Suffice it to say, Bryzgalov is a weird guy, and he appeared to be going further off the ledge by the day late in the NHL season. Beyond bizarre behavior such as trying out as a cosmonaut and giving his odd thoughts on the Russian meteor, more recently Bryzgalov has gone after the Philadelphia media. He recently called the Philly hockey media corps “lunatics” after the season ended, and said that he’d rather watch Star Wars than playoff hockey.

Most unforgivable of all, Bryzgalov said that he prefers the Star Wars prequels to the original trilogy.

Now, however, Bryzgalov may have gone from, at best, lovable lunatic and entered Ozzie Guillen territory. He recently gave an interview to the Russian sports outlet Championat, and professed his admiration for Stalin.

“I see logic in his action,” Bryzgalov said, according to a translation by Yahoo!’s Dmitry Chesnokov. “Not without going too far, of course. But he came to power in a country that had just lived through a revolution. There were so many spies, enemies, traitors there. A lot of people still had guns after the civil war. The country was in ruins, [people] needed to survive somehow. The country needed to be rebuilt, and in order to do that it needed to be held in iron hands.

“… He knew what he was doing. He is described as a ‘bloody tyrant.’ But at the time it couldn’t be any other way. Yes, there were innocent people who were victims of repression. But it happens.”

So, there you have it. The deaths of 20 million people “happens.”

In typical Bryz fashion, he awkwardly gave the scribes a lesson on professionalism after calling some of them “lunatics” and their writing “ridiculous.”

“It’s ridiculous. It’s ridiculous,” he repeated. “Sometimes you read [an article] and it’s like ‘oh my God, who is this lunatic?’ Because it’s noting close to the truth or closely related to hockey. You read this and think ‘oh my God,I have to deal with these people everyday.’”

Check out what was likely his last interview as a Flyer below.

Third period, 15:02, Flyers 5-2: It’s time for some real talk, people.

This team looks dead right now, in this game at least. They look like they’re about ready to just get out of Philadelphia and move on, with Tampa Bay coming into Boston on Thursday.

Third period, 13:00, Flyers 5-2: Anton Khudobin has returned for the Bruins in between the pipes, for whatever that’s worth at this point.

Third period 8:33, Flyers 5-2: OK, so the Bruins are dead.

Just 13 seconds after Boston pulled within two, the Flyers made the B’s pay for sloppy play. Wade Redden tried to force the puck through the neutral zone, but that pass was broken up, sending the Flyers the other way.

That eventually led to a goal from Simon Gagne, as the veteran forward buried a shot by Tuukka Rask after a beautiful pass from Claude Giroux.

Third period, 8:20, Flyers 4-2: The Bruins aren’t dead yet apparently.

David Krejci just scored to pull the B’s within two.

Third period, 5:33, Flyers 4-1: There’s still plenty of time left, but that might do it.

The Bruins get ugly with the puck in their own zone, and the Flyers made them pay.

Jakub Voracek ends up getting behind the defense, and Claude Giroux hits him with a gorgeous pass. Voracek then deked a couple of times before sliding a backhander through Tuukka Rask’s legs.

Third period, 3:00 , Flyers 3-1: The Bruins have done some shaking of the lines.

Jaromir Jagr has moved up to a line with Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand, while Tyler Seguin is skating with Milan Lucic and David Krejci.

Carl Soderberg is now with Chris Kelly and Rich Peverley, while the fourth line remains intact.

Third period, 0:20, Flyers 3-1: The third period is underway.

Second period reaction: Yeah, so that was not a good period for the Bruins.

The B’s took a major step back in the second period after a decent first period. They have also taken a couple steps back after turning in a few good games as of late. This is not what you want to see out of a team that’s trying to put things together down the stretch.

It looks like Brad Marchand and Tyler Seguin may be in Claude Julien’s doghouse right now. As The Patriot Ledger’s Mike Loftus pointed out on Twitter, the duo didn’t see the ice for the final 8:36 of the second period. There was plenty of power-play time for both sides, but under normal circumstances, we would have seen both of them on the ice at some point. Maybe that will be a wake-up call for those guys.

End second period, Flyers 3-1: The second period comes to an end without any success on the power play for the Bruins.

They came close in the final seconds, though. Jaromir Jagr found a hustling Milan Lucic coming in the back door down the right wing, but Steve Mason was able to stop Lucic’s one-time tip attempt.

Second period, 18:01, Flyers 3-1: The Bruins won’t likely score on this power play (they’ve looked horrendous), but they’ll be able to add another two minutes.

With four seconds left in the first penalty, Simon Gagne flipped the puck over the ice and was called for delay of game.

Second period, 16:05, Flyers 3-1: This is a big chance for the Bruins to climb back into the game.

Danny Briere just caught Andrew Ference with a high-stick that puts the Bruins on the power play for two.

Second period, 15:07, Flyers 3-1: The Bruins can’t do anything on their own abbreviated power play, and it was another ugly one with not much in the way of chances.

What once looked like a promising offensive effort is slowly getting disheartening, as the Bruins are being held down by a Flyers team that doesn’t have much of a defense to speak of.

Second period, 12:54, Flyers 3-1: The Flyers’ power play is short-lived, thanks to Wayne Simmonds being strong.

The big Philly forward just slashed the stick out of Dennis Seidenberg’s hands, and he’s going to the penalty box to negate the power play.

Second period, 11:47, Flyers 3-1: The Bruins will now have to kill off a penalty.

Carl Soderberg was just called for high-sticking.

Second period, 11:31, Flyers 3-1: Things have gotten a little out of hand here in the second period.

Anton Khudobin has been yanked after he allowed two goals in seven seconds. Zdeno Chara tried to move the puck in his own end, and the puck went into the crease, hit Khudobin’s stick and went into the net.

Tuukka Rask comes on for the Bruins.

Second period, 11:24, Flyers 2-1: Matt Read just scored one of the nicer goals we’ve seen all season.

Wayne Simmonds took a shot from the top of the slot, which Read followed up. Read’s rebound attempt was knocked away at first by Anton Khudobin, but Read batted it out of the air by Khudobin.

Second period, Second period, 7:22, 1-1: The Bruins were able to kill off the penalty.

Brad Marchand got a shorthanded opportunity, but Steve Mason made an impressive kick save with his right pad to keep it 1-1.

Second period, 4:41, 1-1: It’s turning into a rough night for David Krejci.

His turnover led to Scott Hartnell’s first-period goal, and he was just called for a questionable tripping penalty. The Bruins are now back on the penalty kill.

Second period, 0:01, 1-1: The second period is underway in Philadelphia.

First period reaction: So far, so good for the Bruins, especially if you take out the early David Krejci turnover that led directly to Scott Hartnell’s goal.

The Bruins look to have a good amount of jump in the early going. They’re bringing the body, and they’re putting the pressure on the Flyers. You do kind of have to take that with a grain of salt, though. Philly is beat up and they don’t have much to play for right now. Even more, their defensive corps was suspect to begin the year, which was before they started to be ravaged by injuries. That doesn’t mean the Bruins can’t some offensive momentum going and try to get on a roll, but it is worth considering the opponent as well.

The Bruins’ goal was a thing of beauty, and it’s exactly what they need to do to be better offensively. It started with a good breakout to Carl Soderberg, and the center did a nice job of carrying the puck through the neutral zone and into the attacking zone. He then moved the puck to Jaromir Jagr, which is always a good idea. Jagr put the shot on net, and created the rebound opportunity for Wade Redden, of all people. The defenseman did a nice job of going to the net, and he was rewarded with the rebound goal.

Milan Lucic, who was scratched Saturday and played limited minutes Sunday, is getting a chance to earn back some of his coach’s trust. Only David Krejci saw more time in the first period among Bruins forwards, and Lucic has already played more than half of the minutes he played Sunday against Florida. The big forward is looking a little better, and he looks like he’s trying to throw his weight around some. He has two hits and a shot on goal so far.

End first period, 1-1: The first period comes to an end, and the game is tied 1-1. There’s plenty to go over, so I’ll be back in a few to do just that.

First period, 16:56, 1-1: The combination of Carl Soderberg, Jaromir Jagr and Chris Kelly has been a lot of fun to watch so far.

They obviously got the scoring going early on, but they’ve done a nice job of creating opportunities since then as well.

Interesting to note: Patrice Bergeron is 0-for-5 in the faceoff circle. No idea when the last time that happened, but it doesn’t happen very often.

First period, 14:48, 1-1: Gregory Campbell did not miss a shift, thanks in large part to the fact that he’s a hockey player.

First period, 10:51, 1-1: The Bruins were able to kill off the penalty, thanks to a big blocked shot from Gregory Campbell.

The forward went to the ice to block a wicked Kurtis Foster slap shot from the left point, and he may have paid for it. Campbell struggled to get off the ice, and he couldn’t put much pressure at all on his left leg. We’ll have to keep an eye on that.

First period, 6:43, 1-1: The first power play of the game goes to the Flyers.

Dougie Hamilton caught Brayden Schenn with a high stick, and he gets the minor penalty.

First period, 4:54, 1-1: Carl Soderberg is making an impact in his second game as well.

The big Swede just carried the puck into the neutral zone and into the attacking zone before he gave it away to Jaromir Jagr. Jagr put the shot on net, and Wade Redden of all people went to the net and batted home the rebound to tie the game 1-1.

First period, 1:40, Flyers 1-0: After a touching pregame ceremony, the Flyers no longer felt like being nice hosts.

The Flyers just took the early 1-0 lead when Scott Hartnell beat Anton Khudobin with a big-league wrist shot. That came with an assist to David Krejci, as the Bruins forward made a horrible turnover in his own end to give the puck right to Hartnell and he handled the rest.

7:2o p.m.: Pregame skate is wrapping up in Philadelphia, and it looks like Dougie Hamilton will be in the lineup for this one, after morning skate indicated he may not be.

It looks like Johnny Boychuk who will be the d-man who gets the night off instead. That also means that Adam McQuaid, who suffered a lower-body injury Saturday and missed Sunday’s game, will be back in the fold as well.

Here are the defensive pairings from pregame.

Zdeno Chara — Dougie Hamilton
Wade Redden — Dennis Seidenberg
Andrew Ference — Adam McQuaid

7:15 p.m.: By the way, I’m not sure if this was mentioned earlier (and if not, shame on me), but Nathan Horton won’t be in the lineup for this one. In fact, he didn’t even make the trip.

He’s still recovering from the upper-body injury he suffered Saturday against Pittsburgh in a fight with Jarome Iginla.

7 p.m.: It’s a homecoming of sorts for Jaromir Jagr as he returns to Philadelphia, while admittedly, Jagr homecomings happen in a fair amount of cities.

Jagr played in Philadelphia last season, and he played a major role. Jagr scored 19 goals and added 35 assists for what turned into a high-octane line alongside Claude Giroux and Scott Hartnell. The trio was one of the best lines in all of hockey, and it may not be much of a surprise that Giroux and Hartnell have come back to earth some this year. That’s not to say that Jagr is the sole contributing factor of that, but it certainly played a part. It’s something he’s done everywhere in his career up to this point.

Interestingly, that really hasn’t happened yet in Boston. Of course, the circumstances are a little bit different. Jagr didn’t have a training camp to gel with his teammates, and he’s bounced around so much from line to line in the short time he’s been a Bruin. The fact that he’s skating alongside Carl Soderberg pretty much personifies those thoughts in the best way possible.

6:30 p.m.: The Flyers will honor the city of Boston and remember the victims of last week’s events prior to the game. That pregame ceremony will be aired on NESNplus, with coverage beginning at 7 p.m.

6:20 p.m.: Once again, the Bruins-Flyers can be seen on NESNplus. You can find your local listings for that by clicking here. Pregame coverage begins at 7.

4:40 p.m.: Veteran goalie Steve Mason, acquired at the trade deadline by the Flyers, will get the start against the Bruins.

He’s had some obvious struggles this season, but he’s been better since joining the Flyers, and he’s historically very good against the Bruins — albeit in a limited amount of work.

He’s 2-0-1 in three career starts against Boston, allowing just four goals on 98 shots. That’s good for a 1.30 goals against and a .959 save percentage.

4:30 p.m.: It looks as if the Flyers will be honoring the City of Boston on Tuesday night prior to and during the Bruins-Flyers game.

The Flyers are wearing these jersey patches, and according to Jack Edwards, the Flyers will also hold some sort of tribute ceremony prior to the game.

3:30 p.m.: Carl Soderberg saw time at morning skate at center between Chris Kelly and Jaromir Jagr, which is something the Bruins started doing Sunday afternoon.

The Swedish import, who made his Boston debut Saturday against Pittsburgh, started his NHL career on the wing. However, it looks like the B’s are more than willing to put Soderberg in the middle, which says a lot about him as a player.

It’s not easy to play center in the NHL, and it has to be even more difficult when you’re a player like Soderberg coming over from another continent and trying to adapt to a new style of play and a new rink. Soderberg mas “meh” on Saturday, but he looked a little better Sunday afternoon. He’s a big guy, and he’s strong on the puck, and that was rewarded with ice time. Soderberg saw 15:28 of ice time Sunday, which was more than a few Bruins forwards including Milan Luci, David Krejci and Rich Peverley. Brad Marchand played a hair more than Soderberg at 15:29.

There’s no doubt that the nature of Sunday’s game — a blowout against a bad hockey team — allowed the Bruins to give Soderberg some more rope.

He responded with his first career point while assisting on Jagr’s goal, and he also put a shot on net while going 2-for-4 in the faceoff circle.

“As far as Carl Soderberg was concerned, to me he was better [Sunday] than he was [Saturday],” Claude Julien said after Sunday’s game. “We put him at center [Sunday] and put Kelly on the wing. And you know, it’s for him to get used to playing on North American ice and this kind of a game. And you know, to me he’s made good strides in his first two games. So he’s got four more games again to get better, and hopefully he’s a very confident individual and he will be good for us.”

2:30 p.m.: The Bruins’ lines for morning skate appeared to be the same lines the B’s used Sunday afternoon against Florida.

Here’s how the B’s took line rushes during the skate, according to the team’s Twitter feed.

Milan Lucic — David Krejci — Rich Peverley
Brad Marchand — Patrice Bergeron — Tyler Seguin
Chris Kelly — Carl Soderberg — Jaromir Jagr
Daniel Paille — Gregory Campbell — Shawn Thornton

And here are defensive pairs as well.

Zdeno Chara — Johnny Boychuk
Matt Bartkowski — Dennis Seidenberg
Andrew Ference — Adam McQuaid

2:20 p.m.: Just as a reminder, the Bruins are slated to be televised on NESNplus again tonight. If you’re looking for those listings, you find them by clicking here.

1:30 p.m.: According to reports from morning skate in Philadelphia, Anton Khudobin was the first Bruins goalie off the ice in morning skate, meaning he’ll likely get the start in Philly.

This should come as no surprise, either. Tuukka Rask surprisingly started both games this weekend in Boston, and Claude Julien did indicate over the weekend that he would be working in both goaltenders over the final week of the season. So with all of that in mind, it would certainly make sense to go with Khudobin in between the pipes for this one.

1 p.m.: Once again, the Bruins are staring a jam-packed schedule in the face, a four-game slate this week that will see their regular season come to an end.

The B’s begin that four-game stretch Tuesday night in Philadelphia where they will take on the lowly Flyers. It’s a part of a stretch of four games in six days for Boston, who has plenty of work to do before the regular season comes to an end Sunday night.

If you believe that that the standings still matter, and there’s a large pocket of people who feel it doesn’t matter as much this season, then you would also believe that this is a big week for the Bruins.

They enter play Tuesday in a virtual tie for first place in the Northeast Division with Montreal. Both clubs enter play with 59 points, and while the Canadiens hold a 24-23 advantage in regulation wins, the Bruins do have a game in hand.

That stretch does begin with a game in Philadelphia on Tuesday night, against a Flyers team that isn’t playing for anything but pride and jobs. That doesn’t necessarily mean success for the Bruins. Just a few weeks ago, they were embarrassed by the Flyers in Philadelphia in one of the Bruins’ worst games of the season.

Puck drop for this one is slated for 7:30 p.m.

The Bruins matched up against the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday night in Philly, and the host team honored the city of Boston in a touching pregame ceremony.

The Flyers’ pregame tribute included inspiring photos from last week’s tragedy following the bombings at the Boston Marathon. Singer Lauren Hart performed the National Anthem and God Bless America before the game.

Check out the video above to see the touching tribute.

The Flyers will be the latest team to show its support for the Hub in advance of their game with the Bruins. NESN’s Jack Edwards tweeted Tuesday that Philadelphia will pay tribute to Boston prior to the Bruins-Flyers game.

Philly shows what it's made of! Boston Strong tribute tonight, covered in full on NESN PLUS (go to NESN.com to find) at 7:30.

—
Jack Edwards (@RealJackEdwards) April 23, 2013

Like other teams in the past week, the Flyers will also pay tribute to Boston on their sweaters. The Flyers will wear jersey patches with the “Boston Strong” ribbon on them for Tuesday night’s game. The Flyers also announced that the jerseys will be auctioned off, with the proceeds going to The One Fund Boston.

The fund was established last week to raise money for the victims and their families. Boston mayor Tom Menino announced Tuesday that The One Fund had already raised more than $20 million.

See a photo of the jersey patch below.

Photo via Twitter/@NHLFlyers

But when things get tense with Bryz, the entertainment factor only rises.

After a loss to the Senators on Thursday night, the Flyers goalie was asked about reports of him sleeping during team meetings. The netminder wasn’t happy with the accusations and scolded those who were making false claims, telling reporters to prove their information and explaining that they “became not professional journalists.”

Check out the video below.

The latest escapade may be his most damning if it is indeed true. According to Philly.com, the Flyers netminder fell asleep during a team meeting. According to the report, Bryzgalov appeared to fall asleep in a meeting on Monday. That meeting came after a practice in which Flyers head coach Peter Laviolette told Bryzgalov and Steve Mason that Mason would be getting the start for the Flyers on Tuesday against the Islanders.

An original report from the team’s flagship radio station stated that Byrzgalov was benched Tuesday because he fell asleep. That’s been disputed by Laviolette, and if the chain of events in the Philly.com story are correct, the snooze came after Bryzgalov was told he was sitting Tuesday.

“Whether he was actually sleeping or not, no one knows for sure,” an anonymous player told Philly.com. “It seemed like he may have been doing it to get a rise out of other players. I’m not really sure why he did it, or if he was faking it. Either way, it seemed to catch and lot of people by surprise and angered a few people.”

It’s the latest in what’s become a growing line of distractions for the Flyers, who are in the midst of a very disappointing season. They dropped a 4-1 decision to the Islanders on Tuesday night, and they now find themselves in 12th place in the Eastern Conference, five points out of the final playoff spot.

Many have speculated or suggested that the Flyers should buy out Bryzgalov’s contract at some point. Bryzgalov is currently in the early stages of a nine-year, $51 million contract that isn’t set to expire until after the 2019-20 season. That deal comes with a $5.67 million cap hit per season.

Third period, 19:02, Flyers 3-1:  Ruslan Fedotenko wins the puck battle against Rich Peverley, turns and fires a puck at the empty Bruins net to give the Flyers a 3-1 lead.

This one is over.

Third period, 18:40, Flyers 2-1: Tuukka Rask has been called to the bench for the extra skater. They’re desperately looking for the game-tying goal.

Third period, 14:57, Flyers 2-1: The Bruins’ effort has been better here in the third period, but because of the hole they dug, they still find themselves down by a goal.

They’re starting to skate harder and as a result, the clean, crisp passes are there. We just saw that here in the third period, as Daniel Paille was sprung on a breakout. Unfortunately for him, the Flyers defense did a good job of getting back. That forced Paille to try to take the puck in all alone 1-on-2 but he couldn’t get a good enough shot on goal.

Third period, 10:35, Flyers 2-1: The Bruins had a terrific chance to tie the game up, when rookie defenseman Oliver Lauridsen coughed the puck up in his own zone.

Nathan Horton took the puck and found David Krejci right in the middle of the slot in front of the net, but Krejci put it right in Ilya Bryzgalov’s chest.

Third period, 7:14, Flyers 2-1: The Bruins haven’t necessarily gotten a huge jump from the Nathan Horton goal, but they are starting to possess the puck a little bit more in the offensive end.

The B’s have been better in moving the puck, especially out of their zone here in the third period. But then again, that’s not really saying much given the way the first two periods went.

Third period, 5:00, Flyers 2-1: Finally, the Bruins arrive. It only took 45 minutes of hockey.

Nathan Horton does what you’re supposed to do, as he goes to the net on the off-wing, and he gets rewarded when a juicy rebound comes right to him. Horton easily slams it home to cut the lead to one.

Third period, 0:30, Flyers 2-0: The third period is on.

Second period reaction: This has been brutal if you’re a Bruins fan. There’s really no other way to break it down.

End second period, Flyers 2-0: The Flyers are winning the puck battles right now, and it almost paid off for them at the end of the second period.

The Flyers came with a strong rush in the final minutes, including good shifts from Simon Gagne and Mike Knuble of all people.

Second period, 13:00, Flyers 2-0: The Flyers came *this* close to going up by three.

Matt Read just rang the post with a wicked wrist shot. He had Tuukka Rask beat, but the B’s are bailed out by the pipe.

Second period, 12:07, Flyers 2-0: It’s just been a listless second period (a listless game really), and the Bruins look lost.

The B’s are having trouble even getting the puck out of their own zone right now. The breakout passes have been sloppy and out of sync. It’s fairly obvious that if you can’t work the puck out of your own zone, you’re going to have some real difficulties winning.

Second period, 7:00, Flyers 2-0: Once again, the Bruins can’t get anything on the power play, aside from a measly shot on goal. There was a little more possession there, but still nothing to get excited about.

Second period, 4:26, Flyers 2-0: Let’s see what the Bruins can do with their second power play of the afternoon.

The Flyers just got caught in a miserable line change, and it’s too many men on the ice.

Second period, 3:18, Flyers 2-0: The Bruins are sleepwalking through this game, and the Flyers, who have lost four straight, are taking full advantage.

Matt Read just beat Tuukka Rask blocker side from the left wing to extend the Flyers’ lead to 2-0.

Second period, 0:20, Flyers 1-0: The second period is under way.

First period reaction: The offensive issues continue for the Bruins, who apparently didn’t take any momentum out of their impressive five-goal showing against Montreal on Wednesday.

The Bruins may have outshot the Flyers in the first period, but the offense was far from clicking. The B’s had a couple of solid chances, a Nathan Horton shot from the high slot and a Daniel Paille shot from the left wing come to mind, but other than that, there wasn’t much to be happy about. Boston was sloppy with the puck in the first period, and that led to just a disjointed offensive attack.

That was incredibly evident on the club’s lone power play of the first period. The B’s could only muster one shot on the man-advantage, and that’s a number that seems high really. Boston wasn’t able to sustain much of, if any offensive possession on the power play, and they certainly weren’t able to gain any momentum.

The lone Flyers goal was just one of those goals that happens. It was a power-play goal from Mike Knuble, and while the penalty call on Zdeno Chara may have been questionable, it’s just part of the game. If one power-play goal in the first period of a previously scoreless game is going to make a huge difference in the game, you’ve got much bigger problems on your hands. Maybe the Bruins do.

End first period, Flyers 1-0: The first period comes to an end, and the Bruins find themselves in the hole after a sloppy first period.

First period, 19:16, Flyers 1-0: The Bruins got arguably their best chance of the afternoon when some good fore-checking led to an opportunity. Nathan Horton found himself open in the slot, but Ilya Bryzgalov made the save on the big forward.

Not long after, things got a little testy. Patrice Bergeron and Claude Giroux started things by pushing and shoving, and Bergeron looked like he wanted to drop the gloves, but nothing came of it.

Seconds later, Luke Schenn decided to get involved with Zdeno Chara, but Schenn eventually “fell” to the ice before any real punches could be thrown. All four players got roughing minors.

First period, 15:19, Flyers 1-0: The Bruins have been in control for much of the game, but it’s the Flyers who take the 1-0 lead.

Mike Knuble just scored his fourth goal of the season, a power-play goal, as he one-timed a shot from the slot for the game’s first score.

First period, 13:50, 0-0: The Flyers, who have the league’s best power play in the league according to percentage, are about to get their first chance of the afternoon.

Zdeno Chara was sent to the penalty box for a questionable holding call, and the Boston PK must go to work.

First period, 11:30, 0-0: The Bruins continue to tilt the ice against the Flyers, but while they continue to build on their shot total, they haven’t gotten much in terms of scoring chances.

Ilya Bryzgalov has looked solid in the early going, but as we said, he hasn’t really been tested much at this point, despite what the shot total may indicate.

First period, 7:43, 0-0: It’s been a defensive struggle so far in Philadelphia, which has really been the case in the early going for most of the Bruins’ game this season.

The B’s are starting to generate more chances, however, and they have put five shots on Ilya Bryzgalov. The Philadelphia defensive corps is just all kinds of beat up, which means the Bruins will get plenty of chances this afternoon to put the puck in. Whether or not they actually take advantage of those chances, though, is a different animal.

First period, 3:46, 0-0: Philadelphia just did a good job of killing off the penalty. The Bruins couldn’t get much of anything going, aside from getting one shot on goal during the man-advantage.

First period, 0:56, 0-0: The Bruins get the game’s first power play of the game after Oliver Lauridsen pulled down Nathan Horton as the Bruins forward drove to the net.

First period, 0:10, 0-0: The Bruins and Flyers are under way in Philadelphia.

1 p.m.: It’s official. Johnny Boychuk is back in, as Matt Bartkowski is a healthy scratch.

12:50 p.m.: According to pregame warmups, it looks like Johnny Boychuk will be back in the lineup. He’s probably going to be paired up with Aaron Johnson, according to line rushes. That means Matt Bartkowski is probably a healthy scratch.

The Bruins are also back to their “original” lines from top to bottom. They went back to these lines on Friday at practice, and they went with these same lines during pregame warmups.

Milan Lucic-David Krejci-Nathan Horton
Brad Marchand-Patrice Bergeron-Tyler Seguin
Jay Pandolfo-Rich Peverley-Jordan Caron
Daniel Paille-Gregory Campbell-Shawn Thornton

12:45 p.m.: In other news, Jarome Iginla is going to make his debut with the Pittsburgh Penguins today when the Pens take on the Islanders in Pittsburgh. If you’re into torturing yourself, this is what Iginla in a Penguins sweater looks like.

For those wondering what the situation is with Kaspars Daugavins, he’s still working out work visa issues. It’s unclear at this point when he’ll finally join the B’s and make his debut.

12:38 p.m.: Need an underachieving defenseman who’s got a $4.25 million salary cap hit through next season? Well, Tomas Kaberle is available for the taking.

The Canadiens placed Kaberle on waivers Saturday, so he’s available if anyone actually wants him. That may be unlikely.

12:35 p.m.: It sounds like Johnny Boychuk is going to return to the Boston lineup for this one. Head coach Claude Julien told reporters prior to the game that Boychuk was feeling better and was going to be a gametime decision. Julien sounded optimistic, though, and according to reports, Boychuk looks good in pregame skate. So it sounds like he’ll get back in the lineup after missing a few games with a foot injury. Who he replaces — either Matt Bartkowski or Aaron Johnson — is unknown at this point.

12:30 p.m.: Tuukka Rask will get the start for the Bruins in net, as he leads the club out for the pregame skate. He’ll be opposed by Illya Bryzgalov on the Philadelphia end.

8 a.m. ET: Saturday was supposed to mark Jarome Iginla’s first game in a Bruins sweater. Instead, it will mark the club’s first game since the Iginla debacle.

As Peter Chiarelli said Thursday, the B’s thought they were ready to acquire the sniper from the Flames. Instead, the Bruins were spurned at the last minute, as Iginla instead decided he wanted to join the Pittsburgh Penguins. While Chiarelli works to find other ways to improve the club, the players and coaching staff must move on to what matters most, and that’s winning games on the ice.

They’ll get a chance to do that Saturday against the Philadelphia Flyers, a listless team that the Bruins have had their way against as of late. The Bruins are 11-1-1 against the Flyers in their last 13 games against Philly, including the 2011 playoffs. Boston dominated the first meeting between the two clubs on March 9, winning 3-0 at TD Garden.

The Bruins could use something to get them going. They are just 2-3-1 in their last six, and they’re coming off of a heart-breaking shootout loss to the Canadiens on Wednesday night, the same night the Iginla drama unfolded. Saturday also marks the beginning of a jam-packed weekend with the club playing a back-to-back starting in Philly and ending Sunday night in Buffalo.

Puck drop from Philadelphia is scheduled for 1 p.m.

He talked with Glen Macnow and Rob Ellis on WIP in Philadelphia how his medical struggle affects his daily life.

“Basically, I’m just trying to get healthy. I don’t think there needs to be anything other than me trying to get healthy just to live a normal life,” Pronger said.

The 38-year-old defenseman said he wouldn’t rule out playing again if it were physically possible, but he plans to take it one step at a time.

“My goal and my purpose right now is just to try to get as healthy as I can get, try to get my vision back to where it can be or should be and kind of go from there.”

The fact that Pronger’s symptoms are erratic, however, makes it hard for him to feel like there is improvement.

“You don’t know,” Pronger told the radio station. “You can be feeling good and your spirits start picking up and then all of a sudden — bang, it’s like you got sucker-punched and you don’t know what the hell just happened. It can be very frustrating, and that’s why a lot of guys, I think, get depressed. They don’t know when the end is gonna be there. When are they gonna feel better? Just when you feel like you’re getting through it a little bit, you’re right back into it.”

Pronger’s head injury added fuel to debates about the use of helmet visors in the NHL. ESPN.com reported that that the issue of visors was broached during talks for a new collective bargaining agreement in January. The NHL would like to make them mandatory,  but the union remains committed to letting a player decide.

“I would be for it,” Pronger said, “but the problem is when you start taking a decision out of someone’s hands, where is the league gonna stop? Where are they gonna stop telling you what you can and can’t do? And that’s the problem I have.”

Photo via Twitter/@IAmChrisPronger

The Flyers held a team meeting for at least 20 minutes after they were defeated 3-0 in a pretty listless effort at the Garden. When reporters were finally allowed into the Philadelphia dressing room, there wasn’t much to say. It was revealed, however, that the team held a meeting following the loss, but what was actually said and who said it in the meeting, remained a mystery.

Head coach Peter Laviolette was asked about the meeting.

“What meeting? We don’t talk internally. We don’t talk about things.”

OK, then. Surely, outspoken goalie Ilya Bryzgalov would shed some light on the situation.

“I can’t tell you,” the dejected goaltender said when asked who spoke at the meeting. “It’s a secret.”

Well all right.

“It’s always good when you have a meeting,” Flyers star Claude Giroux said. “You want to make sure everybody’s on the same page, and that’s what we did.”

That’s something at least. Danny Briere, without getting into specifics, said that the overall theme of the meeting was simply that the team needs to play better. The Flyers are now 11-14-1 and have lost their last three. They sit in the bottom of the Atlantic Division, and they now head to Buffalo for a game Sunday.

“We’ll see how we respond tomorrow,” Briere said. We’re unhappy with where we are. It would be easy to come out and point fingers and kind of quit at this point. But I really believe no one is going to do that. We’re gonna keep working hard and find a way out of our mess.”

After setting a Flyers rookie record in 1984 for points in a season (since broken), the 5-foot-11 center was named the team’s captain for the 1984-85 campaign. That was a title he held until 1989, when he was stripped of his captaincy and then traded to the Bruins.

After battling through injuries for many years, Poulin returned to form in 1992, when he posted a plus-29 for the B’s in 84 games and earned the King Clancy Memorial Trophy at season’s end.

It could have been a non-issue before Saturday’s game, but it certainly was afterward: 2010 is long gone, and the Bruins-Flyers have both moved on from that playoff series. In fact, the Flyers didn’t even look like a playoff team this time around.

The Bruins did, however, thanks in large part to Tuukka Rask‘s stellar play in goal. He made 23 saves in posting his second shutout of the season, inching the Bruins back into first place and reiterating that he has come a long way from suffering four straight losses to those Flyers.

NESN Nation’s Dan Duquette is giving the Bruins goalie our “Payback Points” player of the game. Who’s yours?

Join NESN Nation: In-game home page | Twitter | Facebook

It hasn’t come easy for the Bruins this season, despite what you might expect from looking at their record.

The team hasn’t held many big leads during the first half of the season, and one of their biggest was squandered not so long ago against the Washington Capitals. With a three-goal lead early against the Flyers, the B’s would do well to take care of business when they have the chance.

NESN Nation’s Dan Duquette has more in the above video.

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Back in 2010, before the Bruins won the Stanley Cup, the team suffered a crushing blow against the Philadelphia Flyers in the playoffs. Leading three games to none, Boston ultimately lost in seven games, with Philly overcoming a three-goal deficit in Game 7 to really twist the knife in.

Tuukka Rask was the goalie for the B’s back then, but he hasn’t gotten a chance to face the Flyers again since that fateful series. That will change on Saturday in Boston, but it shouldn’t matter much. After all, Rask does have a Stanley Cup ring to his name — and he has played well enough this season to give the Bruins a chance at winning another.

NESN Nation’s Dan Duquette has more in the video above. Check it out.

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Giroux joins a long list of Flyers greats to covet the C. There’s even a former Bruin among those to once hold the title of Flyers captain. Can you name the former Bruins forward who also served as Flyers captain from 1984-89?

Click here to see the answer >>

Answer The Four’s Trivia Question of the Day and enter to win a $50 gift card to one of The Four’s three Boston-area locations. First, read the official rules, completely fill out the entry form and press submit.

The question posed to the crew of The Instigators Live on this edition of “Two Minutes for Instigating” on Thursday revolved around the Bruins-Flyers rivalry, specifically whether it’s much of one anymore.

The two squads have yet to meet this year, but will square off against one another this Saturday at TD Garden. The animosity between the two clubs has been fueled in recent seasons by some fierce playoff battles, and that’s why Jack Edwards argues that the two still love to beat on each other.

What do you think of the rivalry? Check out the video above the The Instigators’ breakdown.

With the Bruins in Washington to take on the Captials Tuesday, Ward’s goal will be fresh in the minds of many Boston fans.

However, Bruins faithful are no strangers to heartbreak. Four times over the last five years, Boston has been eliminated in winner-take-all games.

The postseason that brought many Bruins fans back to the TD Garden was back in 2008. Boston trailed the top-seeded Canadiens in the opening round three games to one, and were on the ropes in Game 5. The Bruins fought back to win two straight, including the famous “This building is vibrating!” Game 6 victory.

Unfortunately, the team’s Cinderella quest ended 300 miles to the north at the Bell Centre. Game 7 was an ultimate disappointment, as the Bruins fell 5-0 behind a dazzling effort from Montreal goaltender Carey Price.

A year later, Boston bulldozed the Habs in the first round of the playoffs and were heavy favorites over Carolina. After winning Game 1, the B’s dropped three straight. Boston did battle back to tie the series at three amid some fireworks between Aaron Ward and Scott Walker, setting the stage for another dramatic finish.

Game 7 was a nailbiter, and after a late Milan Lucic goal tied the game at 2-2, it went into overtime. Public enemy No. 1 Walker silenced the TD Garden crowd when he put a rebound past Thomas to send the Hurricanes to the Eastern Conference Finals.

Then came 2010, a memory Boston fans were forced to deal with up until they swept Philadelphia out of the playoffs a year later.

Everything was going right for the Bruins, and they jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. However, lost in the celebration of a Game 3 win, was the injury to center David Krejci. Krejci’s absence, plus some timely Flyers goals, allowed Philadelphia to tie the series at three.

All seemed okay when Boston jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in Game 7. Philadelphia then scored four unanswered goals in what proved to be a microcosm of the series. For many Bruins fans, that loss was the most embarrassing in team history.

This embarrassment did not last very long, however. The most famous Game 7 victory came a year later, when the Bruins won their sixth Stanley Cup during a magical night in Vancouver.

Flyers goalie Ilya Bryzgalov has fixed his Star Wars-themed mask, changing the color of Yoda’s lightsaber to green after a mini-outcry erupted around its original orange shade. The reddish color would have implied that Yoda had gone over to the dark side; instead, balance in the universe has been restored.

Look at the mask you may, in the photo below.

Photo via Twitter/@NHLFlyers

One of the teams expected to be most active leading up to the trade deadline is the Philadelphia Flyers, who made a deal Tuesday. The Flyers brought Simon Gagne back from Los Angeles in exchange for a conditional draft pick.

They aren’t done yet, either, but a potential move involving forward Danny Briere may not be as easy as general manager Paul Holmgren would like. Philly.com reports that Briere is unlikely to waive his full no-movement clause.

“I don’t want to comment on anything at this point,” Briere told the Daily News. ”Trades are not my department. I’ve been a Flyer for a long time. My heart belongs in Philadelphia with the Flyers. I can’t see myself playing anywhere else.”

According to the report, the Bruins are among the teams interested in the 35-year-old.

The St. Louis Blues seem to really be interested in Briere, too. St. Louis general manager Doug Armstrong has reportedly seen the Flyers in person a few times in the last couple of weeks.

Yet it doesn’t sound like anything is going to happen until Briere changes his mind regarding his non-movement clause, which doesn’t sound likely at this point.

Bryzgalov continues to show a fascination with outer space as well. In addition to sounding like he’s from outer space at times, Bryzgalov stole the 24/7 show last season with his ramblings about the universe. Then during the lockout, Bryzgalov used his time off looked into life as a cosmonaut.

Now, Bryzgalov is taking his fascination with the great beyond onto the ice with him. The Flyers tweeted out a couple of pictures of the goalie’s new mask Tuesday, and the new mask is a beaut. Bryzgalov has gone the Star Wars route, putting a couple of key characters on the mask.

Check out photos below via Twitter/@NHLFlyers.