(Philadelphia, PA) -- Nobody likes to be on the short end of the stick. And nobody likes a little extra salt in a fresh wound, either. The Flyers got a dose of both in a recent 5 game stretch, when the Flyers led in 3 of the 5 games, only to cough up the lead en route to a loss. However, the Flyers won once and lost another in overtime (after tying the game with less then 20 seconds remaining), so not all was lost in the mini-slump.

Philadelphia Flyers (14-7-2) v. Atlanta Thrashers (10-11-1)

It's fair to say the Flyers were flying high as they headed into this contest against the Thrashers having scored 4 or more goals in 4 of their last 5 games. And early, it looked like the Flyers were on their way to another 4+ goal performance and victory. Kimmo Timonen and James van Riemsdyk teamed up for a pair of first period goals as the Flyers held a 2-0 advantage after 20 minutes. But in a span of just about 9 minutes, Slava Kozlov took over for the hosting Atlanta Thrashhers. The former Red Wing who has been with the Thrashers organization for the last 8 years notched a natural hat trick -- scoring 3 goals unimpeded by another score -- for his 11th, 12th, and 13th goals of the year as the Thrashers went from trailing by 2 to leading by 1. From there, goalie Kari Lehtonen and the Atlanta defense locked down and prevented any more goals from the Flyers offense as Atlanta held on for a 3-2 win.

FINAL: Flyers 2, » Thrashers 3

Vancouver Canucks (14-10-3 v. Philadelphia Flyers (14-8-2)

Little did the Flyers know, the trend had already been set in the previous game in Atlanta. It just continued against the Canucks, as the Flyers jumped out to an early lead thanks to Mike Richards 13th goal of the season. Philly and goalie Ray Emery were still blanking the Canucks as we headed into the final 20 minutes. From there, it was all down hill. Daniel Sedin evened up the score at the 10:03 mark, and 4 minutes later the Flyers were down by 1 when Kyle Wellwood beat Emery on a rebound to give Vancouver a 2-1 lead. Sedin scored his second goal of the game to ice it with about two and a half minutes to go as the Canucks down the Flyers, 3-1.

FINAL: » Canucks 3, Flyers 1

Washington Capitals (15-12-1) v. Philadelphia Flyers (14-9-2)

Not even a little trend could stop the Flyers from continuing their dominance of the Washington Capitals this season, though. Led by Simon Gagne's two goals (his 11th and 12th), the Flyers moved to 3-0-0 against the Caps in 2009-2010. Former Flyer Mike Knuble had the lone goal for the visitors, and it cut the Flyer lead to 2-1 in the middle period, but 3rd period goals by Claude Giroux and Mike Richards spelled the end of any comeback thoughts as the Flyers show they can keep a lead in a 4-1 victory over Washington.

FINAL: Capitals 1, » Flyers 4

Philadelphia Flyers (15-9-2) v. Montreal Canadiens (13-13-3)

After a brief break from our normally scheduled programming, the Flyers went right back into their lackadaisical ways against the Habs. Montreal actually jumped out to a 1-0 lead on a Brian Gionta redirection goal for his 10th of the season, but Jeff Carter brought the Flyers back and then some, scoring two straight goals in a little under 2 minutes to give the Flyers a 2-1 lead at the 2nd intermission. Montreal answered early in the 3rd, setting the tempo by creating offensive havoc until they finally beat Brian Boucher on a powerplay, who was playing in place of Ray Emery tonight. The goal belonged to Mike Cammalleri with assists to Brian Gionta and Tomas Plekanec. In the midst of another close game and another possible collapse the Flyers... folded. Andrei Kostitsyn was the bearer of bad news this time, getting a few extra whacks at a loose puck rebound before finally depositing it in the net for his 8th goal of the season. That proved to be the difference, as the Flyers implode once against and lose 3-2 to the Canadiens.

FINAL: Flyers 2, » Canadiens 3

New York Islanders (10-15-4) v. Philadelphia Flyers (15-10-2)

Finally, a bit of sweet redemption for the Flyers. Well, partial redemption. The Flyers trailed for almost two full periods having not even been able to solve former Flyers goalie Martin Biron through the first 59 minutes and 47 seconds as Sean Bergenheim's 2nd period powerplay goal looked like it was going to stand up. Then Danny Briere and Mike Richards teamed up to find Braydon Coburn at the point, and the former Atlanta Thrasher launched one of his famous bombs that beat Biron through traffic with 13 seconds remaining. Yes, the Flyers had reversed the curse of the past 5 games, seemingly, by being on the good end of a comeback story. But it was the Islanders who had the overtime late magic, as veteran Doug Weight salvaged the extra point for the Isles with a great snipe to the shortside of Emery with 16 ticks left before what would have been a shootout. The Flyers had been hosed again.

FINAL: » Islanders 2, Flyers 1 OT

Despite the rough streak the Flyers have hit, morale is still high on the club. The team is still in the thick of things as we near the midpoint of the NHL regular season, guys are still playing well, and the excitement of a possible playoff run in the spring is still very much a reality. Just a few tweaks to the defense and lineup could be the medication the Flyers need to correct their inability, at least recently, to protect slim leads. The Flyers will need to sure up these weaknesses as they hit the meat of the schedule in the coming weeks, including big Atlantic Division games on the horizon.

(Philadelphia, PA) -- Last time we checked in, the Flyers were having trouble scoring goals, potting just 7 in the last 5 game stretch. In another 5 game span, the Flyers couldn't keep themselves off the scoreboard, scoring at least 4 goals in 4 of the following 5 games. The result: 4 wins in 5 games.

Philadelphia Flyers (10-6-2) v. San Jose Sharks (16-7-0)

Facing one of the top teams in the NHL on a yearly basis, the Flyers found themselves behind the 8-ball right off the bat. Joe Thornton, Rob Blake, and Joe Pavelski teamed up for a trio of goals in the 1st period hosting the Flyers at the HP Pavillion. But in a complete role reversal from their October 25th matchup, the Flyers sticks got hot and they were on the good end of this comeback story. Mika Pyorala chipped away at the Sharks lead with his 3rd goal of the year on a redirection from a shot from the point in the 2nd period, and Jeff Carter took it upon himself to bring the Flyers the rest of the way back. Carter, who returned in the last game against the Kings, scored a pair of goals, his 6th and 7th of the season in a span of just 4:14 in the 3rd period. Then rookie James van Riemsdyk get in on the act, backhanding a second chance opportunity by a stunned Evgeni Nabokov to give the Flyers a 4-3 lead they never relinquished as they complete the comeback and exact some revenge for an earlier loss at home to the Sharks.

FINAL: » Flyers 4, Sharks 3

Philadelphia Flyers (11-6-2) v. Phoenix Coyotes (14-3-5)

Another day, another shot at a top team from the Pacific Division in the Western Conference. This time the Flyers were in the desert of Arizona, taking on the surprising Phoenix Coyotes. The Flyers two best players, Mike Ricards and Jeff Carter, opened the scoring from the visitors with their 9th and 8th goals of the season, and Simon Gagne pushed it to a 3-0 lead 29 seconds into the 2nd period. Phoenix captain Shane Doan attempted to rally his troops with a powerplay goal midway through the frame, but Gagne drowned out the rallying cries with his second goal of the game, a shorthanded tally, to make it a 4-1 score. Mike Richards potted his second of teh game early into the 3rd, and Peter Mueller's 5th goal of 2009-2010 made it a final of a 5-2 in favor of the Flyers.

FINAL: » Flyers 5, Coyotes 2

Philadelphia Flyers (12-6-2) v. Colorado Avalanche (8-13-2)

In the only game where the Flyers did not top 4 goals or more, they fell to the Colorado Avalanche, led by the superb goaltending of Craig Anderson. However, an early lead provided by Milan Hejduk and Wojtek Wolski certainly helped the cause. In fact, it took until 12:46 of the 3rd period before the Flyers could solve Anderson, and by that time the Avs led 3-0 on the previously mentioned goals as well as Marek Svatos' 5th of the season earlier in the period. James van Riemsdyk notched his 4th career goal a minute and two seconds after Briere's score, but the Flyers could not mount another comeback as Wolski scored an insurance goal with 57 ticks left to ice the game for Colorado.

FINAL: Flyers 2, » Avalanche 4

Philadelphia Flyers (12-7-2) v. New York Islanders (9-11-4)

Back on the East Coast, the Flyers took on a more familar foe in the New York Islanders. Resting starter Ray Emery in favor of backup Brian Boucher, the Flyers and Isles battled to a scoreless first period. Finally, midway through the 2nd frame, the Flyers blinked first and Sean Bergenheim was the culprit, beating Boucher on a breakaway goal. Not to be outdone, the Flyers 3rd line of Darrol Powe, Mika Pyorala, and David Sloane mucked it up in the high traffic areas, finally controlled the puck, then dished it to the high scoring areas where Powe registered his first goal of the season to tie the game at 1-1. Early in the 3rd period, captain Mike Richards netted #11 of the season on a wraparound goal that was the direct result of a turnover by former Flyers goalie Martin Biron. The Flyers piled on from then on, with Carter (9) and Sloane (1) scoring later in the period to give the Flyers a 4-1 win over their Atlantic Division rivals.

FINAL: » Flyers 4, Islanders 1

Buffalo Sabres (10-7-4) v. Philadelphia Flyers (13-7-2)

Finally back home in the City of Brotherly Love, the Flyers showed the love to the fans by dispatching the Sabres by the score of 4-1. The Flyers did almost all of their scoring in the 1st period, blitzing the Sabres for 3 goals courtesy of Danny Briere (7, PP), Claude Giroux (5), and Mike Richards (12, PP). Paul Gaustad had the lone Sabres tally in the frame. Carter got an empty net goal (10) with 1:29 left in the game to make it a final for the Flyers.

FINAL: Sabres 1, » Flyers 4

Sitting at 14-7-2 through just about 2 months of the season, the Flyers reside in 3rd in the Atlantic Division. Not exactly where they want to be at season's end, but having 3 games in hand on 2nd place Pittsburgh and just one point back of the division leading New Jersey Devils ain't so bad. If there's one place where the Flyers want to and need to improve is in the secondary scoring category. The first line has been sublime, and the return of Jeff Carter to the 2nd line has certainly given them a spark. But the hard workers of the 3rd and 4th lines need to work a bit harder to score. Also, the backend has been almost invisible offensively. Though not exactly counted on to score the big points, the unit's points leader is Chris Pronger with just 6 so far. But they're doing their job defensively, helping out either Ray Emery or Brian Boucher, clearing the net and any loose pucks that may come their way, so any criticism rained upon them should not be too harsh. With December and the meat of the schedule looming, the Flyers are playing very good hockey and need to continue this to put themselves in good position for a playoff spot, and hopefully, a high seed in the world's toughest tournament.

(Los Angeles, CA) -- Something has gotten into the Flyers lately. After starting off a recent 5 game stretch with consecutive wins, the Flyers couldn't put it together in the following 3 games, which all happened to be losses. By far the most excruciating was also the most recent, when the Flyers visited Los Angeles to faceoff against the Kings to open a 4 game West Coast swing. To put it briefly, Philly completely self imploded and in the end, it was another notch in the "L" column.

St. Louis Blues (5-7-1) v. Philadelphia Flyers (8-3-2)

The Flyers held a 1-0 advantage late into the game, but little did they know that that was only the beginning. Daniel Briere's 4th goal of the year, a beautiful breakaway score, was the difference until David Backes deposited his 3rd goal of the year into the net at the 17:36 mark of the 3rd period, and we were headed to overtime. Even that didn't decide things, so we would have to settle for a shootout. And get this: 16 rounds, 0 goals. Goalies Ray Emery of the Flyers and Chris Mason of the Blues were absolute brick walls in net. In the 17th round, the Flyers rotation of players turned over, but it was only due to Jeff Carter being unable to participate after being injured early in the game. With the game on Simon Gagne's stick for the second time in the shootout, the longest tenured Flyer put the game away with the only goal of the shootout.

FINAL: Blues 1, » Flyers 2 SO

The loss of Carter may have meant the shootout lineup flipped over for a more dangerous scorer, but it also meant the Flyers would be without Carter for some time. The goal scorer broke a toe and is likely to miss 1-2 weeks of action. David Sloane has been called up from the AHL Adirondack Phantoms to replace Carter. However, the Flyers get some good news on the injury front as well: defenseman Kimmo Timonen has been cleared to return to the lineup after missing 10 games with a broken ankle.

Ottawa Senators (9-6-0) v. Philadelphia Flyers (9-3-2)

 The Flyers were in for another tight one as they welcomed the Ottawa Senators to the Wachovia Center. With both teams playing well in the early goings of the season, this one had the makings of a good game. Well, Emery continued his hot play from the previous games' shootout victory and came up with his 3rd shutout of the season. Rookie James Van Riemsdyk (J-V-R) scored his first career goal late in the second off his own rebound, and that proved to be the difference as the Flyers shutout the Senators thanks to Emery and his 27 saves.

FINAL: Senators 0, » Flyers 1

Another game, another injury. Scott Hartnell took a puck to the face in the game and has a broken orbital bone in his face. However, though the injury sounds extremely gruesome, it'll only take Hartnell about 2-4 weeks to recover. Plus, he's a hockey player, he'll be back in no time! Daniel Carcillo, who has been mostly a healthy scratch all year, will take his place in the lineup.

Buffalo Sabres (7-6-3) v. Philadelphia Flyers (10-3-2)

One night after being the winning team in a shutout victory, the Flyers felt the pain of being on the short end of the hockey stick, getting shutout by Ryan Miller and the Buffalo Sabres. It was still 0-0 into the 2nd period when Drew Stafford broke the tie with his 4th goal of the season after getting a few whacks at a loose puck before finally getting it behind Brian Boucher, who started in place of Emery in net for the Flyers. In the 3rd period, Derek Roy gave the Sabres some insurance with a beautifully placed goal that Boucher had no chance on. It was Roy's 7th of the year, and it came on the powerplay. But Miller didn't even need the insurance, as he was airtight in the Buffalo net. When the final horn sounded, Miller had himself a 25 save shutout to avenge a 5-4 overtime loss to the Flyers back on November 6th.

FINAL: » Sabres 2, Flyers 0

New Jersey Devils (10-7-1) v. Philadelphia Flyers (10-4-2)

With Emery back in net for the Flyers, Philadelphia hosted Martin Brodeur and the New Jersey Devils. With each team having ten victories early in the season, this was a good test for the Flyers. The Devils came out fired up, though, and took a 1-0 lead on Rod Pelley's 1st goal of the year, one in which he slipped through the 5-hole of Emery. However, JVR was obstructed en route to the goal and was awarded a penalty shot. The rookie who scored his first goal of his career two games ago made the most of this opportunity, beating the future Hall of Famer Broduer to tie the game at 1-1. Simon Gagne potted #8 of the season late in the second period, but Devils captain Jamie Langenbrunner tied it right back up 18 seconds later, beating Emery for his 5th goal of 2009. In the 3rd period, Rob Neidermayer broke the 2-2 tie when he one timed a shot past Emery for his 3rd of the season at the 13:42 mark. Having coughed up a 2-1 lead, the Flyers did not recover and fell by the score of 3-2 to their Atlantic Division rivals.

FINAL: » Devils 3, Flyers 2

During the day off between the Devils and upcoming Kings game, the Flyers lineup took on a bit of a different look. Philly sent down defenseman Danny Syvret, paired on the 3rd defensive unit with Ryan Parent, and in his place, called up Jamie Fritsch, who has only 1 game of NHL experience under his belt. Also, Carter has recovered from his toe injury suffered in a November 7th game against St. Louis, and replaced Carcillo in the Flyers lineup.

Philadelphia Flyers (10-5-2) v. Los Angeles Kings (9-8-5)

Philly got off to a bad start in this one as they looked to snap a short 2 game losing streak. Instead, Alexander Frolov put the hosting Kings up 1-0 on his 7th goal of the campaign by slamming a rebound past Emery just 44 seconds into the game. It wasn't until 14:08 of the 2nd period that the Flyers finally retaliated, as Daniel Briere's 5th goal of the season, a powerplay marker and a neat backhand shot, tied things up at 1 apiece. A few minutes into the 3rd period, Jeff Carter made his return to the lineup felt, as he was able to corral the puck during a frenzy in front of Los Angeles goaltender Johnathan Quick and shoot it into the net for his 5th goal of the year, but more importantly, a 2-1 lead for the Flyers. Philly still held that 2-1 lead as the announcer at the Staples Center called out that there was just one minute remaining in the game. But the call must've sparked the Kings, as they were able to tie it just 7 seconds after the call. With Quick pulled in favor of the extra attacker, Drew Doughty launched a shot from the point, and wily veteran Ryan Smyth deflected it past Emery for his 9th goal of the season and a 2-2 tie. The crowd was wild and the momentum had suddenly shifted in LA's favor, and they capitalized. With just 16 seconds left, Wayne Simmonds, a right handed shot coming down the left wing, sniped out a spot in the far right corner, just over Ray Emery's shoulder for his 6th goal of the year and to give his Kings a 3-2 lead after trailing 2-1 with under a minute to play. Los Angeles played out the final 14 seconds and had come from behind for a 3-2 victory over the Flyers, Philly's 3rd straight loss.

FINAL: Flyers 2, » Kings 3

So after starting off this recent 5 game stretch so promising with a shootout win and a shutout victory, the Flyers end up on the wrong end of a shutout loss, fall to a division foe, and then cough up a 1 goal lead and eventually lose by 1 with under a minute to play out West. Though no lineup changes are expected, look for head coach Peter Laviolette to work on his defense in the 3rd period, where the Flyers have lost their last two games after having leads earlier in the contests. It's going to be a tough road ahead, though, as t he Flyers stay out West for dates with San Jose and Phoenix (back to back), then back East a bit for a game at Colorado, followed by coming completely East to Long Island for a divisional game against the Islanders. A home date against the Sabres on November 27th and an away game at Atlanta the following night conclude game action for the Flyers in November.