Flyers fans two weeks ago: Fire Hakstol, fire Hextall this team is a dumpster fire, trade everyone!

Flyers fans now: You guys, this team is actually good!

Two extremes, but you can say the Flyers have been very streaky as of late. The orange and black earned their fifth straight win by defeating the Buffalo Sabres 2-1 last night at the Wells Fargo Center. Travis Sanheim scored his first goal in his NHL career, while Valtteri Filppula scored the game-winner. Things were pretty tame after a wild opening four minutes, which saw Buffalo’s Ryan O’Reilly and Sanheim score the first two goals of the game. Brian Elliott stopped 19 of 20 total shots on the night.

The bigger question regarding the team is whether or not they can hold this level of play and keep it up for the remaining four months of the season. They got half their games back from their 10-game losing streak, but are still out of playoff contention. They don’t need to win out the rest of the season obviously, but sticking in the thick of things come February would be a big boost for the team and the fans.

The team hosts the Dallas Stars on Saturday night as they hope to make it a six-game winning streak.

The Roundup:

The Eagles continue to get ready for their first game without Carson Wentz. There were some injuries worth noting:

Jason Kelce also got hurt, but for a little bit. He got cleated in the leg, but he also killed a recycling bin:

RIP in peace that recycling bin. Here’s what happened from his point of view.

“What happened is I’m an idiot. You’d think at 30 years old I’d be able to control myself a little bit better than that. I got cleated in a drill and I had an ankle sprain a couple weeks ago. The best way I can equate it anybody out there who’s done yard work, and you hit your thumb with a hammer and you throw the hammer halfway across the yard because of that. That’s about as close as I can get to it.

“Nothing serious. I got cleated in one of the drills and it was just a stupid reaction. Very minimal damage long-term, but it hurts like a b**** in the moment.”

As much as you sometimes don’t like Carson Wentz putting it all on the line, neither does Jay Ajayi.

As for Wentz’s replacement, Nick Foles will need to develop immediate chemistry with his pass catchers, even though some might be familiar to him. He also believes he’s better off handling adversity now:

“You just sort of see the game a little more clearly,” Foles said this week, when asked how he is different from the QB who trudged off the field in Houston. He said that perspective is the product of age and experience – he has doubled his time in the NFL, if not his number of actual snaps, since then.

“Even stepping into the game like [in Los Angeles], in the fourth quarter, you’re on the road, and it’s a big game. You really just go back to your training, back to your experiences in life, you know how to sort of live in that moment, to execute the plays to help your team win,” he said.

“Since that moment in Houston where I fractured my collarbone I’ve experienced a lot more experiences in the NFL than I had up to that point. A lot of them great, some of them not so great. But they all go together, they create this moment in time.”

Another player who’s confident in his new role: Nate Sudfeld, the team’s new backup quarterback.

No matter who’s behind center or how many players get injured, right guard Brandon Brooks says the team will do whatever it takes to get the job done.

Additionally, the Birds brought back a familiar face to the practice squad in wide receiver Bryce Treggs.

Thanks to a leak in NBA 2K18 and Conrad Burry, we saw what the Sixers’ “City Edition” uniforms will look like:

A pleasant sight to see at practice on Thursday: Robert Covington. He celebrated his 27th birthday and said he’ll play tonight against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

ESPN will also dedicate the entire day for Sixers coverage.

Joel Embiid explains his latest Instagram post on Karl-Anthony Towns, which solidified himself as a national treasure.

Finally, welcome the 76ers Gaming Club to our city. Absolutely pumped! eSports baby!

Bob takes us into the Manny Machado rumors, which might not go much farther for the Phillies. Here’s why:

Meanwhile, the team announced the hiring of Jose Flores as their first base coach and infield/baserunning instructor. They also lost outfielder Carlos Tocci in the Rule 5 draft to the Texas Rangers.

Pat Neshek is here for the jokes:

https://twitter.com/PatNeshek/status/941472405997924352

https://twitter.com/PatNeshek/status/941478114651246592

And one Army sergeant got the treat of his life from Mickey Morandini:

In news that shouldn’t surprise you, Villanova is the best team in the Big 5.

As for action this weekend, Temple will host Drexel Saturday at 5 PM on ESPN3. On Sunday, La Salle will host Mercer, and St. Joe’s will host Maine at 4:30.

Former writer Kevin Cooney has a new job title: Rosemont College Sports Information Director:

Best of luck to Kevin.

In other sports news, the Denver Broncos beat the Indianapolis Colts 25-13. But the talk isn’t about the outcome of the game. It’s about the injury to Colts tight end Brandon Williams. Williams has a pre-existing condition called spinal stenosis, which made him medically ineligible to play while at Oregon.

The Boston Globe detailed problems for women at ESPN and also named John Buccigross and Matthew Berry in the story.

As for ESPN, what does Walt Disney acquiring 21st Century Fox mean for sports fans?

Giants cornerback Eli Apple was fined for tweeting on the sideline during Sunday’s loss to the Cowboys. He wants to play this week against the Eagles.

Cardinals’ running back Adrian Peterson is done for the year with a neck injury.

Somehow, this guy got $10,000:

In the news, by a 3-2 vote, the FCC voted to repeal Net Neutrality rules. But the fight isn’t over just yet.

The Schwenksville community is gathering to help support a family devastated by a fire that took the lives of their two kids. You can also donate to their GoFundMe page.

Cosmo DiNardo and Sean Kratz plead not guilty to the deaths of four men from July, which was procedural.

The NYPD have decided to open an investigation amid rape allegations against Russell Simmons.

Curb Your Enthusiasm is coming back for its 10th season.

Philly Pretzel Factory stores will open up in Manhattan.