Spotlight on: Simon Gagne

Position: Left wing

Height, weight: 6-foot, 195

Age: 30

Birthdate: Feb. 29, 1980

Hometown: Born and raised in Ste-Foy, Quebec

Years pro: 10

How acquired: Selected by Flyers in the first round (No. 22 overall) of the 1998 draft.

This year: Gagne, plagued by a hernia issue that caused him to miss 24 games, managed to record 40 points in 58 games during the regular season. Then, in the first round of the playoffs, Gagne broke his toe against the Devils, forcing him to miss 2 weeks. However, he has been nothing short of brilliant since his return, scoring seven goals in his first nine games. His first goal of that stretch - an overtime game-winner against Boston that got the Flyers on the board in the series - could be considered the defining moment of the team's postseason run.

Career: Injuries and concussions make you wonder what could have been for Gagne, who posted consecutive 40-plus goal seasons in 2005-06 and 2006-07. He has 259 goals and 265 assists in 664 regular-season games.

Longevity: Seems like just yesterday that Gagne was a touted rookie with a knack for putting the puck in the back of the net. Now, he's currently the longest-tenured Flyer. In fact, Gagne and Eagles kicker David Akers are tied as the longest-tenured athletes in Philadelphia, both starting their professional careers here in 1999.

About time: The Flyers' top line of Gagne, Mike Richards and Jeff Carter finally got on the board in the Stanley Cup finals against the Blackhawks when Gagne scored a power-play goal 5 minutes, 20 seconds into the third period of Game 2. That trio - if they play together - must continue to produce if the Flyers are going to get back in the series.

- Mike Mazzeo