Flyers take first step
Flyers 2, Devils 1
Flyers take first step
Rich Hofmann, Daily News Sports Columnist
NEWARK, N.J. -- Chris Pronger was talking about the Stanley Cup tournament the other day, his sport’s most special time; sorry, Olympics. On the eve of the Flyers’ annual journey, which could last until next week or until June, Pronger said, “It’s the hardest trophy in sports to win, with the physical attrition and the mental attrition that happens in the playoffs.”
The NFL is more physically brutal in some ways, but there is a week between games, not a day. Baseball is more relentless, and mentally exhausting, but does not present the same challenges to the body. Basketball takes almost the same number of games to win, but the other team is not carrying weapons the whole time. Only hockey so severely tests an athlete on every level.
But it always begins with a first step.
A quiet, often-tentative first step.
For the Flyers, it was like that. Before the second period turned so strongly in their favor -- before the territorial edge began to swing for them; before Pronger and Mike Richards scored their goals; before they hung a 2-1 result on the scoreboard and quieted the crowd at the Prudential Center -- they needed something to hold their place.
Most of it was solid, and increasingly-confident goaltending from Brian Boucher. Some of it was probably good fortune. Some of it was probably the law of averages, too; the Flyers, after all, had lost Game 1 in six straight playoff series before last night, going all the way back to 2004. They were due.
And now the underdog is on the other foot, or something. And now, the journey for this Flyers team has reached its first, tentative milepost.
“You’ve got to be prepared to do whatever it takes for what essentially boils down to 2 months,” Pronger said. It was a real statement, too, not just a sound bite. There are few sadder sights than the losing locker room of a team eliminated from the conference finals, a single step before the big show. Only then, amid the emotions, do you find out about dislocations that were relocated, somehow, and sprains that were camouflaged medicinally.
It really is brutal. But the thing is, it always starts with that first step, and it is often so unsteady and unsure. It was how last night started at Prudential Center, with the Flyers and Devils. Neither was a great team this season. Neither got out of the first round of the playoffs last year. Both have different coaches and both are striving for an identity -- the Flyers, especially. And it showed.
Eighty-two games of jockeying was done. A pristine record existed for both, 0-0, hopeful and frightening at the same time. You wouldn’t be human if you didn’t have doubts, worries, jitters, all of that. For all of them, so much is at stake.
Given all of that, the Flyers needed Boucher to be excellent, and he was. The only goal he allowed, with 2:43 left in the third period, was on a puck that deflected off of teammate Ian Laperriere’s stick. It’s a funny thing playoff goaltending. It’s never about how you stop them. It’s always about how many you stop. But it’s also about when you stop them. Every game has moments, sequences where things turn. If Boucher had not been very good at the start, that game might have turned -- such was fragility of everyone’e emotions.
But because he held them in, the Flyers were given some time to get their feet under them and to take advantage of things that were becoming available at the other end of the ice. Pronger scored the first one, with a backhanded whack at a rebound in front of Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur.
“Well, really, it was turnovers,” Pronger said. “We were getting our feet moving and getting into the game -- which means getting pucks in deep, crashing and banging and creating turnovers and getting pucks to the net. But the biggest thing was turnovers and we did a better job in the second period.”
Pronger now has eight points in seven games against the Devils this season. The Flyers now have six wins in seven games against the Devils this season.
“I don’t know,” Pronger said. “I’m just getting some good looks and getting opportunities, I guess. We’ve played pretty well against them throughout the course of the season.”
But this is different, as he well knows.
Still, the first steps can be the hardest.
Booooosh!!!— scribbles- Great D and goaltending!— Gus L.
- Flyers in 6!!! Ok maybe 7!!!— rgreen72
- Great team effort tonight! Marty is no longer as scary as he once was.— ForWhoForWhat?
- This is not your dad's Flyers. I'll tell you right now if we were DOWN 3 to 1, we would still have confidence. I don't know if we win or lose this thing, but we are not the team of the early 90's. I can feel it and see it. GO FLYERS.— LuckyDog
- That was probably one of the greatest games I have ever watched the Flyers play. Solid and a total team effort. Why didn't they play like this all season? Its a start, but only the first game. You can bet Jersey is going to come out flying on friday.— Lintltj5
Great game!! Great Defense! Great Goaltending!! Very entertaining...— dogman5- They'll do it in 5, just sayin'...— DJ
- Ironic that both Pronger AND Richards come up big in this game, since a lot of the talk this season (myself included) has revolved around who should wear the "C". Richard's shot was a bullet and the eventual game winner, while Prongs goal was a result of going to the net. Big win. Hope Boucher stays hot.— flyerdup
- Another thing. Pronger is better than the Devils old weapon Scott Stevens. it's not even close. And he is on OUR TEAM this time. This is going to be a fun post season !!— LuckyDog
Comment removed.- Boooooooooooooooooooosch!— phillyfan14
- Woow.. the Phillies kicked a** and the Flyers kicked a**... Hell Even Ottawa beat the Pens.. it was a very good sports night.. Im not surprised that the Flyers wont take this serious.. they have dominated the Devils even during bad times during the season when couldnt beat anyone else.. Flyers 4-1— nixman101
- My third thought. I don't know how the rest of you had to watch the game, but I had to watch the Devil announcers. The other day I gave props to the Ranger team, so I try to be fair. But without a doubt the NJ team is the worst pair of announcers in the league (except the bruins). If the Devils are down 10 to 1 they are saying 'well, Doc, it could be worse, they could have given up that goal to make it 11 to 1, so that is something they can build on'. They are some of the worse game announcers around. No wonder no one follows the Devils.— LuckyDog
- Comment removed.
- "but the other [basketball] team is not carrying weapons the whole time" - unless you're playing the Wizards!— BlairW
- wheres that loser FLYERS-LOSERS-35-YEARS at tonight????...hey loser, your scumbag penguins lost tonight...AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA— DON17
- arrg. drivel blather blah blah. i missed the game. with happened.— raoool
- Congratulations to Boucher. he had a gem of a game when we needed him most. great game by a great guy.— Way Oh Elle
- All of these comments are lined with great optimism as well as the fact that the Flyers have been averaging somewhere around over 30 shots the last five games and scored two on 14 tonight. The Devils will come out hard Friday? I beg to differ - they will TRY to come out hard. Kovulchuk, when getting good looks, was harrassed into missing and Ryan Parise was a non-issue because the Flyers defense plays tight and solid. If anyone comes out flying it is the orange and black and you'd better believe they will be putting more confident shots on net, back-checking and giving Boosh more help than they did tonight. Killing off a four minute power play (Devils 6, Flyers 2 as is standard for the NHL against the Philly team) was ridiculous and a sign of team unity. If they come back to philly up 2-0 the playoffs will be officially shaken up. But these guys still have to take this game-by-game and play smart, solid defense and not take stupid penalties. LET'S GO FLY-ERS!!!— dr.elektrika
- After Prongs scored and Richie gave him that huge hug, it sure looked to me like there was no chemistry. This team is starting to get hot and all those doubters talkin about conflict between the young and old guys are eating crow now. By the way, did Carter, Brierre or Hartnell play tonight? Somebody tell Lavi that Brierre and Giroux need to play together. that Line of Carters is terrible. Put Hartnell on the third line!— Fabulous
- I would love nothing more than to eat my words about Boucher. Great effort, maybe he found his confidence, keep it up Boosh— flyersfanatic
- In Boosh we trust!..... Do we? Go Flyers!— CSKA
- BIG TOM THREW 900..... says ... I was wrong. you all (everybody) were right. Richards is my Captain. And Pronger is my master. Please forgive me for being a twit. I promise to shut up from now on. (Especially since Big Tom has been proven to be a bit of a cheat, and not so much an honest player after all).— LuckyDog
- yo, Lucky - I had to listen to Doc and Chico, too. It was brutal. My favorite was when Chico says "the Devils need to bulge the twine" meaning score a goal. I almost spit my beer out. I thought Kovalchuk's double move was sick but he choked on the point at the end of the game. He seemed to be a one man show most of the night which doesn't sit well with the Devils' "system". Can't wait for Friday. Let's Go Flyers!— vafan
- Thanks Vafan....I also wonder why Doc didn't mention that every time our goalie stopped a puck you could hear Booooosh very loudly in the arena. The mix was probably one third flyer fans in THEIR OWN ARENA. Now that's a mix I can get behind. Go Flyers.— LuckyDog
- Credit to Boosh tonight. He held them in early, and then stopped the late flurry by the Devils as well. If Center Ice isn't going to get the Philly feed, fine, but at least give us the Canadian feed as an option also. TSN was there and they are much better than Doc and Chico. Lets Go Flyers!— cnova000
- LuckyDog I agree with you on the announcers but I will put Pittsburgh's announcers as a shade worse than the devils. They invented whining, homerism, and poor sportsmanship.— forphillyfromla
- they won the game because they skated hard. but if they don't generate more shots they won't win the series, no matter how hot boucher is.— roadtriptoday
- This is for us Flyers fans.— jtgallagher1
- Comment removed.
- Trenmdous Fellas Tremendous " GO FLYERS "— PhillyfanNohio
- 14 shots on goal, 2 goals and a win. Pretty amazing...— Ruffles
- Kovalchuk is an incredible player. Probably doesn't fit the Devils team, but he is awesome. Is he still a FA? Hmmm..Flyers in 4. Yes, it's a sweep.— booman55
