinitely due to post-concussion issues that are still bothering him from the playoffs last season. There was no announced timetable for a return for Lappy, but given that he's still hurting from an injury from last season, expect him to be placed on the long-term injured reserve and miss a significant chunk of the season. With Lappy out, a roster spot is all but guaranteed for training camp invite Bill Guerin. While Guerin won't replace Lappy's toughness, he will certainly provide more offensive punch.

With the season just over a week away, this wasn't exactly the news we all were hoping to hear. Then again, it wouldn't be Flyers hockey without a goalie issue.

Michael Leighton unveils new "Broad Street Bullies" goalie mask

New goalie mask alert! Flyers playoff hero, Michael Leighton, has unveiled his new, Broad Street Bullies-themed goalie mask. The two pictures featured here are from the official Flyers Twitter.

Definitely a nice looking mask. Love the toothless, grinning Bobby Clarke on the left side.