[Jlg-28]

Source : NHL.com


Flyers' center Mike Richards has been an
offensive machine this season, leading
the team in several scoring categories.
It took a year longer than the Philadelphia Flyers had hoped, but Mike Richards has emerged as the impact player they projected him to be.

Richards is one of the two keys (along with goaltender Martin Biron) to the Flyers’ rebound from the bottom of soon as the NHL standings in 2006-07 to the top of the Atlantic Division this season. He leads the team in goals (10), points (20), short-handed goals (three) and game-winners (three), and has won more than 52 percent of his faceoffs. His short-handed goal Monday night against the Islanders was the game-winner, and he has six points in his last four games.

In short, Richards has become the kind of all-around player the Flyers thought he’d be when they drafted him in the first round (24th overall) in 2003. He’s quickly eclipsing memories of last season, when his 10 goals and 32 points were a key reason for the Flyers’ struggles. Now he’s a vital cog in their resurgence.

Five up -- Five players who have been hot: