Flyers swept
Bruins 5, Flyers 1
Flyers swept
Rich Hofmann, Daily News Sports Columnist
BOSTON -- And so it ends for the Flyers, quickly and profoundly. Four games, four losses, and now more than 4 months to try to figure out what went wrong.
Facing elimination, the Flyers did nothing to embarrass themselves on Friday night at TD Garden. They played a credible, competitive game. But they lost to the Bruins again, lost again, by a score of 5-1.
Now they go home to questions -- about why they keep falling into holes in games and series and other times, again and again testing their skill and their impressive level of fortitude; about how much time this nucleus might have together, especially given the series of injuries suffered by 36-year-old defenseman Chris Pronger, who played only three games this spring; and about their goaltending, a hardy perennial that bloomed into a full-grown riot the last couple of weeks.
The worst thing they could do would be to make a lot of pronouncements right now because so many of these issues are linked together. All they can do now is live with the flip side of their destiny. Last year at this time, the Flyers were celebrating a historic comeback against these self-fame Bruins. On Friday night, though, they were the ones wearing the grim faces in the handshake line.
The night began with the kind of intrigue that has become the Flyers’ custom. Coach Peter Laviolette declined to announce his starting goaltender until about 3 hours before game time -- and his choice, not surprisingly, was Sergei Bobrovsky. The circle was now complete. And, for the record, the Flyers’ 11 playoff games were net-minded, in order, by:
Bobrovsky; Bobrovsky and Brian Boucher; Boucher; Boucher; Boucher and Michael Leighton; Leighton and Boucher; Boucher; Boucher and Bobrovsky; Boucher and Bobrovsky and then Boucher again; Boucher and Bobrovsky; and then, last night, Bobrovsky.
(And, remember, this material will be on the final exam.)
Eleven games. Three different starters. Six games when the starter left, either because he was terrible (three times), the team in front of him was terrible (twice), or because of injury (once).
It was the entire story of the Flyers’ first-round series against Buffalo. It has been a continuing annoyance against the Bruins. And it was part of the pre-game speculation before Game 4 -- that, and whether or not Pronger would make a go of it after leaving Game 1 with about 2 minutes to go, never to return, with a still-undisclosed injury.
Would he? Wouldn’t he? For a while, on the NHL website, the pre-game lineup list Pronger as in. But he did not warm up and then the lineup was changed. Pronger, out.
So that was how it began.
In the first period, the Bruins not only got the first goal -- at 12:02 on a power play tap in by the Bruins’ human tank, Milan Lucic -- but they completely dominated. At one point in the period, the Flyers went 14:32 without a shot on goal, which is pretty hard to do when you are in desperation/elimination mode. But there it was.
To start the game, Laviolette made a key line change, grouping his three best forwards -- Claude Giroux, James van Riemsdyk and Danny Briere -- on the same line. It really didn’t generate much, though, and as things evolved, Briere would rejoin his regular linemates, Ville Leino and Scott Hartnell.
The Flyers were better to start the second period, but it was really an incremental improvement. The Bruins really had the game in lockdown mode, and they also managed a couple of very long stretches in the the Flyers’ end of the ice. Bobrovsky was not being asked to be spectacular, but he was good. And it was growing into one of those typically nervous playoff games where both teams probed for the mistake that might change things.
The Flyers’ Mike Richards, as it turned out, forced the key turnover that resulted in a 2-on-1 along with teammate Kris Versteeg. Richards ended up sliding the puck to Versteeg, who beat Thomas for his first goal of the playoffs. The time was 13:22 of the second. The scored was tied at 1-1.
The long, nervous night continued.
But the Bruins got the next one, at 2:42 of the third period, when defenseman Johnny Boychuk fired a 40-foot screamer that beat Bobrovsky high to the glove side. It might have tipped a stick along the way, and the puck might have sailed a little, and maybe this and maybe that -- but it was 2-1, Boston.
With the Flyers pressing for the tying goal, it was Lucic instead who went in alone on Bobrovsky and scored to make it 3-1. The last two Boston goals were scored into an empty net.
At which point, for the Flyers, the off-season unofficially began -- along with the questions.
Forum: Sound off on the Flyers' season- The BEST payback ever. Almost as sweet as beating Montreal. Good riddance!
— Fig Newton - Hey Fig Newton,the Bruins get full marks for the win,
they were the better team.But dont get ahead of yourself YOU HAVEN'T WON ANYTHING YET,your moving to the
conference finals for the first time since 1992...
WOW some organization you have,next
Simon Gagner and the Lightning...remember,need to be reminded.If the Bruins do well in the next round I expect you gloating on these web pages,but if you dont,
I expect the cookie to melt and avoid these pages.
When you loose don't say much,when you win...say less, like I have mention before,
YOU HAVEN'T WON ANYTHING YET......Good luck !— mean mean pride,mean mean pride. - Congrats on the victory. The only difference- last year goes down in history (and will be brought up for many years to come). Tonight was routine. That being said, I'll support the B's. Anyone but Detroit or Canada. Flyers didn't deserve it. — phillyjhawk
- Everyone remembers who lost the championship...right? Might be talked about in philly but outside no one cares. — mcg181
- Lots of teams sweep. Only you and two others ever blew a 3-0 series lead. No sweep will ever change that. It's etched, baby.
— icarus - "payback" for a year of the same nightmare, over and over?...
up 3-0, but you kept choking, game after game after game?...then up 3-0 in game seven at HOME, and you choke yet AGAIN? nice little series this year, but "Payback" it's not. Not even close... - Barely a wimper.— pigsofsunday
- Did nothing to embarass themselfs? What the H.. ll were you watching the last 3 months. Every garbage team in the league skated right through them. Their PP was a pure joke.. and this team rann around in circles looking like a chinese fire drill for long stretches.
They were lethargic, non agressive and at various times each of the 3 goaltenders gave up soft goals like I give out halloween candy.
Again, what were YOU watching?
They told us our defense wwas improved and the deepest in the league. Let me tell you something, EVERY ONE of them can go. Coburn and Carle wouldn't hit if their lives depended on it. They cough up the puck like a cat coughs up furballs. Carle sure looked great on Boston's 3rd goal tonight eh. They're both useless. Pronger is far too old and injury prone and doesn't recover so quick anymore.
O'donnell.. What sport does he play? It sure isn't hockey. He ..put your own expletive here. Mezarros had a great +- but disappeared in the playoffs and also coughed it up far too much. Since mid January, this team embarrassed the Orange & Black Sweater. One of the worse team efforts in that period i've ever witnessed.
The teameither stopped responding to Laviolette or he didn't direc them.. Either way.. Time to go Lavy.. And homer, it's time to clean house. Goodbye to the entire defense, Boucher, Leighton, Shelly, Carcillo, Versteeg, Zerdev, Hartnell, Powell. Time to take out the garbage. And time to take the "C" from Richards.— dedhed - Two words: Tim Thomas— dogman5
- Verteeg was a Jonah (bad luck)once Toronto shipped him off they played alot better and we played alot worse— No Ids
- Versteeg— No Ids
- Sweep Sweep Sweep! All the way home go the Flyers and their crying fans! Enjoy the Stanley Cup in your living room!— MRD
- Yeah...Tampa Bay and Vancouver should be exhilarating. — Nicher
- bring back Marty Biron— wolf 4
- My condolences to the Flyers and their 25,000 fans.— VitoCorleone
