Brayden Schenn

For the first time this season, the Flyers won when they didn't have a lead heading into the third period. Winger Wayne Simmonds completed his second Gordie Howe hat trick - a goal, assist, and fight - in the last three games as he scored on the power play with 11 minutes, 3 seconds left, keying the Flyers' 5-3 win over the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday afternoon at the Wells Fargo Center. Skating by the crease, Simmonds took a slick backhand pass from Brayden Schenn (two goals) and rammed in his seventh goal of the season.

The Schenn brothers - Luke and Brayden - played a major role in the Flyers' 4-3 overtime win over Carolina on Saturday at the Wells Fargo Center. Luke Schenn, a bruising defenseman, had eight hits and six blocked shots in a team-high 24 minutes, 50 seconds, while Brayden had a goal and two assists as the Flyers concluded a 3-0-1 homestand. "Seven of eight points. We'll take it," said Luke Schenn, who will face his former Toronto teammates Monday. "It was good to get back on track a little bit, but we have to be a lot better on the road.

Peter Laviolette is excited to put the puzzle (read: his new team) together. "This camp," the Flyers coach said the other day, "has a lot of value. " More so than in past years because the Flyers are coming off a summer makeover in which they dramatically changed the team's core. "Should be a very interesting camp," Laviolette said. Rookie camp, which will feature centers Brayden Schenn and Sean Couturier, opens Monday at the Skate Zone in Voorhees at 10 a.m. The players will be on the ice at 9 a.m. on Tuesday and 11 a.m. on Wednesday.

For the 0-3 Flyers, the news keeps getting worse. They lost two forwards from their already-depleted lineup Wednesday as Brayden Schenn was suspended for a game and the team announced that Scott Hartnell was out "indefinitely" because of an injured left foot. Both will miss Thursday's game against the visiting New York Rangers. The Flyers were already missing injured forwards Danny Briere and Zac Rinaldo. Schenn was suspended by the NHL for a second-period hit on New Jersey's Anton Volchenkov in Tuesday's 3-0 loss to the Devils.

IT'S JUST SHORT of a declarative statement, but the Flyers expect Brayden Schenn to play for the big club all of next season - and maybe play big for it, too. Yes, Wayne Simmonds also will be a valuable piece, and yes, they still expect to come to terms with him on a new contract, but if the kid is toiling with the Phantoms in Glens Falls in October and Mike Richards is pumping them in on the Left Coast, there will be quite the queasy feeling around...

First in a series   THE FIRST order of business for Paul Holmgren this summer is determining which unit was more a cause of concern for the Flyers: the offense or the defense. For me, it's a clear answer. Even if they remained completely healthy all season, the Flyers' biggest weakness remained on the back end, where they entered the season one or two solid pieces away from even being considered a true contender. Yes, the Flyers scored nearly a half-goal less per game during the shortened season, but they also gave up more than they scored.

Here is staff writer Sam Carchidi's key to the game:   For the Flyers, containing the Jordan Staal line - which has been more effective than the heralded Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby units - and getting better production from Danny Briere and his linemates. Briere, Brayden Schenn, and Wayne Simmonds are a combined minus-16 in the last two games.

The trades: Mike Richards to Los Angeles Kings for center Brayden Schenn, right wing Wayne Simmonds and a 2012 second-round pick. Jeff Carter to Columbus for right wing Jakub Voracek and the Blue Jackets' first-round pick (eighth overall) and third-round pick in this weekend's draft. The signing: Goalie Ilya Bryzgalov to a 9-year, $51 million deal

The hard-partying ways of Flyers captain Mike Richards and center Jeff Carter played a major role in the organization's decision to trade both players in June, say two Flyers who played with the pair last season. Carter was sent to the Columbus Blue Jackets for free agent forward Jakub Voracek and first- and third-round picks in the draft, and Richards was traded to the Los Angeles Kings for Wayne Simmonds and Brayden Schenn. The two unnamed players said that the Flyers front office was disappointed in Carter and Richards' longstanding party lifestyle and that teammates were concerned about the pair's drinking.

The Flyers, enjoying a brief break, loaned forwards Tom Sestito and Ben Holmstrom back to the Phantoms because centers Sean Couturier (head injury) and Brayden Schenn (concussion) appear close to returning. The Flyers will resume practicing Monday in Voorhees at noon. Practices are free and open to the public. They play on Tuesday in Tampa against the Lightning. The Flyers are 7-2-1 in their last 10 road games, with both losses against the Rangers. Speaking of the Rangers, New York goalie Henrik Lundqvist had his home scoreless streak against the Flyers snapped at 193 minutes, 55 seconds - more than three games - when Andrej Meszaros scored in Friday's third period.