Flyers weary of practice, want more game time

After just two games in a 12-day span that felt like forever, the Flyers were happy to get back to business last night at the Wachovia Center.

Even though practice is an important training tool, you'd be hard pressed - in an Allen Iverson-like fashion - to find anyone on the Flyers' roster that wanted to practice some more.

"I know that the guys were pretty tired of practice," Flyers coach John Stevens admitted before last night's 4-3 shootout victory over Boston.

Last night's win was the start of an important swing in the Flyers' schedule. It was the first of four games in 6 nights - a welcomed change. The Flyers need to continue to pick up points in an already tight Atlantic division.

Both the Penguins (8-1-0) and Rangers (7-2-0) have significant leads on the Flyers (4-2-1).

"The first game is going to be the toughest," Stevens said before last night's win. "After being off so long, with other teams playing, no matter how hard you practice you're not used to the tempo of the game.

"It is important to play and play well. We've been losing ground by not playing games. Teams are pulling away from us and catching us from behind."

Stevens would have preferred rest - and a gap in the schedule like the team just had - later in the season, but said games in-hand can be advantageous only if the Flyers take advantage.

The Flyers' coach likened his job this week to Andy Reid, with so many days off in between games he felt like he was coaching a football team.

"Games in hand can be good, now we need to take advantage," Stevens said. "After the first game, it shouldn't be that bad to get back into it."

John Stevens still isn't sure exactly when backup goaltender Brian Boucher will get his first start of the season, though he knows it will come some time this weekend.

It may come against his former club, San Jose, on Sunday night when the Flyers' play their second of back-to-back games this weekend.

Boucher, who had a rough preseason in which he went 0-2-1 with a 4.52 goals against average, began the regular season on injured reserve with a strained groin. Starter Ray Emery has played all of the Flyers' minutes in their first seven games.

Last weekend, Boucher accepted a brief conditioning assignment with the Phantoms in upstate New York to sharpen his skills. He stopped 29-of-31 shots in an Adirondack win.

The Flyers made a subtle switch in their defensive pair of Braydon Coburn and Kimmo Timonen. The duo, which has been skating together for almost two seasons now, swapped sides on the ice - with Coburn moving back to the left side.

"We looked where Coburn played his best hockey and thought we'd try it again," Stevens said. "Kimmo is confident either way."

Stevens suggested the change after both players - usually defensively sound - had rough starts to the season. Coburn is a minus-5 for the season and Timonen, a four-time All-Star, is a minus-6 in the last four games. Both players were a minus-1 last night.

Tomorrow's Flyers game against the Florida Panthers is Cancer Awareness Night at the Wachovia Center. The game will benefit Alex's Lemonade Stand and other cancer fighting charities.

Last night, fans consumed 21,235 hot dogs on Dollar Dog Night, a new Wachovia Center record . . . Both teams wore reversible Winter Classic toques during the pregame warmup, which are available on the NHL.com shop . . . Simon Gagne, Mike Richards, Scott Hartnell, Riley Cote and Dan Carcillo offered congratulations to the Phillies on ArenaVision during the first period. Phillies utility man Matt Stairs, fresh off Wednesday's pennant clinching game, was welcomed on the big screen during the game. Stairs is a noted hockey fan and coach in the baseball offseason . . . Cote was a healthy scratch. Blair Betts sat out, too, still hampered by a dislocated right shoulder . . . Fans can tour the locker rooms and stroll the Spectrum concourse tomorrow from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. as part of the arena's final farewell.