Philadelphia Flyers

Basketball2 Philadelphia Flyers -- Signed LW Ryan Sittler.CollegesMississippi -- Named James T. "Pete" Boone as athletic director.Auburn -- Named Kim Davis women's golf coach.

If the Washington Capitals' meeting with the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday night truly represented a measuring stick of their progress under coach Dale Hunter, as players billed it in the hours leading up to the game, then they came up far short. Washington fell, 5-1, at Verizon Center in a game in which its offense fell dormant for stretches, the defensive zone coverage eroded and the goaltending allowed soft goals. The Capitals are 3-4 under Hunter and have lost six of their past nine.

HockeyNew Jersey Devils: Recalled LW Reid Simpson from AHL Albany.Philadelphia Flyers: Waived LW Gilbert Dionne and will designate him for assignment today.

PHILADELPHIA - Mark Recchi leans back against his locker, relaxed, happy. The only tension surrounding the Philadelphia Flyers this season is what comes with being a favorite to win the Stanley Cup. And that's something nearly everyone in the room appreciates. "It's definitely a little calmer around here," Recchi said. "It's pretty obvious we don't have the distractions." The big distraction was Eric Lindros. The strapping center sat out all of last season after demanding a trade from the organization with which he had grown to stardom.

CollegeMid-Continent Conference -- Suspended Regina Miller, Western Illinois women's basketball coach, two games for an unspecified ethics violation.Kentucky -- Named Calvin Miller assistant football coach.HockeyBuffalo Sabres -- Reassigned LW Viktor Gordiouk and D Dean Melanson to AHL Rochester.Philadelphia Flyers -- Signed G Les Kuntar.Washington Capitals -- Recalled C Jeff Nelson from AHL Portland.

PHILADELPHIA -- The Philadelphia Flyers gave the Washington Capitals a demonstration of life in the big leagues without a big-league goal scorer last night.2 And last night, the Capitals couldn't do that.

Football Kansas City Chiefs -- Activated S Deron Cherry.HockeyPhiladelphia Flyers -- Recalled G Pete Peeters and D Murray Baron from Hershey (AHL). Sent G Bruce Hoffort to Hershey.SoccerHershey Impact (NPSL) -- Signed MF Stan Koziol (Loyola College) and MF Bobby Harmon to one-year contracts. Named David Markowski club president.

Baseball(See Page 5C)HockeyMighty Ducks of Anaheim -- Released LW Tim Sweeney.Buffalo Sabres -- Sent LW Peter Ambroziak to AHL Rochester.Edmonton Oilers -- Assigned LW Alexander Kerch to AHL Providence.Los Angeles Kings -- Assigned LW Jeff Shevalire and LW Dave Thomlinson to IHL Phoenix.Philadelphia Flyers -- Returned D Jason Bowen to AHL Hershey.Washington Capitals -- Returned RW Martin Gendron to AHL Portland.

Baseball New York Yankees -- Acquired P Xavier Hernandez from the Houston Astros for P Domingo Jean and IF Andy Stankiewicz.Basketball4( Utah Jazz -- Waived G Dave Jamerson.FootballAtlanta Falcons -- Waived RB Anthony Wallace. Signed DB Charles Washington.HockeyPhiladelphia Flyers -- Acquired D Rob Ramage from the Montreal Canadiens for future considerations.

Baseball Oakland Athletics -- Placed OF Jose Canseco on the 15-day DL. Recalled OF Troy Neel from Triple-A Tacoma. Added P Kelly Downs to their major-league roster. Optioned P Johnny Guzman to Tacoma. Signed P Benji Grigsby and assigned him to the Rookie League Athletics in Arizona.Utica -- Named Mike Adey men's assistant basketball coach.FootballNew England Patriots -- Signed S Tim Gordon.HockeyPhiladelphia Flyers -- Signed G Tommy Soderstrom.

PHILADELPHIA - Capitals goalie Olie Kolzig probably wanted to take his teammates to the woodshed after each of the first two periods last night at the First Union Center. They had done nothing to protect him, done nothing to demonstrate a care for their goalie, done nothing to impede the Philadelphia Flyers at all. Only a slap shot by Jaromir Jagr that caught the Flyers by surprise had gotten Washington on the scoreboard in the opening period, and only an amazing performance by Kolzig kept the Capitals in the game at all. But by the time Kolzig, who allowed five goals on 29 shots, took a seat for the third period, the Capitals had learned their goalie, as good as he is, can't do it all by himself all the time.

Philadelphia is a sports fan's town. The city boasts all manner of sports teams, and three venues where you can catch the pros at play. Whatever the season, you can find a professional or collegiate sporting event to attend in the city. From June 5-10, the First Union Cycling Series takes place. Top professional cyclists from around the world will be racing in the streets of the Philadelphia area. From Aug. 8-11, Philadelphia is host to the U.S. Gymnastics Championship. From Aug. 17-23, it's ESPN's X Games, showcasing 350 of the world's best action-sports athletes.

PHILADELPHIA -- Story lines. Every Stanley Cup Finals has a bunch of them. This matchup between the Philadelphia Flyers and Detroit Red Wings, which begins tonight at CoreStates Center, is no exception: After the New York Rangers ended their drought in 1994, the Red Wings replaced them as the team having gone the longest without a Stanley Cup.Detroit's last championship team, in 1955, featured Gordie Howe, Alex Delvecchio, Ted Lindsay and Red Kelly.The...

Opponent: Philadelphia FlyersWhere: USAir Arena, LandoverTime: 7:30TV/Radio: HTS/WTEM (570 AM)Outlook: The Capitals (3-6) have won two of their past three but come into tonight's game after losing, 1-0, in a goaltending duel in Colorado. During the just-completed road trip, the Caps lost C Michal Pivonka for four to six weeks with a lateral meniscus cartilage tear and a bad bone bruise. The Flyers (5-6) are without injured Eric Lindros and come in off Sunday's 3-2 loss to the Florida Panthers.

LANDOVER -- The Washington Capitals turned a plodding game into a joyous celebration last night, yanking the sellout crowd out of their seats midway through the final period.In a little less than six minutes, the Caps took the lead on a power-play goal by Joe Juneau, killed a five-minute major penalty brought on when defenseman Mark Tinordi was caught spearing, and made it clear they were fully intending to get goalie Jim Carey his fourth shutout of the season and the eighth of his career if they could.

HockeyNew Jersey Devils: Recalled LW Reid Simpson from AHL Albany.Philadelphia Flyers: Waived LW Gilbert Dionne and will designate him for assignment today.

Opponent: Philadelphia FlyersWhere: USAir Arena, LandoverTime: 7:30TV/Radio: HTS/WTEM (570 AM)Outlook: The Capitals (3-6) have won two of their past three but come into tonight's game after losing, 1-0, in a goaltending duel in Colorado. During the just-completed road trip, the Caps lost C Michal Pivonka for four to six weeks with a lateral meniscus cartilage tear and a bad bone bruise. The Flyers (5-6) are without injured Eric Lindros and come in off Sunday's 3-2 loss to the Florida Panthers.