Last night in erasing a pair of one-goal deficits and going to beat the Penguins 5-2, the Flyers showed the type of fortitude we've been hoping to see. There is still a lot of hockey to be played over the next week-and-a-half, and of course the playoffs are a whole new season.
Even so, the Flyers showed last night they are capable of playing winning, playoff-type hockey against an opponent that gave them fits last week and early in last night's game. Early on, the Flyers continued to struggle against the Penguins' trapping style. They had trouble getting the puck through the neutral zone, winning the battles on the boards and then gaining puck possession time in the offensive zone.
Soon, however, the Flyers started getting pucks in deep and establishing their forecheck. They kept their game simple -- good old fashioned road hockey that they need to start emulating at home -- by cycling the puck, focusing on getting pucks on net rather than making fancy plays, and crashing the net. They did it on the power play, too, with positive results against the best PK club in the NHL.
Suddenly, they started getting "lucky" bounces of the puck. Line rush opportunities opened up as the Pens didn't look quite so tightly organized defending every square inch of the ice. Claude Giroux bagged a critical go-ahead goal and Marc-Andre Fleury looked human.
In the third period, there were some very hairy moments early. Sergei Bobrovsky, who allowed a bad goal in the second period at the end of an all-around lousy shift for everyone on the ice for Philly, made a couple huge stops to preserve the one-goal lead. Peter Laviolette took a much-needed timeout and the club soon settled in again.
If you are a Flyers fan, you had to like the way that the club didn't just sit back with the lead from that point onward. They got back to grinding it out on the forecheck, and they were rewarded with a pair of dirty-but-good goals by Ville Leino to erase any change of a Pittsburgh comeback. Side note: With Leino's two goals last night, he moved to 19 on the season. If both he and James van Riemsdyk can manage one more goal apiece over the final six games, the Flyers will have eight 20-plus goal scorers on the roster.
Last night, the Flyers played one of their most physical games in recent weeks. Fifteen of the 18 skaters on the ice were credited with at least one hit. They also generally took better care of the puck, aside from a few gaffes such as Kris Versteeg stickhandling right into a heap of trouble at the offensive blueline in the third period. One game after being charged with a season-worst 19 giveaways against Boston, the Flyers were charged with just 3 in last night's game. When there were breakdowns, Bobrovsky was usually there to make the save.
The club accomplished a playoff-caliber win without the services of Chris Pronger and without Kimmo Timonen (who aggravated a nagging hip flexor injury, and had not quite been himself on the ice earlier in the game) available in the third period. Afterwards, the Flyers and Timonen downplayed the injury and said he will be able to play against Atlanta on Thursday. Personally, I'd rather see him get a few days to rest the injury, but I know it's all hands on deck this time of year. Timonen in particular has a high pain threshold and will try to play through just about anything.
The next challenge for the Flyers: Follow up the Penguins game with another statement game against an Atlanta Thrashers club that has beaten them twice this month, including a huge third-period comeback in Philly on March 12.
*****
This week's
Across the Pond at NHL.com updates the Swedish playoffs. Farjestads BK has clinched its eighth appearance in the finals since 2001 after sweeping AIK in the semifinals. In the other semifinal series, Skelleftea AIK leads Lulea HF, three games to two. Flyers goaltending prospect Joacim Eriksson is the backup goalie for SAIK. Barring injury to veteran Andreas Hadelov, Eriksson is unlikely to play again this season.
Today's
Daily Drop at Versus.com takes a look at some of the adjustments the Penguins face when Sidney Crosby returns to the lineup.
Later this week, the 15th Anniversary series on Philadelphiaflyers.com continues with a look at the Flyers' playoff run in 2004. The final installment, which will run in the days leading up to the start of the playoffs, will look at last season's journey to the Stanley Cup Final. Click
here for the achives of my current-day and historical looks at Flyers' players, teams and great moments.
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
Join the Discussion:
»