Flyers Team Report

Sooner or later, Flyers coach John Stevens will need to decide on his No. 1 goaltender.
Is it Marty Biron, who has played 30 games this season and is 15-10-5? Or is it Antero Niittymaki, who has played 21 games and is 11-4-4?

A big clue will surface on Wednesday when the Flyers face the conference leading-Boston Bruins in Philadelphia in the first of back-to-back games. In all likelihood, Stevens will turn to Biron, who has played just once in the past three weeks.


“They are both players on our team here, and their job is to win us hockey games,” Stevens said diplomatically. “We don’t see it as anything more or less than that.”

While Niittymaki has started four of the last five games with a 2-1-1 record, Biron is 2-4 in his last six starts and was shaky with a pair of soft goals in his lasting outing.

“He’s certainly shown the level of hockey that he’s capable of playing,” Stevens said of Biron. “Last year, at the end of the year and into the playoffs, is probably the highest level he’s ever played and he’s been there at times this year. From now until the end of the year, it’s important to get him back to that level because he’s certainly shown he has the ability to get there.”

With the Devils and Rangers still ahead of them in the Atlantic Division standings, Stevens said he’s in no position to cater to one goalie.

“I think both guys have played well and deserve a chance to get in the net, but right now we need to win hockey games,” Stevens said, “If one guy gets a little hot he might get a little more time.”


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