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Rob Riches

Sports Editor

Articles by Rob Riches (464)

Hakstol’s Happenings: Stretch run is undoubtedly proving to be tiresome

(Flyerdelphia/Kate Frese) It may seem hard to believe, but the Flyers have just eight games left in their regular season.  These eight games will be the ultimate test of whether or not the Flyers' season will continue. They've been able to alternate between a wild card spot and the outside looking in for the past […]

Rob Riches  •  28 Mar 2016
Flyers end road trip with 2-1 loss to Arizona Coyotes

Despite an effort that saw them double the Arizona Coyotes up on shots, the Flyers on Saturday still fell 2-1, ending their four-game road swing. The Orange and Black were barely able to figure out Mike Smith, who turned away 34 of 35 shots faced. They held the Coyotes (34-34-7) to just 17 shots — including […]

Rob Riches  •  27 Mar 2016
Gudas, Giroux lift Flyers over Colorado Avalanche

Embed from Getty Images   A sluggish first-period effort looked like it had all the makings of the Flyers running out of gas, but they were able to play strongly over the next 40 minutes and shake off their Pepsi Center demons in a 4-2 win over the Colorado Avalanche. Two goals just 19 seconds […]

Rob Riches  •  24 Mar 2016
Flyers inch closer to wild card with 4-1 win over New York Islanders

After a weekend that saw the Flyers slightly regress in their pursuit of a playoff spot, they headed to Brooklyn on Monday with the goal of narrowing the three-point gap between them and the second wild card spot. As if the importance of the matchup wasn't significant enough, it happened to come against a skidding […]

Rob Riches  •  21 Mar 2016
Game 71 Preview: Flyers look to inch closer to playoff fold against slumping Islanders

(Flyerdelphia/Kate Frese)   As the NHL's regular season begins to wind down, the Flyers and New York Islanders both find themselves in the dogfight that is the Eastern Conference's wild-card race.    They both got there under completely separate circumstances, too. The Orange and Black, of course, have been in the thick of the hunt […]

Rob Riches  •  21 Mar 2016
Chris VandeVelde suspended 2 games for elbowing

Photo Courtesy of Kate Frese Flyers fourth-liner Chris VandeVelde has been suspended two games for elbowing, the NHL Department of Player Safety announced on Friday. VandeVelde had tangled with Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews along the half-wall in the Blackhawks' zone with about 40 seconds left in the first period of Wednesday's 3-2 win, when […]

Rob Riches  •  18 Mar 2016
Flyers’ rebuild shows signs of quick progression

Embed from Getty Images   When Ron Hextall took the reigns as the Flyers' general manager nearly two years ago, he knew what it would take to return the Flyers to playoff respectability.  Sure, the Flyers' most recent run to the Stanley Cup Final was still in the rearview mirror. But it was quickly overshadowed […]

Rob Riches  •  15 Mar 2016
Hakstol’s Happenings: Make-or-break for the Flyers this week

Photo Courtesy of Kate Frese As the NHL season begins to wind down, there's always the sense of urgency that comes with teams scrambling for a playoff spot. The Flyers are no exception. They've firmly entrenched themselves in the dogfight for the second wild card spot, and have found themselves oh-so-close to it at several […]

Rob Riches  •  14 Mar 2016
Flyers continue dominant play in home-and-home sweep of Tampa Bay Lightning

A strong outing from the powerplay — in particular, the second unit — coupled with an intense, shutdown defense helped lift the Flyers to a 3-1 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Friday. Sam Gagner and Matt Read each cashed in on the man-advantage, while Brayden Schenn continued his stellar play with his 23rd […]

Rob Riches  •  11 Mar 2016
Game 66 Preview: Flyers continue home-and-home with Tampa Bay Lightning

  After a homestand that saw the Flyers earn 10 of 12 possible points to help bolster their case for the playoffs, they find themselves on a quick trip to Florida to take on a Tampa Bay Lightning team that they beat to cap the homestand on Monday.   A big disadvantage for the Orange […]

Rob Riches  •  11 Mar 2016