Darroll Powe

With center Blair Betts recovering from shoulder surgery performed last month, the Flyers announced a key signing Thursday in forward Darroll Powe. Powe, 25, signed a one-year contract for $725,000, which puts the Flyers about $327,000 under the salary cap. Signed as a free agent in May 2007 after playing four years at Princeton, Powe scored 15 points on nine goals and six assists in 63 games last season, his second with the Flyers. "I am very excited about the opportunity to sign back on with the Flyers," Powe said.

Flyers coach John Stevens tinkered with his lines over the weekend and, surprisingly, the most effective group turned out to be the one with the least experience. That's the line of Claude Giroux centering Scottie Upshall and Darroll Powe. Giroux, a converted winger, and Powe are rookies. Upshall, at 25, is the group's elder statesman. "They showed a lot of jump," Stevens said after yesterday's practice at the Skate Zone in Voorhees. In two weekend wins, the line combined for seven points and was plus-8.

Boyd Kane's power-play goal in the third period led the Phantoms past the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, 3-2, last night in an AHL game at the Wachovia Spectrum. The Phantoms, who have jetted out to a 4-0 start, also got goals from Kyle Greentree and Darroll Powe. Kane's goal, with assists from Ryan Potulny and Stefan Ruzicka, broke a 2-2 tie at the 4-minute, 13-second mark of the final period. Brian Boucher played all 60 minutes, made 26 saves and improved to 4-0.

Chris Neil scored two goals last night and the Senators beat the Flyers, 3-1, in a preseason contest. Darroll Powe scored the Flyers' goal when he beat Martin Gerber 7 minutes into the first period. It was the Flyers' only shot of the opening period as they were outshot 15-1, and 34-11 overall. Jean-Sebastien Aubin stopped 21 shots over the first two periods for the Flyers. Maxime Ouellet stopped 10 shots in the third.

Chris Minard's second goal at 4 minutes, 20 seconds of the third period last night helped the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins edge the Phantoms, 4-3, in an American Hockey League game at the Wachovia Arena. The winning score came three minutes after Ben Lovejoy's goal snapped a 2-2 tie. The Phantoms (1-1) got the game's final goal from Darroll Powe at 11 minutes, 29 seconds of the period. Andreas Nodl and Jonathan Matsumoto also scored for the Phantoms. Goaltender Jean Sebastien-Aubin stopped 24 of 28 shots.

Frederik Cabana enjoyed the first two-goal game of his pro career to lead the Phantoms to a 4-2 win over the Albany River Rats last night in the AHL. The victory at the Times Union Center avenged a loss on the same ice a week ago and boosted the first-place Phantoms' East Division lead to six points. Cabana scored the game's first two goals, the first less than nine minutes in when he put the puck past goaltender John Grahame. Cabana scored again midway through the second period when Grahame left the crease to retrieve the puck behind the net. But Darroll Powe arrived first and fed Cabana for the goal.

Darroll Powe and David Laliberte each scored twice and goalie Scott Munroe was almost perfect, stopping 24 of 25 shots, as the Phantoms beat the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, 5-1, last night in an AHL game at the Wachovia Arena at Casey Plaza. The win enabled the Phantoms (11-10-0-0) to move in front of the Penguins (10-9-0-1) into third place in the East Division by a point. Jared Ross gave the Phantoms a 1-0 lead with 2 1/2 minutes left in the first period. Powe and Laliberte scored their first goals of the night in the second period, then scored again in the third after Luca Caputi scored the Penguins' lone goal early in the period.

The line of Frederik Cabana, Darroll Powe and Triston Grant combined for five points to lead the Phantoms past the Binghamton Senators, 5-1, last night in the AHL. A dozen Phantoms contributed at least one point to the win, which raised the team's lead in the East Division to nine points over Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Hershey and Albany. The win duplicated last season's total of 31. Cabana scored what would turn out to be the game-winner just 3 minutes, 7 seconds into the second period.

Rookie center Darroll Powe had a goal and two assists to lead the Phantoms past the Lowell Devils, 4-2, in an AHL game last night at Tsongas Arena. The fourth consecutive win for the Phantoms kept them in first place in the AHL East with a 26-10-1 record. The score was tied, 1-1, when the Phantoms took control with a three-goal second period. Powe had assisted on the first-period goal, and he got an assist on the next one for a 2-1 Phantoms lead. The center scored what turned out to be the game-winner, a power-play goal midway through the period, when he snapped a rebound of an Oskars Bartulis shot to make it 3-1. Noteworthy.

The Flyers have acquired their second defenseman in three days. Pavel Kubina, the righthanded-shooting defenseman from the Tampa Bay Lightning, was acquired by the Flyers on Saturday evening for two draft picks and minor-league center Jon Kalinski. The 6-foot-4, 258-pound Kubina is in the final year of a two-year, $7.7 million contract that has a cap hit of $3.85 million this season, according to Capgeek.com. He will be an unrestricted free agent after the season. The Flyers have a little more than $900,000 in salary cap space after sending Marc-Andre Bourdon down to the Phantoms.

WITH A PLATE of food perhaps simmering to the side and a press box overflowing with pro scouts from a bevy of teams, the Flyers' brass put its first foot forward last night toward improving the team before the Feb. 27 trade deadline. Without giving up a key piece of their lineup, the Flyers bolstered their defensive corps by adding Dallas blue liner Nicklas Grossman in exchange for a second-round pick in 2012 and a third-rounder in 2013. Neither one of the picks is the Flyers', though both are shaping up to be better than their current selections in those rounds, based on standings.

For the Flyers, clearing the crease and slot has been a major problem in the last month, so on Thursday they made a deal they hope will help solve those woes.  They acquired Dallas defenseman Nicklas Grossman, a rugged 6-foot-4, 230-pounder, for second- and third-round draft picks. The second-round 2012 pick was acquired from Los Angeles in the Mike Richards trade, and the 2013 third-rounder came from Minnesota for Darroll Powe.  "He's really going to give us a boost in our own zone," said general manager Paul Holmgren, adding that Grossman figures to be used on a regular shift and on the penalty kill.

Darroll Powe, a gritty, unheralded forward who helped the Flyers reach the Stanley Cup Finals in 2010, returned to the Wells Fargo Center Tuesday with Minnesota. Powe, 26, was used as a second-line winger and penalty killer. He entered the game with three goals, five points, and a minus-8 rating in 45 games. "It's been a good transition for me,"   Powe said before the game, in which he scored a second-period goal.   "I'm getting more of an opportunity to play some five-on-five minutes here.

The Flyers' youngest and oldest players were instrumental in one of the team's best all-around efforts of the season Tuesday, a 5-1 win over the free-falling Minnesota Wild at the Wells Fargo Center. The special teams produced three goals, including a shorthanded tally by the sizzling Sean Couturier, the Flyers' 19-year-old rookie. "I think we played a complete game tonight," 39-year-old winger Jaromir Jagr said after a two-assist night. "That's the way we should play. We have a lot of games at home, and you have to take advantage.

This story has been corrected from the version that appeared in the print edition of Wednesday's Inquirer. The Flyers' youngest and oldest players were instrumental in one of the team's best all-around efforts of the season Tuesday, a 5-1 win over the free-falling Minnesota Wild at the Wells Fargo Center. The special teams produced three goals, including a shorthanded tally by the sizzling Sean Couturier, the Flyers' 19-year-old rookie. "I think we played a complete game tonight," 39-year-old winger Jaromir Jagr said after a two-assist night.

WINNIPEG, Manitoba - After some growing pains, the Flyers' penalty-killing units have, for the most part, exceeded expectations and have played a key role in the team's recent success. They can only hope that their poor showing Saturday was an aberration, as they reverted back to their early-season form, allowing three power-play goals in a 6-4 loss to Winnipeg.   The October growing pains were expected. You don't lose three of your four penalty-killing forwards - Mike Richards (traded)

TORONTO - The Flyers left most of the regulars at home and took plenty of rookies and on-the-bubble players to Toronto, where they opened their exhibition season with an impressive 4-0 victory Tuesday night. A 3-0 second period, which included goals by rookies Zac Rinaldo and Mike Testwuide, along with a power-play score by newly acquired Wayne Simmonds, keyed the win. Sean Couturier, the Flyers' No. 1 draft pick in June, also scored. Goalie Sergei Bobrovsky made 27 saves, including some acrobatic stops during a five-on-three Toronto power play in the final period.

TORONTO - The Flyers left most of the regulars at home and took plenty of rookies and on-the-bubble players to Toronto, where they opened their exhibition season with an impressive 4-0 victory Tuesday night. A 3-0 second period, which included goals by rookies Zac Rinaldo and Mike Testwuide, along with a power-play score by newly acquired Wayne Simmonds, keyed the win. Sean Couturier, the Flyers' No. 1 draft pick in June, also scored. Goalie Sergei Bobrovsky made 27 saves, including some acrobatic stops during a five-on-three Toronto power play in the final period.