It's ok Phillies fans. Come here. Come to Flyers Goal Scored By… for a nice big hug. There, there. Doesn't that feel better? But what are you going to do you ask? Yes I understand that the Eagles only play on Sunday. I've got an idea. How about rooting for the Flyers? They're good. Well they might be good. They play at random times during the week. I know it's not every night like the Fightin's but you have to let go of the past. Yes, that's better. Let me get you up to speed…

The Flyers are 7-4-1 out of the gate. Hey, that's better than the Phils regular season winning percentage! They're tied for 6th in the East but have a number of games at hand against the teams in front of them. Things were "dire" until the FlyBoys hammered two foes from the Southeast Division this past weekend to move into a respectable position. Here are the storylines:

Simon Gagne out until 2010 - groin shit, everybody's worried about goal production but the Flyers scored 12 goals in those previously mentioned two wins. Expect it to be a story again when the Flyers get shutout.

Goaltending - so far the Ray Emery (the black Flyer you saw on the news with Joe Frazier) gamble has paid off. He hasn't been extraordinary but he's been consistent, able to make the occasional incredible save, and a work horse. He has a 2.42 Goals Against Average and a .916 Save Percentage, which I would say is like a .303 batting average with an error or two - so pretty good.

The Salary Cap - I honestly don't know what hockey people talked about before there was a salary cap, but I do know what they talked about after there was a salary cap - the salary cap. With the recent, and hopefully short-term, loss of Daniel Briere to a strained quad, combined with the Long Term loss of Gagne, the Flyers have opened some cap space. They filled some of it by losing Randy Jones on waivers and having to pay him to not play for the Kings, but they're significantly under it at the moment. When Gagne comes back expect to read a lot about how close they are to the cap as many think Paul Holmgren mismanaged it last year.

Chris Pronger - the man who is supposed to bring the Cup back to Philly has played decent himself and turned Matt Carle into an all-star. Matt Carle, who had 26 points all of last year, has 12 points in 12 games this season. And don't think his defense is suffering for it as he is a plus 11. He should probably give Chris Pronger a higher cut of his upcoming new contract than his agent.

Rabbit - Everyone calls rookie James van Riemsdyk by the nickname Rabbit, for starters. Everyone. Secondly, the kid has played himself into Calder and Team USA discussions with 13 points in 10 games to lead all Rookies in scoring.

Toughness - the Flyers hadn't really been very scrappy until Halloween afternoon, when they had 3 fights. Riley Cote hasn't dressed much this season and Arron Asham's only played his way into the lineup as a result of injuries. Daniel Carcillo has been under control, which I don't know if I like.

Small Tweaks, Big Impact - The additions of Blair Betts and Ian Laperriere seem to being paying off big time for the Flyers, especially in the defensive zone and on the PK.

Philly Loves to Hate - Braydon Coburn is not playing well enough. People are whispering about a Giroux sophomore slump. Truth is they're both fine and although their stats haven't reflected it they are doing good work out there.

The Centerpiece - Mike Richards and Jeff Carter have 29 points in the Flyers 12 games. They will need to continue to set the bar for the other players and they look poised to move from young guns to young veterans this season.

All Eyes On - Phantom call up David Laliberte, who has two goals and an assist in his first two NHL games.

There, you're up to speed. The Phils had a heroic season and came up two games short of another WFS. And unless you’re a very advanced baby who can read you lived through the glory last year already. So say your goodbyes and come over to the Flyers. We'll punch someone in the face for you.

Next Game: Friday at Buffalo.