POST-PRACTICE UPDATE 1:00 p.m. EST

Needing a win at home tomorrow not to halt a two-game losing skid, the Philadelphia Flyers went through a lengthy practice on Monday at the Skate Zone in Voorhees, NJ. The club worked on everything from corner work and breakouts before switching ice surfaces and doing special teams play in the second half of practice.

With the exception of newcomer Carlo Colaiacovo entering the lineup in place of Brandon Manning on the third defensive pairing, the Flyers featured the same five-on-five personnel as in Saturday's game against the Panthers. On special teams, Brayden Schenn was back on the top power play unit with Vincent Lecavalier worked on the second unit. Colaiacovo also got some work on the second power play unit in place of Nick Schultz. Look for Steve Mason to get the start tomorrow night against Edmonton.

Braydon Coburn participated fully in the first half of practice. There is a chance he could be ready by the weekend if all goes well. The veteran said he is feeling much better -- with no discomfort doing things that bothered him in his previous attempt to return to the lineup.

During his absence, Coburn said that he's noticed the difference between the game on the ice and watching it from the press box "is quite remarkable" and things look much easier from a distance. One of the few advantages of not being down at ice level is an opportunity to see plays being made.

Colaiacovo was paired with Luke Schenn at practice. The two of them played as teammates (but not regular partners) in Toronto and for Team Canada at the 2011 World Championships but Flyers head coach Craig Berube said his main thinking in putting the two together was to put the puck-moving Colaiacovo with defensive defenseman Schenn.

The coach admitted that Colaiacovo may need a few games to recover his game conditioning but said it is both the team and the player's responsibility to get him where he needs to be. The coaching staff will monitor his minutes and go accordingly. Berube said that he's always liked Colaicovo's ability to make smart plays and that he's a good communicator on the ice, which is critical to playing successfully with any partner.

Colaicovo said that his puck moving prowess has been what has kept him in the game for such a long time (despite his well-document injury history).

"The game has changed a lot in the last few years, and it's all about possessing the puck and moving it to your forwards as fast as possible," said Colaiacovo. "That's what I try to do. It's important to make that good first pass and get it to the skill guys."

On a similar note, Berube said that the ice-time upswing for Michael Del Zotto has been a product of his increasingly solid all-around play on the ice and not just a matter of the injuries in the lineup.

The coach said of Del Zotto, "He's defending well, that's the first thing. He's defending and he's moving the puck. That's all he has to do."

Asked about the Flyers' recent struggles on the penalty kill, Berube said that there hasn't been anything structurally wrong -- apart from some gapping issues in the Dallas game that allowed a pair of back-door goals by Trevor Daley -- but there have been areas of execution that need to get better. Specifically, the team needs to do a better job at clearing the zone with the puck and also in getting blocked shots.

Incidentally, it is funny sometimes what you can pick up on video that you miss when watching the game live (even from the pressbox). Going back to the aforementioned Dallas game, watch the subtle hook that Jamie Benn applies to Flyers defenseman Nicklas Grossmann near the net -- much more visible and obvious on the reverse angle replay than full speed -- to create room for eventual goal scorer Daley.



Over the first four games, the Flyers went 9-for-10 on the penalty kill. In the seven games since then, the club has gone 16-for-23 (69.56 percent). On the power play, the club is in a 1-for-19 spell over the last six games. Berube said he is not concerned about the power play slump beyond the need to make sure the personnel is not getting too fancy with the puck and gets back to shooting the puck instead of trying to pass it into the net.

Berube was also asked about the offensive struggles of Matt Read this season. The coach said that he wants Read to do a better job at getting himself into the "dirty areas" and getting into a more of a shooting mentality. Berube said that both Read and Couturier sometimes get so focused on the checking aspects of the game, that they do not get themselves into shooting lanes when the opportunity presents itself at the other end.

Flyers forward R.J. Umberger said that, going into the Florida game, the club tried (unsuccessfully) to be focused on playing a patient game against the defensively oriented Panthers team. Going up against Edmonton, the focus is on playing a disciplined two-way game and not getting into a track meet of trading chances back and forth.

"They can put six goals up on you pretty quick if you try to play too wide open against them," said Umberger.

These were the Flyers lines and defense pairings:

12 Michael Raffl - 28 Claude Giroux - 93 Jakub Voracek
18 R.J. Umberger - 40 Vincent Lecavalier - 17 Wayne Simmonds
10 Brayden Schenn - 14 Sean Couturier - 24 Matt Read
36 Zac Rinaldo - 78 Pierre-Edouard Bellemare - 76 Chris VandeVelde

Extra forwards: Blair Jones, Jason Akeson

8 Nicklas Grossmann - 32 Mark Streit
15 Michael Del Zotto - 55 Nick Schultz
26 Carlo Colaiacovo - 22 Luke Schenn

Extra defenseman: Brandon Manning (skated with rehabbing Braydon Coburn)

35 Steve Mason (expected starter)
29 Ray Emery

1st Power Play Unit: B. Schenn - Giroux - Simmonds - Streit - Voracek
2nd Power Play Unit: Read - Couturier - Lecavalier - Del Zotto - Colaiacovo

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FLYERS SECOND POWER PLAY UNIT REMAINS A TROUBLE SPOT

Even the best power plays in the NHL experience ebbs and flows over the course of the season. That is why it is important for a club to be consistently good in five-on-five play. Teams that live by the power play will ultimately die by it.

The Flyers top power play unit has not produced much of late in terms of goals but it is as least generating a few scoring chances. As frustrating as the club's 0-for-6 showing in Florida and slump over the past week has been, all teams go through similar ups and downs at times. The personnel has had plenty of success together and has always worked through slumps and come through to be the backbone of a power play that annually ranks in the top one-third of the NHL.

When the top unit hits a dry spell, it is beneficial to have a respectable second unit to pick up some of the slack. That is something the Flyers really haven't had for a long time. The current group, even on the occasions when it gets a chunk of ice time during a two-minute power play, generally struggles to get set up let along creating quality chances.

With Vincent Lecavalier's return to the lineup on Saturday, there was a ripple effect both on the power play and on three even strength lines. Brayden Schenn had quietly been playing good hockey of late, scoring the game-winning goals against both Detroit (a third-period power play goal) and Los Angeles (overtime) as well as setting up Wayne Simmond's goal in the Tampa game. When Lecavalier returned, Schenn was moved back to the second power play unit and to Sean Couturier's line at 5-on-5.

The second unit remains an utter mess right now. Matt Read is playing with very little offensive confidence right now. Couturier needs to be more assertive when he has power play time. Schenn's success has been sporadic when he's been on the second unit. Michael Del Zotto has done better in his career as the off-point option rather than a power play quarterback. Nick Schultz has gotten power play time by default with Andrew MacDonald injured.

Something that puzzles me: When Flyers head coach Craig Berube has dressed Jason Akeson for games this season, he has avoided using the player on the power play. I don't get it. If there is one thing Akeson does truly well at the pro level, it's work the power pay. Putting aside the question of whether Akeson can adapt to a fourth-line role at even strength, it seems like a no-brainer to give him ice time on the secondary unit (stationed in the left half-boards role that Claude Giroux plays on the top unit).

R.J. Umberger is another player who has had considerable power play success in his career. Even last year in Columbus -- a down year for him by most other measures -- Umberger was a fairly effective power play performer. He averaged 2:03 TOI on the power play and produced a club-high eight power play goals among his 12 points on the man advantage.

In the four previous seasons, Umberger's power play usage and production for the Blue Jackets were as follows: eight power play goals (tops on the team) and 13 points in 3:17 TOI in 2010-11, five power play goals and 10 points over 3:09 average power play ice time in 2011-12 and two PPG and four points 2:41 TOI in 48 games during the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season.

To me, it stands to reason that if playing on the power play is something that Umberger has done well in the recent past -- regardless of his five-on-five productivity -- he may as well be used in that role on a regular basis.

If it were my choice to make, the second unit would consist of Lecavalier, Akeson, Umberger, Del Zotto and Read. Schenn would go back to the top unit, at least for the time being. Even though Lecavalier is the better pure sniper, Schenn is better suited to the former "Scott Hartnell spot" in the way the top unit rotates the puck.

Is this a stellar second unit? Probably not.

The personnel won't conjure images of the 1996-97 Flyers who had Rod Brind'Amour and rookies Vaclav Prospal and Janne Niinimaa anchoring a second unit that tore apart teams that put all their penalty killing eggs in the basket of stopping the Legion of Doom plus Paul Coffey and Eric Desjardins on the top unit. Alas, the 2014-15 Flyers don't have that sort of arsenal at their disposal.

A coach has to work with what the hand he's been dealt but also put his players in the best position to succeed. I don't think Berube has done that with Akeson or, to a lesser extent, with Umberger. In the bigger picture, revising the second-unit personnel for a few games seems worth a look because what the Flyers have there right now is simply not working.

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QUICK HITS: NOVEMBER 3

* Today in Flyers' History: On Nov. 3, 1984, Pelle Lindbergh made a spectacular recovery on a penalty shot by Minnesota North Stars forward Scott Bjugstad. The goaltender, who went on to win the Vezina Trophy that season, bit on an initial deke by Bjugstad and was caught leaning the wrong way. Showing cat-like quickness, Lindbergh recovered to dive across the crease in the other direction and knock the puck aside.

* On Nov. 3, 2011, Flyers forward Max Talbot successfully converted a third period penalty shot attempt against New Jersey Devils netminder Johan Hedberg. The Flyers, who were unable to protect leads of 2-0 and 3-2 (Talbot's goal restored a lead), when on lose via shootout, 4-3. Sergei Bobrovsky made 36 regulation and overtime saves before stopping one of three attempts in the shootout. Patrik Elias scored the game winner.

* Saturday's Flyers Alumni vs. Blue Liners game in Oaks, PA, raised money for the Montgomery County Hero Fund, which was started a few years ago in honor of fallen officer Brad Fox. The fund exists to provide support to the families of fallen police officers, firemen, military personnel and other first responders from the local area. For more information, visit the Hero Fund Facebook page. For more information on the Flyers Alumni, click here.


1980s era teammates Brad Marsh and Brian Propp reunited for the benefit game in Oaks.


The Flyers Alumni vs. Blue Liners Game benefited the Montgomery County Hero Fund.