Sean Couturier

For the Flyers, Operation Playoff Push needs to go into overdrive. They have 13 games to climb over five teams in the Eastern Conference playoff hunt. Physical left winger Jay Rosehill, acquired from Anaheim on Monday for speedy winger Harry Zolnierczyk, figures to play in some of those games, giving the Flyers their first heavyweight enforcer in nearly two months. "He's a player you hate to play against," captain Claude Giroux said after the Flyers practiced in Voorhees on Tuesday, preparing for Wednesday's game against visiting Montreal.

OTTAWA - One is the son of a military man and someone who lived all over North America during his formative years. The other is the son of a former NHL player and someone who was a certified rink rat - always trailing after his dad - as a youngster. But the different career paths of speedy winger Matt Read - he's the son of the military lifer - and unflappable center Sean Couturier intersected with the Flyers this season and took them to Ottawa this weekend, where they were recognized as two of the NHL's elite rookies.

PITTSBURGH - The Flyers and Penguins cannot do normal, or sedate. Starting last spring, and continuing until today, these two rivals have been incapable of playing a hockey game that does not resemble a coin spinning wildly on its edge, spinning and toppling in an unpredictable direction. And for all of this, we are glad. A dozen preposterously fun things happened Wednesday night at Consol Energy Center, and maybe more. "There were just so many crazy parts to the game," Flyers coach Peter Laviolette said.

Though Sergei Bobrovsky has played like the Flyers' top goalie, coach Peter Laviolette made it clear that Ilya Bryzgalov is still his No. 1. "I don't use numbers - you know that," Laviolette said when asked who his No. 1 was after Monday's practice in Voorhees. "Now Bryz has gotten a majority of the starts. I don't know if that answers your question or not. . . . Bryz was brought here to be a horse, and he's received a majority of the games. I don't see that changing. " That means Bryzgalov figures to start Tuesday against visiting Minnesota.

WINNIPEG, Manitoba - The Flyers recalled left winger Harry Zolnierczyk from the AHL's Adirondack Phantoms and put him into the lineup Tuesday night in Winnipeg, hoping he can awaken a sleepy offense. Zolnierczyk isn't exactly a prolific scorer, but he brings some much-needed quickness to a team that, entering Tuesday, had produced a total of nine goals in its six road losses. A year ago, Zolnierczyk collected six points in 37 games with the Flyers. He had nine goals and eight assists in 46 games with the Phantoms this season.

UNIONDALE, N.Y. - As expected, center Claude Giroux and defenseman Kimmo Timonen were selected for the NHL All-Star Game, but the omission of winger Scott Hartnell was a surprise, especially to his teammates and coach Peter Laviolette. In addition to Giroux and Timonen, Flyers forwards Matt Read and Sean Couturier were among 12 rookies chosen to compete in the weekend skills competition. The All-Star Game will be held Jan. 29 at Ottawa. Last week, fan voting determined the first six players for the game.

Flyers winger Jake Voracek looked outside the locker room and pointed toward the league standings that hung on the opposite wall. The playoffs are still in reach, said Voracek, who noted that the Flyers were just five points out of the Eastern Conference's eighth and final postseason spot Thursday. That's a rather positive outlook for a Flyers team that has dropped five of its last seven games. Three of the losses came to division opponents. In the midst of a five-day break before they face the Penguins Sunday in Pittsburgh, the Flyers displayed a new look at Thursday's two-hour practice at the Skate Zone in Voorhees.

NEWARK, N.J. - Scott Hartnell skated Friday, but there is no change to the timetable for the injured left winger. Hartnell suffered a broken bone in his left foot Jan. 22 and was expected to miss four to eight weeks. Three weeks have passed since Hartnell underwent surgery. He met with a doctor Friday. Hartnell led the Flyers with a career-high 37 goals last season, and his absence has been felt this month as scoring has become an issue for the team. "He's a big part of our locker room.

NEWARK - Looking for a spark after an 0-2 start, Flyers coach Peter Laviolette scrambled all four lines Tuesday against New Jersey and inserted newcomer Tye McGinn on a line with Brayden Schenn and Wayne Simmonds. The Flyers, who scored a total of three goals in their first two games, began Tuesday with these lines: Claude Giroux centering Scott Hartnell and Jake Voracek. Voracek replaced Schenn on the top line. Sean Couturier centering Ruslan Fedotenko and Matt Read. Schenn centering McGinn and Simmonds.

Claude Giroux needs some help. The Flyers captain went into Thursday's game among the NHL leaders by being successful on 55.4 percent of his faceoffs. Despite his success, the Flyers had won just 46.5 percent of their draws, putting them 28th in the 30-team NHL. Put another way: If you take away Giroux, the rest of the Flyers had won just 40.9 percent of their faceoffs. As a result, the Flyers are getting less zone time and frequently seem to be on the defensive side of the puck.