New Jersey Devils at Philadelphia Flyers Eastern Conference Semifinals Game 1 Afterthoughts

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You could tell in the first period that the Flyers were coming off a 7-day layoff. They didn’t get a shot off until eight minutes into the period, when the Devils had already put the puck on net 11 times. They were outshot 15-6 in the first. It was clear the team was rusty, not awake and outmatched by the fresh Devils, who took a 1-0 lead after 20 minutes.

But Coach Peter Laviolette must’ve given a hell of a speech during the intermission because after that, they picked up right where they left off against Pittsburgh. They beat the Devils 4-3 in overtime, outshooting them 30-11 after the first and outplaying them the rest of the way.

“There’s so much intensity in playoff hockey and sitting back for a week, not being in that mood set us back a little bit,” said Danny Briere.

The team still wasn’t happy about their start, as it was a continuation of the Pittsburgh series where they had to come back in the first three games. But the end result is what matters.

“We just didn’t follow the gameplan,” remarked Claude Giroux. “We didn’t play the way we played in the first round [but] you saw in the second and third we kind of picked it up a little bit.”

If it weren’t for future Hall-of-Famer Martin Brodeur, the game probably wouldn’t have even gone into overtime because he robbed the Flyers on more than one occasion. A Max Talbot one-timer attempt was denied by Brodeur and a James van Riemsdyk breakaway was stopped.

Zach Parise got things going for the Devils less than four minutes into the contest, putting one past Ilya Bryzgalov on a nice pass from long-time Flyer killer Patrik Elias. But Briere, who seems to always pick up his game come playoff time, came back in the second period with a goal of his own off an absolutely beautiful lead pass from Jakub Voracek. It was his seventh goal in seven playoff games.

The line of JVR-Briere-Voracek continued to make its mark on today’s game, as JVR gave the Flyers a 2-1 lead just 37 seconds after Briere’s goal on a rebound shot into an open net. Travis Zajac tied the game up on a power play that had Flyers fans furious, as Matt Carle was called for hooking on a play that had, what seemed to be clean contact.

Giroux broke the tie in the beginning of the third period on a power play one-timer from Scott Hartnell, blazing the puck past Brodeur. The Flyers seemed to have the game in hand, but Petr Sykora tied the game up once more with less than ten minutes to go.

In overtime, the Flyers thought they had the game won on a Briere goal, but the play was reviewed and the goal was disallowed as Briere illegally kicked the puck into the net.

“It’s just a letdown, but it kind of stuck in there and I [still] believed we were going to score that [game-winning] goal,” Giroux remarked.

It was pretty clear and Briere agreed with the call in the post-game press conference, but when you score anyway two minutes after, it’s much easier to get over a close call like that. That’s what Briere did, getting a slap shot through the five hole of Brodeur, who was near perfectly screened by van Riemsdyk, 4:16 into overtime. The Flyers took a 1-0 series lead and the fans went home happy.

The one negative taken away from today’s game was the Flyers power play unit; they went just 1-for-6 after a downright dominating power play performance against Pittsburgh the round before. They did get a goal from Giroux, but they were, for the most part, outplayed on the Power Play. They didn’t even get a shot off on their first two attempts with a man advantage. They need to continue to be more consistent on the attack if they want to bring home the trophy.

I mentioned earlier the success of the second line and it can’t be stressed enough. The biggest x-factor in this series is JVR. He’s coming off an injury that kept him sidelined for two months. He was able to get some minutes in the final two games on the first round series against Pittsburgh, but this series is the one where he’ll be tested. Today, he played as well as he could’ve. Briere played like he does in any playoff game. Voracek played very well. All the lines seemed on point, but this one seemed to do best today.

If JVR continues to play up to his level, this is a scary team for anybody to face. He scored a goal today, but it was clear he had his legs back.

“The way [van Riemsdyk] skated in the second, third and overtime was great to see,” remarked Briere.

Flyers owned the Cup-favorite Penguins without him. He was a huge asset in last year’s playoffs and had a great year overlooking the injuries. He’s an integral part of the Flyers present and future. The Devils looked like they would be able to take advantage of the team’s long layoff and steal a victory early, but the Flyers showed how quickly they were able to bounce back. The Devils stayed close, but they didn’t show any dominance after the first period. That made it clear that the Flyers were just the better team who had to wake up. JVR was a big part of today’s victory and he will continue to be a big part as long as the Flyers remain in the playoffs.

The Flyers are looking to make quick work of the Devils, and to do that they’ll have to win Game 2 on Tuesday. But at least one Flyer seem to take these games as they come, as Briere turned his head when one reporter asked how pressured he felt during these playoffs.

“You try to make the best of [this opportunity] and you try to enjoy it as much as possible… it’s not really pressure. It’s a fun time, [an] exciting time.”

That it is, and wins make it even more fun and exciting. As of now, it seems like there are more of those coming for the Flyers and hopefully they won’t stop coming until they have the Stanley Cup in hand.

Penguins rout Philly, should Flyers be worried?

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So let me get this started by saying that, while I wanted the series to end last night, I thought there was a pretty good possibility of the series heading back to Pittsburgh. While the Flyers, for the most part, dominated the first three games, a sweep seemed too good to be true.

That being said, a 10-3 loss is not at all what I expected. It was an embarrassing performance and basically showed that the team was extremely overconfident and uncaring. Once they got a 3-2 lead after coming back from being down 2-1, it was as if they had won the game already. They had the lead first, lost it and got it right back. They had the Pens right where they wanted them, but they didn’t account for penalties and goaltending getting Pittsburgh back into the game.

The Pens got the lead back at the end of the first period and the Flyers were held scoreless for the final two periods, the longest period of time they didn’t score all series. In the meantime, Pittsburgh quickly transformed a competitive hockey game into a rout, scoring eight unanswered goals as both Ilya Bryzgalov and Sergei Bobrovsky gave up 5 goals each.

Now that the series is heading back west, there are a few things for the Flyers to think about. While I’m sure they won’t give up even five goals, much less 10 again, the fact that they couldn’t score on Penguins goalie Marc Andre-Fleury for two-plus periods to end the game may have done wonders for Fleury’s confidence. After giving up 14 goals in the two games prior, it was imperative for him to have a good showing to give Pittsburgh life. Now that he has, it could carry over, and if it does and Bryz is still slumping, it could spell trouble for Philly.

Also, according to reports, winger James van Riemsdyk is cleared to return to the Flyers. He practiced with them today and it’s unknown whether or not he’ll play tomorrow. There’s no question that he’ll raise the team’s talent level, but there are questions about whether or not it’ll affect the team’s chemistry, which is why the team can’t just stick him back in and expect everything to go smoothly. While I think it’ll work out well, it’s no guarantee.

It sort of reminds me of Kimmo Timonen’s return from injury in the playoffs four years ago against Pittsburgh when the team suffered their worst loss of the series, 6-0, and was eliminated in the Conference Finals.

The situation this year is obviously different—they’re up 3-1 instead of down 3-1—and there’s not much pressure. It could be helpful to ease JVR back by putting him in a non-pressure situation and playing him on the fourth line with Matt Read and Jakub Voracek, but chemistry will definitely be a factor in making the decision to play him.

Then again, after Zak Rinaldo showed his true colors last night, receiving a well-deserved game misconduct, it could be a lot easier to replace him with JVR… and you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone that would disagree with that decision.

Nothing in Game 4 went the Flyers way. The confidence level was extremely high, probably too high, because they played without any sense of urgency. The Penguins obviously wanted it more, and rightfully so. They absolutely needed the win, while the Flyers, for the final two periods, played their worst hockey in a while. They gave up penalty after penalty and, while the refs might be to blame for the extremely strict nature, they didn’t get the message.

The Pens got hit hard with penalties in the first period, but their only penalties afterwards were two offsetting minors. The Flyers, meanwhile, had five penalties called in the first 11 minutes of the second period; three resulted in power play goals. The goaltending was bad, but when your team is on the penalty kill as much as the Flyers were in the second period, it’s hard to only blame the goalies.

All of Philadelphia was rooting for last night’s game to end since the middle of the second period. Now, a day later, it’s easier to look back and see it as just a bump in the road. The Flyers were hit hard yesterday… really hard. It would be a demoralizing loss in any other situation. But in this situation, Philadelphia is still up 3-1 in the series. They’re still in the driver’s seat.

The Pens might have gained some confidence, but they’re heading back to an arena that the Flyers own. They haven’t lost a meaningful game at the Consol Energy Center since it opened in 2010. Bryzgalov left yesterday’s game after giving up five goals, but Fleury gave up six the game before. He came back and played pretty well. Who’s to say Bryz won’t do the same?

There are some Flyers fans that panicked after yesterday’s loss, as well as some Penguins fans who gained confidence, thinking this game was a turning point. The bottom line right now is that the Flyers hold a 3-1 series lead. Last night’s game will mean nothing if the Pens don’t come all the way back, a very unlikely scenario. Some people might say the Flyers lost momentum, but this is the eye-opener they needed. The Flyers played like they had a mulligan last night, but they have no more. If they lose Game 5, then there may be some reason to worry, but they should have a much bigger sense of urgency. If they do, no one should have any doubt that the Flyers will advance to the next round tomorrow.

As it Turns Out, the 76ers Are Who We Thought They Were (PhilaPhans)

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In the beginning of this year’s lockout-shortened basketball season, the big surprise team that no one expected to be on top was the Philadelphia 76ers. They started 20-9, comfortably led the division and looked to be well on their way to becoming a solid contender.

No one expected them to win the championship, very few even expected them to make the Eastern Conference Finals, but many expected them to get over the first round hump that has alluded them for the last nine years; they expected that this would be a turning point, a catalyst in the team’s transformation from mediocrity to excellence.

The reason many liked this team more than most was the team play. It was fun to watch the Sixers dish out the ball and go for the open man, rather than trying to force it with a superstar on the court. With seven players on the team averaging double figures, it was a mystery who would be “the man” on any given night, one that fans enjoyed watching unfold.

The doubters said this team couldn’t do anything without a superstar, and while people believed they couldn’t do anything to win a championship, they would be good enough to win the weakened Atlantic Division, with the aging Celtics and the chemistry-lacking Knicks struggling early.

Fast forward two months later and now the Sixers are fighting to reach the playoffs. They’re four games back of the surging Celtics for the division and a half game up on the Knicks for the seven seed, who have found new life with the rise of “Linsanity” in February and the rebirth of Carmelo Anthony in recent weeks. They’re two and a half games ahead of the ninth-ranked Milwaukee Bucks while putting together a record of 11-19 in their last 30 games, a complete 180 from their start.
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Pittsburgh Penguins at Philadelphia Flyers Eastern Conference Quarterfinals Game 3 Afterthoughts

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The Wells Fargo Center was electric today in anticipation of the Flyers first home game of the playoffs. Up 2-0 in the series, the Flyers were looking to push the Penguins to the brink of elimination.

They delivered.

The Flyers, with the help of three multi-goal games for the Flyers from Daniel Briere, Matt Read and Max Talbot, downed the Penguins 8-4 to take a commanding 3-0 series lead, as “You Can’t Beat Us” chants echoed throughout the arena from Flyers fans.

“I thought the first two games in Pittsburgh were crazy,” said Briere.  “This one was even wilder.”

In a series where goaltending has been almost non-existent, nothing changed. Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury was pulled after giving up six goals in the first two periods, but backup Brent Johnson didn’t fare much better, giving up a goal just 27 seconds into the third, and giving up two on just six shots.

Ilya Bryzgalov gave up four goals in the game, two to James Neal and two to Jordan Staal. It’s clear that he can’t keep on giving up as many goals as he has this series. It doesn’t seem like it’ll have an effect on this series, but, going forward, he clearly needs to play better.

Pittsburgh, like they did in the first two games, struck first four minutes into the game. But unlike the first two games, the Flyers struck back quickly and often, jumping to a 3-1 lead. The Pens cut it to one, but it lasted 30 seconds, as Read scored his second goal of the day to make it a 4-2 game. Pittsburgh cut the lead to one twice more, but the Flyers ended the game with three straight and the Penguins had no answer.

“Nobody’s in here pointing fingers,” said Sidney Crosby. “The fact of the matter is we’ve made mistakes that have hurt us.”

The intensity was at a tipping point, illustrated by the 158 combined penalty minutes. Both Kris Letang and Kimmo Timonen were hit with Game Misconducts with 7:58 to go in the first period, ending their day early and Arron Asham got a match penalty two minutes later after cheap-shotting rookie Brayden Schenn, who got in a hard hit on Paul Martin. But the highlight of the first was the team’s two stars, Pittsburgh’s Crosby and Philadelphia’s Claude Giroux, going at it. Briere had one word to describe the scene: “entertaining”.

The second period was tame comparatively, but the third saw more tempers flare. The final five minutes seemed like an eternity, as the game was delayed due to fighting between the two teams. Deryk Engellend, Craig Adams and Neal were given misconducts for the Pens while Wayne Simmonds and Zac Rinaldo hit the showers early for Philly.

Rookies have been a strong point for the Flyers all season long, and this series has showed just how good they are. Schenn was the star in Game 1, Sean Couturier had a hat trick in game 2 and now Matt Read finished today’s game with two goals.

“These guys knew their role all season long and were a big part of our team, so they just keep on doing it and [they’re] a big part of our success right now,” remarked Talbot.

Many thought that this series would be the best of the first round, predicting it to go six or seven games. The Flyers are proving everybody wrong, showing just how much more they want this series than Pittsburgh. They’ve come back in all three games and now Flyers fans are yelling to take out the brooms. The team has a chance to sweep the Penguins on Wednesday night and they’re hoping to do just that.

“We don’t want to let them hang around and get some confidence,” said Briere. “Our goal is to finish them right away.”

Those sentiments are being echoed by every Flyers fan in the world, Danny.

Philadelphia Flyers at Pittsburgh Penguins Eastern Conference Quarterfinals Game 2 Afterthoughts

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They did it again.

Led by Claude Giroux and rookie Sean Couturier, the Philadelphia Flyers beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 8-5 in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals to take a 2-0 series lead.

After the Penguins repeated Wednesday’s start, going up 2-0 less than 10 minutes into the opening period, the fans in Pittsburgh’s Consol Energy Center were ecstatic. Surely they couldn’t repeat their opening game gaffe… or could they?

The Flyers came back once more, winning this offense-heavy game. Coming back from deficits of 3-1, 4-3 and 5-4, there was nothing the Penguins could do to keep the Flyers down. Coach Peter Laviolette called a timeout after going down 2-0 and, after Max Talbot scored a shorthanded goal three minutes later, the Penguins scored again 17.2 seconds before the end of the period, angering the Flyers coach even more. He must’ve given a heck of an intermission speech because the Flyers outscored Pittsburgh 7-2 the rest of the way.

“When you’re able to come back in a game like that again, I think it speaks volumes about the character in the room, not only from the veteran players but the younger players as well,” said Laviolette.

Goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov referred to his team’s “never give up” attitude, describing the team’s mentality when trailing in a game.

“You have two choices,” he remarked. “Just quit and say ‘ok, we’re down’ or fight to the end [because you] never know what’s going to happen.”

Couturier recorded the first hat trick of his young career, tying the game at 4 with 2.8 seconds left in the second period, tying it at 5 just 17 seconds after Tyler Kennedy gave the Pens a lead and giving his team some breathing room down the stretch, making it a 7-5 game with 1:49 to go.

“It feels great helping the team win offensively,” said Couturier, but he didn’t want to take full credit. “The whole team had a great effort in the second and third period. That’s what’s important.”

Meanwhile, Claude Giroux had the first six-point game of his career, recording three assists and scoring three goals, one of them shorthanded. But afterwards, he didn’t get excited.

“We can’t get comfortable because [the Penguins] are the best team in the league… we just got to stay focused,” he said.

It was the first time two players recorded hat tricks in the same game since Tony Granato and Tomas Sandstrom did it for the LA Kings in a 12-4 win over the Flames in 1990.

It was only fitting that, minus Giroux and Couturier, former Penguins Max Talbot and Jaromir Jagr scored the team’s two other goals. Jagr scored the go-ahead goal with 10:47 in the game and, with it, the Flyers were playing with a lead for the first time in the series.

The game’s 8-5 score might scream “bad goaltending” but, even though there were many goals given up, the goaltending was an integral part of tonight’s Flyers victory. Bryzgalov saved just 23 of 28 shots, but he had a handful of highlight saves, the most spectacular being the glove save on Kris Letang in the middle of the second period.

“That was the save of the year,” Jagr assessed. “He kept us in the game.”

A small recap of the Flyers night: 8 goals, two of them shorthanded… two hat tricks… coming back not once, not twice, but three times… and beating Pittsburgh in their new arena for the seventh time in eight games. I’d say the team should be pretty happy with their performance.

Much of the hockey world didn’t think the Penguins would take Wednesday’s loss lightly and they expected the team to come back strong and tie up the series heading into Philly. The Flyers knew they did their job winning Wednesday. Had they lost tonight, it wouldn’t have killed their spirits. But they won and now the Penguins are facing a seemingly impossible task, down 2-0 against the Flyers, who have never blown a 2-0 series lead in their team’s history.

I don’t know if Philadelphia can win the Cup by going down in each game and that’s a problem that needs to be solved, but right now it’s got the team’s and the city’s adrenaline high. The series will most likely come back to Pittsburgh, but the Flyers have a golden opportunity to shut down a Stanley Cup favorite’s run at the trophy. It’s just up to them to capitalize.