Syvret recalled; Forsberg: Olympian
The Flyers recalled Danny Syvret for tonight's game on Long Island. Peter Forsberg was named to the Swedish Olympic team on Sunday.
UNIONDALE, N.Y. – With usual extra defenseman Ole-Kristian Tollefsen out with a knee injury, the Flyers have gambled by playing the last couple weeks without an available body.
They lost that bet on Saturday in Carolina. (And almost lost the game after having a 3-0 lead. But we won't mention that.)
Ryan Parent missed the game with back spasms, leaving the Flyers with just five defensemen for an important game against the Eastern Conference's worst team.
Danny Syvret was re-called by the Flyers today to replace Parent in the lineup tonight when the Flyers take on the Islanders at 5:00 p.m.
Tollefsen is on the injured reserve list and not expected to be ready to play again for at least another week. He sprained his left MCL on Dec. 14 in Boston.
Syvret pushes the Flyers up against the NHL's 23-man maximum roster. He had two assists in 13 games with the Flyers this season. His offensive talents helped keep the Phantoms afloat with 8 points in 11 games after he cleared waivers on Thanksgiving day.
We have not yet received word whether Brian Boucher will be able to return to the lineup tonight. Michael Leighton has started the last two games (both wins) while Boucher has nursed a cut to his left ring finger that he suffered last Monday against Florida.
With their win on Saturday, the Flyers have won two consecutive games for the first time since Nov. 16 and 18, right before they started their epic 3-13-1 slide. The Flyers can use all of the points they can get, especially tonight against a team that is behind them in the standings.
With a loss, the Flyers - and not the Islanders - will be bringing up the rear in the Atlantic.
Forsberg selected
Sweden announced their Olympic team on Sunday.
Guess who made the cut? Peter Forsberg. Quit is clearly not a word in his vocabulary.
The former Flyer and Hart Trophy winner, who has been nursing foot and ankle injuries since his time in Philadelphia, has posted 7 points in 9 games with his hometown MoDo team in Sweden this season.
It will be interesting to watch whether he will actually be healthy enough to play in the Olympic games when they open in Vancouver in 6 weeks. Forsberg has won two Olympic gold medals (Lillehammer 1994, Torino 2006) and two World Championships on the international stage. He is one of only 22 hockey players in the Triple Gold Club (World Championship, Olympic gold medal, Stanley Cup). In fact, he has won each one twice.
Do you know which Flyer is in the Triple Gold Club? Chris Pronger (1997 World Championship, 2002 Olympic gold in Salt Lake City and 2007 Stanley Cup). Former Flyer Vlad Malakhov is also a member.
For the latest updates, follow Frank Seravalli on Twitter at http://twitter.com/DNFlyers.