Winning game one of a series is not the be-all and end-all of playoff success. However, on a purely statistical basis, 69% of teams that have won the first game of a best-of-seven series in the Stanley Cup Playoffs ultimately go on to win the series.
That phenomenon makes sense when you think about it: Winning game one mathematically means that as long as the team avoids back-to-back losses in the series, it will prevail (see the 2004 Flyers-Lightning Eastern Conference Final series, for example).
Alternatively, it means that, following a Game 1 win, the winning side has three consecutive shots at doing absolutely no worse than managing a 2-2 series deadlock heading into Game 5. If a team starts the series on home ice, that means 2 of the final 3 games will be in their building.
Of course, all of that is meaningless if a team doesn't build off its first win. One game is just that. But the Flyers have to be happy with their 4-3 overtime win yesterday in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference Semifinal series with the New Jersey Devils.
To be more specific, they're happy with final 44:36 of the game yesterday, which they controlled territorially and won 4-2 on the scoreboard. What they're not so happy about are a couple of leaky goals and a couple of turnovers/coverage breakdowns that allowed NJ to take an early lead and then twice tie the game after the Flyers forged ahead.
It was entirely expected that the Flyers would come out and struggle in the opening period of Game 1. No matter how much a club tries to simulate game conditions in practice, a week-long layoff is usually bound to have a temporary negative effect on a team's passing and forechecking early in its first game.
That's pretty much what happened yesterday. The ice was tilted in New Jersey's favor for the first 15 minutes or so of the opening period. Ilya Bryzgalov limited the damage to one goal, and then the Flyers started to play playoff hockey.
Bryzgalov had his share of puckhandling misadventures throughout the game, but he was very sharp early in making momentum saves. The score easily could have been 3-0 or even 4-0 by the first intermission. The goaltending of Bryzgalov kept them in the game.
Thereafter, the trend reversed. The Flyers as a team consistently had the better of the play the rest of the game -- at times, they even dominated. They got very good first shifts in the second, third and overtime periods and rolled from there. Unfortunately, the goaltending let them down a few times until the game got to next-goal-wins (AKA overtime) territory.
Bryzgalov was a bit too nonchalant on the play that led to Travis Zajac's power play goal (the coverage wasn't too good either). Petr Sykora's tying goal in the third period may have come on a one-on-one rush against Bryzgalov, but it was an eminently stoppable shot that squeaked through the five hole.
In the early going, Sean Couturier was Philly's best forward. Throughout the game, his line kept New Jersey hemmed in its own end of the ice. Eventually, the other lines caught the wave, and the Danny Briere line generated three even strength goals while Claude Giroux scored on a rocket of a power play goal.
What can be said about Briere's play in the postseason that hasn't been said dozens of times before? Year after year, he answers the bell in the playoffs and plays his best hockey.
On Friday, Briere said that when he was a young player, he would get too hyped up the night before a big game, and would sometimes wake up feeling like his energy had been drained. As he's gained experience, he's learned to stop worrying about what might happen in the game and, instead, simply to let the adrenaline flow when the game arrives.
Obviously, it has worked for Danny. He's the NHL's leading goal scorer in the playoffs since the 2005-06 lockout. As he said in yesterday's postgame press conference, "It's not really pressure. It’s actually a fun, exciting time.”
You can see the truth of Briere's statement in how he plays the game in the postseason. He plays it loose, and with unbridled joy. When he had a would-be overtime goal disallowed for kicking the puck into the net, the chances of his scoring the eventual game winner actually increased. That's exactly what happened a few minutes later.
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It was not a huge surprise that James van Riemsdyk had a monster game in Game 1 yesterday. First of all, he was flying at practice the last few days, looking like he'd finally mended from the broken foot he suffered in early March. That mobility just wasn't there in Games 5 and 6 of the Pittsburgh series, along with his timing.
Secondly, central New Jersey native van Riemsdyk often seems to play some of his best games against the Devils. Now he has to build off Game 1 with similar performances over the remainder of the series.
Jakub Voracek also had a whale of a hockey game yesterday. He made a tremendous pass to spring Briere on the breakaway that led to the Flyers' first goal. Beyond that, he was very strong without the puck in the defensive zone and a force in protecting the puck in the offensive zone.
On the blueline, the entire group was decent yesterday. Braydon Coburn played another monster game. Kimmo Timonen gritted through the pain to churn out a typically solid performance all over the ice. Matt Carle contributed 23 good minutes. Apart from losing a footrace with Sykora on the third Devils goal, Andreas Lilja was very effective.
Nicklas Grossmann didn't look quite like himself in his first game back from a concussion. His stat line (plus-one, two hits, two blocks, no giveaways) in 16:26 of ice time was fine. Overall, though, he played just OK.
The big Swede's coverages were not as good as usual and it took him a long time to recognize opportunities to clear the puck. He showed some indecisiveness and was part of the coverage problem on the Zajac goal, failing to take away the pass or cover his side of the ice. Hopefully, he will get back to his norms as the series progresses.
Erik Gustafsson had another real strong game, after a shaky first shift or two. Most notably, he alertly pinched to collect a Martin Brodeur turnover and put an accurate shot on net, which produced the rebound that allowed JVR to score the goal that gave Philly a 2-1 lead in the second period.
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Yesterday, the Flyers' veteran and young veteran forwards led the way for the team. With the key exceptions of Couturier and Voracek, I thought most of the team's rookies and younger forwards who aren't used to playing in the second round and beyond in the playoffs showed some jitters in Game 1.
Right now, the converse of Danny Briere's "play loose" approach to the playoff games is forward Wayne Simmonds. He is so tightly wound right now that he's pressing every time the puck is on his stick. Yesterday, he overshot a puck with a wide open net staring at him and ended up pulling it way wide of the cage.
Simmonds is playing with incredible energy and effort, but needs to direct it a little more efficiently. For much of the playoffs to date, he's been "trying to hit five-run home runs" in both his hitting/forechecking game and whenever he gets the puck on his stick.
Brayden Schenn has struggled ever since the Arron Asham hit in Game 3 of the Pittsburgh series. Yesterday, he played 9:44 centering the fourth line (after being moved off left wing of the Briere line), losing much of his previous ice time to JVR.
Matt Read was pretty much in the same boat as the others. Apart from his turnover that led Zach Parise's opening goal, Read was guilty at times of trying to do a little too much yesterday.
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After the Flyers scored their overtime game winner, Martin Brodeur immediately went to the referees to allege interference by James van Riemsdyk. He then continued the theme in his postgame interviews.
The wily old veteran is trying to plant a seed and buy a call or two around his net as the series progresses. Over the course the game yesterday, it was actually New Jersey's defensemen who made more contact with Brodeur than any Philadelphia forwards.
As for the goal in question, van Riemsdyk never touched Brodeur and any "interference" with the goalie's stick was incidental and occurred outside the paint. It was a good goal all the way, just as Briere's kick was a clear-cut no goal. In both cases, the correct call was made, whether Brodeur likes it or not.
There was a lot of talk after the game yesterday about Brodeur showing his age (AKA slower reflexes) in the game. I thought he came up with quite a few outstanding stops, actually, including a breakaway save on van Riemsdyk.
He did have the one bad giveaway that led to a goal and another one that didn't but that will happen sometimes when a goalie handles the puck as much as Brodeur did. He also made dump-and-chase forechecking attempts difficult at times with flawless clearing passes. He had been tremendous in his puckhandling until that turnover to Gustafsson.
The biggest difference between Brodeur now and in his prime is his recovery ability. As he's gotten older, his ability to make second and third saves when necessary has decreased. But there's no doubt he'll be mentally ready to go in Game 2 and beyond.
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Picking the best skater for New Jersey yesterday is easy. Even apart from his first-period goal, Zach Parise was tremendous. He showed speed and creativity throughout the game and looked dangerous every time he started buzzing around the offensive zone.
On the flip side, Ilya Kovalchuk labored yesterday. He is said to be trying to play through a groin pull. It sure looked like it yesterday. He had little jump in his skates.
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