If the Flyers are to have any chance at pulling off the near-impossible task of coming back from a 3-0 deficit in the playoffs, they will need to get their powerplay going again. After a strong showing in the New Jersey series and Game 1 against Boston, the Flyers are 0-for-10 in the last three games.
I commented after the last game that I thought it was actually a benefit to the Flyers in Game 4 that the club only had two powerplays, because they looked a lot better at even strength. When the powerplay is having trouble getting set up it can be a momentum-killer that carries over after the penalty ends. I was concerned when the Flyers did nothing with a third-period powerplay with Zdeno Chara in the box for Boston. But the Flyers found ways to bounce back.
At least for Game 5, I would like to see the Flyers move Mike Richards back to a point (where he had success last season) and have Chris Pronger play down low in the offensive zone. It's at least worth a look because I don't see the current setup turning things around with no changes made. Since the club is thin on key personnel due to injuries and the scoring droughts of Scott Hartnell and James Van Riemsdyk, I think their best shot is to throw a different look at Boston.
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Even though the Flyers are down 3-1 in the series, no one can fairly criticize them for their resiliency in this series. To battle back from three two-goal deficits in Game 1, a pair of one-goal deficits in Game 2, an early 1-0 deficit and a potentially crushing last-minute goal allowed in Game 4 has been an impressive feat. That's especially true in light of all the injuries and unbalanced offense up front.
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The lower-body injury to Ryan Parent in Game 4 seems likely to put Oskars Bartulis back into the starting lineup. While ideally you don't want the rookie playing in the postseason, I thought Peter Laviolette's handling of him this season was strange.
He stuck with Bartulis through some very rough performances, clearly preferring him to Danny Syvret. Bartulis eventually seemed to get his game together an played pretty well heading into the Olympics. He then had a solid tourney for an overmatched Latvian team.
Upon returning to Philadelphia, he promptly became the odd man out even when both Lukas Krajicek and Ryan Parent struggled.
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Today's
Daily Drop at Versus.com looks at the bounceback performance by Evgeni Nabokov last night in helping his San Jose Sharks club close out their series with Detroit in five games after an ugly blowout loss in Game 4.
Incidentally, a well-respected member of the Detroit Red Wings organization commented off-the-record prior to Game 5 that he thought his team's 7-1 win in the fourth game was more a case of a dramatic final stand on home ice than the start of an historic turnaround. He felt there were changes the Wings needed to make and San Jose was just a little too strong to overcome. Given that all four Detroit losses in the series were by one goal, that analysis seems right on the mark.
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
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