Saying that game two was all Philly through forty minutes of play might be a stretch, but with the Bruins lacking the tenacity and relentless energy that carried them to a 5-4 OT victory in game one, things weren’t looking so good heading into the final frame.
After allowing the Flyers to trim and eventually erase three different two-goal leads in the series opener, Boston watched their second one-goal edge vanish when Danny Briere roofed an unstoppable rocket by Tuukka Rask, knotting things up at two apiece with 24 ticks left in the second period. Outshot 21-16 and outplayed territorially, the B’s regrouped for the third and returned to the Garden ice with the same vigor they possessed a game prior.
Boston turned the tide, putting heavy pressure on the Flyers’ defensemen while finally consistently maintaining possession in the offensive zone. With a goal to their credit already, the line of Miro Satan, David Krejci and Milan Lucic finally restored the lead for good.
Krejci attempted a centering feed from behind Brian Boucher’s net, but the pass was deflected up into the air. The puck fortuitously landed at the feet of Lucic, who fired a turnaround slapper up and over Boucher’s blocker with just 2:57 remaining. Game. Set. Match.
“Yeah I think it was a real nice goal and hopefully a confidence boost for him as well. He hadn’t scored in a while and I think just the way we scored was typical Lucic.” Head Coach Claude Julien said of the winger’s GWG. “He did a great job on that whole shift, as you mentioned, and it was nice to see him score that goal.”
Lucic, who had just a single goal to his credit in 24 home games this season, was elated to step forward and give the B’s a 2-0 edge in the series.
"To score a game-winner in the playoffs is definitely a great feeling, and hopefully we can take advantage of that," Lucic said. "My whole thought process was just to get it on net. That was just a turn and shoot, get it on net. Luckily it found a hole."
SAVARD BEGS TO DIFFER ON CARCILLO’S BITING REMARKS
After taking umbrage with a few extra whacks made at his goaltender, Flyers’ forward Dan Carcillo teamed up with Kimmo Timonen and plastered Marc Savard, setting off a heated gathering of the two squads with under six minutes to go in the second period. Both Timonen and Carcillo aimed high at the previously concussed center (unintentionally, I’m sure) before driving him toward the boards behind Boucher’s crease.
What happened from there, aside from the visible assault that ensued, including a jab courtesy of Scott Hartnell on Savard’s cranium, is anyone’s guess. But Carcillo emerged, theatrically as always, pleading that the B’s pivot had chomped one of his digits in the melee.
“The last time I was bit was in grade school.” Carcillo said of the incident. “It’s not a good feeling and it’s pretty cowardly.”
During the first period, Carcillo tried to lay out Steve Begin with a high hit, throwing his forearm in the direction of the center’s skull. Begin responded by crosschecking Carcillo in the shoulder, prompting the well-known embellisher to drop like a ton of bricks with his hands wrapped around his head.
Here's the play:
The exaggeration, while a penalty nevertheless, netted Philly a PP. The Savard incident somehow yielded the same result. Surely no one would have any beef with matching penalties being called, but how Carcillo didn’t accompany him simply blew my mind. Carcillo returned to the Flyers’ bench before exchanging pleasantries and cooking recipes with Shawn Thornton through the dividing glass between the two squads.
““Guys don’t bite, men don’t bite.” Carcillo claimed.
Fitting, coming from the guy who wrote the book on honor and manly behavior....
* Note: If watching a hockey player going to great lengths of preposterous exaggeration and sacrificing his dignity to earn a two-minute powerplay makes you queasy, please refrain from watching the following video.*
Savard’s stance was one of a man who hardly ever expected to have his latest dental exam be performed in front of 17,565+ onlookers.
““He pummeled on my face,” Savard said. “He pulled on my teeth, so I guess that’s biting when a guy tries to pull your front teeth out like his. I don’t see how that’s biting.”
Carcillo was floored by the allegation.
““Oh yeah, that’s what I do when I get in a scrum, I try and pull people’s teeth out,” the winger said, oozing with sarcasm. “He bit me, and the ref didn’t see.”
Due to the heap of bodies surrounding the two, we’ll likely never know what truly transpired. However, Carcillo carries a reputation with him, lending support to Savard’s take on the incident. The fact that Carcillo was unwilling to display his damaged finger doesn’t exactly help his cause either.
Regardless of which side is telling the truth, the hatred between these two squads has increased ten-fold since game one. Game three, set to take place at the Wachovia Center on Wednesday night, may not be a blood bath but promises to be full of brimming animosity as the Flyers will look to avoid falling into a virtually inescapable 3-0 hole.
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