Flyers Gameday: 2 Hours From Whistler Canucks

So the Silent Swede will not be in the lineup tonight because he's not in shape. I don't quite understand that. Wasn't he working out in Sweden? Or was he just preparing for preparing for a comeback? He's getting paid already, right? Anyway, I guess that's better for the Flyers. Mats Sundin pulling a Roger Clemens up in the owner's box instead of scoring 5 points against us wins every time. The Flyers are going to have enough trouble controlling the two-headed Sedin monster.

The Canucks are basically the Flyers of the West. They have 43 points in 37 games and are second in their division. The Flyers have 45 points in 36 games and are also second in their division. There - case closed. They also happen to have two of the biggest pests in the game in the Alex Burrows and Matt Carle's former US Development Team buddy Ryan Kessler. As can be evidenced by Jesse Boulerice's reaction to Ryan Kessler's antics last fall, he can get under a guy's skin.

There are some other guys who can score on the club, but no one who's exceptionally dangerous. Someone who is dangerous on the Canucks, but in an entirely different way, is enforcer Darcy Hordichuk. Hordichuk has taken on some of the league's biggest guys during the past two years - and beaten them. Parros, Boll, Shelley...many of the league's heavyweights have been felled by the man who calls himself Darcy. I just did a little research and looked up "Broken Face" on WebMD and it looks like it takes about two weeks to heal. It's only been about 10 days since Riley Cote got pounded by Donald Brashear so he's questionable. But the fact that there will be some sort of altercation on the ice tonight is not. Especially when you consider that our stand-in tough guy had a spirited bout with Horidchuk a couple years ago as a member of the Coyotes.

I've never seen someone fighting while entirely unconcious. That first punch that Gratton takes, whoa Daisy: