It has been a tough recent stretch for the Flyers. After setting a modest goal of winning some games on home ice, theyve gone 2-2-1 in their last five at the Wells Fargo Centerand watched the New Jersey Devils pass them in the standings while the Pittsburgh Penguins tied them, all in the space of one weekend.
And thats why the team is hoping their upcoming four-game road trip will give them a much-needed lift, both emotionally and in the standings.
Hopefully this road trip comes at the right time, we get to bond a little bit, Danny Briere said. Weve been playing well, for some reason, we play really well on the road, so hopefully we can continue that trend.
The Flyers, 18-9-2 when playing outside Philadelphia, are tied with New Jersey for the third-most wins on the road in the NHL. Only the Vancouver Canucks (20) and the New York Rangers (19) have more wins away from their home arenas.
Theres no question itd be good to win some games, whether its home or on the road, coach Peter Laviolette said. Wed certainly like to win at home, and we havent been able to do that the way we want to. Now well go back on the road and get on a road trip, and that can be a good thing at times.
The Flyers boarded their charter plane and headed west Monday afternoon. Theyll face the Winnipeg Jets, with whom theyve struggled this season, on Tuesday, before facing the Calgary Flames and San Jose Sharks.
They wont return to the Wells Fargo Center until March 1, which leaves plenty of time for the two new defensemen (Pavel Kubina and Nick Grossman) to get acclimated to the teamand provides the opportunity for the whole team to focus on earning some points in the standings as the season begins to draw to a close.
Voracek, Giroux leave early
Both Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek left practice early on Monday.
NHL
It was unclear why Giroux left the ice, but Voracek crashed awkwardly into the boards about halfway through practice. He slammed his stick angrily against the boards before heading to the locker room, and was followed close behind by one of the teams trainers.
Despite that scary moment, however, general manager Paul Holmgren said there were no injuries incurred at Mondays practice.
Rookie Eric Wellwood, who scored his first NHL goal in Saturday's loss to the Penguins, took Giroux's spot in practice when Giroux left. He will travel with the Flyers on the upcoming road trip.
Sestito's surgery
Forward Tom Sestito will undergo surgery to repair a torn groin muscle on Tuesday. As previously reported, Sestito will miss six to eight weeks while he recovers.
Sestito didn't address the media, but he was at Skate Zone Monday.
Later, he tweeted: "Getting everything done before the surgery tomorrow morning, and thank you to everyone for the well wishes, fan support in Philly is the best"
E-mail Sarah Baicker at sbaicker@comcastsportsnet.com