*The Florida Panthers are in town tonight; last game was a 6-5 shootout goalfest so it’ll be interesting to see how this one ends up, particularly since both they and we are riding little win streaks. News out of practice yesterday was that James van Riemsdyk is cleared for contact and getting closer to being back in the lineup. [Flyers]
*So, with this news comes the logical question, where does JVR go? [Courier-Post]
*Have you been wondering what John Boruk thinks will happen when JVR is back in the lineup? No? Well here it is anyway. [NBC Sports Philly]
*The top line has finally started to get going, Sean Couturier in particular. [Philly.com]
*Oh, and perhaps you’ve noticed that Claude Giroux is still insanely good. The league noticed, at least. [BSH]
*Oh and Oskar Lindblom? Also good! Lots of good stuff to focus on, what a time. [NHL.com]
*If you’re a subscriber over at The Athletic Charlie is doing a really cool new thing where he isolates a single play from one of the week’s games and takes a deep dive into it. You’ll like this. [The Athletic]
*Prospect report! Wade Allison is no longer hurt, The Germ continues to crush, and David Kase is still a very pleasant surprise. [BSH]
*A record number of Finnish players made NHL rosters this season. What’s lead to this sudden influx? [ESPN]
*A settlement has been reached in the NHL concussion lawsuit. A paltry settlement at best. [CTV News]
*When compared to the NFL’s concussion-related lawsuit settlement, the amount these hockey players are receiving looks even worse. [USA Today]
*And all of this on the day that Gary Bettman was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. He’s done a lot of stuff. Some good, some bad. The denial of the long-term effects of head injuries should be a black mark on his record, though. [TSN]
*And finally…the Flyers have started to win games. It’s true. But does this erase the underlying problems? Is it okay to still feel unsure about this team? [BSH]
