JAROMIR JAGR said yesterday that his goal was to push Claude Giroux over the top in the NHL's Art Ross Trophy race during the second half of the season.
Last night, as the Flyers' kicked off their second half against Winnipeg, Jagr's goal was just to make it through the entire game.
Lately, his 39-year-old body hasn't held up as planned. He missed the two games before the All-Star break with a groin injury that had nagged him since before Thanksgiving. It never completely healed.
"Maybe I just don't know how to deal with injuries," Jagr said before the game. "Maybe I'm too impatient. I just want to play every opportunity I get."
And so, Jagr returned to the lineup last night and played 15:36, a solid number considering he went through four games this season (Nov. 17, Nov. 23, Jan. 2 and Jan. 21) without lasting 8 minutes before his uncooperative groin forced him to hit the showers.
Last night, the age of his two power-play linemates - Sean Couturier and Brayden Schenn - combined to match his 39 years.
Aside from their goaltender, Jagr might be the Flyers' biggest key to the second half, because, when he's producing, so is everyone else. Jagr posted 29 points in his first 29 games with the Flyers but slowed to a trickle with five points in his last 11 games.
Not coincidentally, Claude Giroux went without a goal in that 11-game stretch, posting nine assists.
Then again, Jagr warned that one full contest might not be a good barometer, since he played full games against Minnesota and the Islanders before sitting out again.
"I feel good," Jagr said after the game. "I was a little bit tired during the third period. I was playing a lot for a guy who didn't play for a long time. For the last 10 minutes, I was on the ice every other shift."
Nursing a concussion over the 5-day NHL All-Star break, Danny Briere never actually got away from the rink. That's because he spent the weekend driving his three boys back and forth to their hockey games.
Briere, 34, was back on the ice yesterday during the Flyers' morning skate, putting his symptoms to the test with hard skating after his teammates left the ice. He's missed the last three games since getting hit in New Jersey on Jan. 21.
James van Riemsdyk, still out since Jan. 14 with a concussion, also skated but declined to speak to the media.
