Wayne Simmonds

When he plays in Pittsburgh, goalie Sergei Bobrovsky is a certified Penguins killer. The Flyers hope that trend continues Sunday afternoon. They face the Penguins at the Consol Energy Center in what is likely a first-round playoff preview. With Saturday's 4-3 shootout loss to Ottawa, the Flyers inched to within three points of the fourth-seeded Penguins in the East. Both teams have four games left in the regular season. "We still control our own destiny," winger Wayne Simmonds said.

Nylander demoted The Washington Capitals sent high-salaried forward Michael Nylander to the minor-league Grand Rapids Griffins on loan yesterday, ridding the team of a $4.875 million salary. Nylander, the team's premier free-agent acquisition in 2007, had not been activated for any of this season's first 33 games. "It was just playing style," said general manager George McPhee. "It just didn't work out. For lots of reasons, players excel in one place and don't in another.

Hockey is back. Now, before you think we're talking about the start of the NHL season, stop dreaming. Friday was the 62d day of the lockout, and there is no end in sight. But a benefit hockey game featuring several NHL players will be played at 7 p.m. next Saturday at Atlantic City's Boardwalk Hall, with proceeds aiding those affected by Sandy. The game, billed as Operation Hat Trick because it aids three organizations, will feature all-stars Scott Hartnell and Kimmo Timonen of the Flyers and Brad Richards of the New York Rangers.

Here are some facts about the new Flyers: Brayden Schenn 6-foot, 190 pounds Center, 19 years old Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren called Schenn one of the best young players not playing in the NHL, calling him a "hidden gem. " Schenn was the fifth-overall pick in the 2009 draft and has recorded an impressive 315 points in 224 games playing in the Western Hockey League. Holmgren said Schenn will go to the Flyers' development camp in July and then training camp.

LONDON, Ontario - Flyers winger Wayne Simmonds, one of the NHL's few black players, had a banana thrown at him from the stands as he started the shootout against Detroit on Thursday night at the Labatt Centre. The arena is operated by Global Spectrum, a subsidiary of the Flyers' parent company, Comcast-Spectacor. The banana sailed past Simmonds, and he kept his concentration and scored, but the Flyers lost in the shootout, 4-3. "At first, I thought 'I better get another shot if I miss,' " Simmonds said in the Flyers locker room after the game.

ONE GAGGLE of cameras and audio recorders surrounded Wayne Simmonds. Another was quickly forming around Danny Briere. Brayden Schenn kept his head down and walked toward his stall in the corner of the Flyers' dressing room, distanced from the bright lights and eager microphones. Schenn, 21, entered Monday's action tied for 29th in NHL scoring with 19 points - ahead of such bigger names as Jonathan Toews, Marian Hossa, Ilya Kovalchuk, Alex Ovechkin and even Simmonds. Yet no player ahead of him on that list - especially no Flyer - has received less attention and fanfare this 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.

Winger Jaromir Jagr scored a pair of power-play goals, Wayne Simmonds was involved in controversy with Sean Avery, and center Brayden Schenn suffered an upper-body injury in the Flyers' lively 5-3 exhibition win over the New York Rangers on Monday night at the Wells Fargo Center. Jagr, 39, has a total of three goals in two games. He figures to bolster a power play that was 19th among 30 teams with a 16.6 percent success rate last season. The Flyers' power play was 3 for 8 Monday.

Jake's Sandwich Board (122 S. 12th) is seeking a few hungry garlic lovers. These brave souls will attempt the shop's 5 Pound Philly Challenge from noon to 2 p.m. Friday while the Travel Channel's "Food Paradise" documents the experience. The challenge features a supersized 2-foot-long, 3-pound version of Jake's Garlic Bomb — a cheesesteak with roasted garlic spread, sautéed garlic and deep-fried garlic cloves — accompanied by 24 Peanut Chews, 12 Tastykakes, four soft pretzels and one Champ cherry soda.

Eric Lindros has turned into a business entrepreneur and is getting married in November. But the years that made him famous in Philadelphia - as one of the most gifted and rugged players in Flyers history - are why he is returning to the area next week. Lindros will be one of the inductees into the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame on Nov. 8 at the Sheraton Society Hill. "It's a special thrill," Lindros, 39, said this week from Ontario. "It's definitely an honor, and I'm awfully proud to be going in with that company.