Archive: April, 2010
Sam Carchidi, Inquirer Staff Writer
When the Flyers face the Boston Bruins Saturday afternoon, it will be the second straight playoff series they are starting on the road.
“The only advantage is there’s no pressure” for the visitors, defenseman Chris Pronger said. “They’ve obviously got to perform at home, but other than that, they’ve got the last line change, they get their matchups. It’s up to us to counteract that by playing smart with the puck and getting good line changes when we get the opportunity. We’ve got to stay away from their transition game.”
In Game 1 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals, the Flyers defeated New Jersey, 2-1, in Newark and set the tone for the series.
They hope to do the same Saturday in Boston, where they are 0-5 in playoff games since a 1976 win.
“I don’t think it’s as much of an advantage in the playoffs as maybe in the regular season,” said coach Peter Laviolette, referring to teams playing at home. “Guys are dialed in and the crowd comes into play based on the game that’s being played on the ice. You definitely can grab energy in your home building, but those things are out of our control.”
“I’ve never started a series at home, so I don’t know what it’s like,” captain Mike Richards said. “I don’t mind starting on the road. I think, especially with a long playoff, it’s always tough to kind of start at home. On the road, you go and kind of have more time to prepare maybe….When you get there, you’re already focusing on the game.”
The good news for the Flyers is that teams were 27-22 on the road in the first round, including Philadelphia’s 2-1 mark in New Jersey.
The bad news is that Boston was 3-0 at home in the first round.
“I don’t think it really matters,” center Blair Betts said about starting the series on the road. “If we can go in there and win that first game like we did against New Jersey, that gives us home-ice advantage right off the bat. It puts the pressure back on them.”
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Sam Carchidi, Inquirer Staff Writer
Based on Thursday's practice in Voorhees, the Flyers are making changes to three of their four lines for the Eastern Conference semifinals, which start Saturday afternoon in Boston.
Claude Giorux was moved from center on the third line to RW on Mike Richards' unit, one that includes left winger Dan Carcillo. Giroux led the Flyers with four goals in the first round against New Jersey.
Jared Ross, who scored 12 goals for the AHL Phantoms this season, takes Giroux's spot, centering James van Riemsdyk and Arron Asham on the third line.
Sam Carchidi, Inquirer Staff Writer
They won’t come out and say it, but this is the matchup the Flyers wanted.
The Flyers learned Wednesday night that they will meet the Boston Bruins in the Eastern Conference semifinals. The Flyers would have played explosive Washington, but the Caps became the first top-seeded team to blow a three-games-to-one lead to an eighth-seed since the current playoff format started in 1994, losing a shocking 2-1 decision to Montreal on Wednesday.
And so, it’s a no-frills Flyers-Bruins series. The muckers against the grinders. It starts Saturday afternoon in Beantown, the first time the Flyers are playing in Boston since the Winter Classic at Fenway Park on Jan. 1.
Will this series become known as the Spring Classic?
Perhaps. But I think it will be a defensive struggle, a matchup that will feature more hard hits than goals. It will be a low-scoring series that won’t get a lot of style points, but WILL get one team closer to the Stanley Cup.
The Flyers, coming off an impressive quarterfinal win over New Jersey, are trying to maintain their momentum despite injuries to Jeff Carter, Simon Gagne and Ian Laperriere. For them to advance, they need their Chris Pronger-led defense and goalie Brian Boucher (1.59 goals-against average in the first round) to continue to shine.
Oh, and they need Mike Richards, Claude Giroux and Danny Briere to show their regular-season performance against Boston was a fluke. The three had zero points as the Flyers went 2-1-1 against Boston during the season.
All three forwards played well in the seventh-seeded Flyers’ stunning dismantling of the second-seeded Devils, four games to one.
Boston, seeded sixth, moved to the semifinals by beating third-seeded Buffalo _ and Ryan Miller, arguably the NHL’s best goalie _ in six games.
Like the Flyers, this is the matchup the Bruins wanted. For one, they don't have the firepower to match the Pittsburgh _ the team they would have faced if Washingtion had won. For another, they get the home-ice advantage despite being a sixth seed.
Sam Carchidi, Inquirer Staff Writer
Ian Laperierre, the gritty right winger who helped the Flyers advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals, will probably miss the remainder of the playoffs, GM Paul Holmgren said on Tuesday.
Injured blocking a shot above his right eye in Thursday's series-clinching 3-0 win in New Jersey, Laperriere has a contusion of the brain and a mild concussion, Holmgren said. His eyesight has returned to normal, the GM said.
Below is a transcript of the conference call with Flyers General Manager Paul Holmgren regarding an injury update of Laperriere:
Sam Carchidi, Inquirer Staff Writer
The Flyers can't be took happy that they are going to have to wait an extra day before they start their Eastern Conference semfiinals. They are antsy and eager to continue the momentum they built during their first-round dismantling of the New Jersey Devils.
But, truth be told, they could be VERY happy if they end up facing Boston _ and not Washington _ in the next round.
That became a stronger possibility when top-seeded Washington was jolted by eighth-seeded Montreal, 4-1, on Monday. Jaroslav Halak made 53 saves _ many of which were spectacular _ to highlight the win. It was the fourth-highest save total for a Montreal goalie in the frachise's storied playoff history
Sam Carchidi, Inquirer Staff Writer
Ian Laperriere will not need surgery and will play in Round 2, Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren announced on Saturday.
The winger needed 60 to 70 stitches above his right eye when hit by a shot Thursday in New Jersey.
According to Holmgren, Laperriere suffered a non-displaced fracture of the orbital bone that won't require surgery.
Sam Carchidi, Inquirer Staff Writer
NEWARK, N.J. _ Trying to change his luck, New Jersey goalie Martin Brodeur shaved off his playoff beard before Thursday’s game against the Flyers.
Trying to ignite his lifeless team, winger Ilya Kovalchuk guaranteed a Devils victory.
It didn’t work, quite simply, because the Flyers were the hungrier team Thursday _ and in the entire series.
At times, this space has poked fun of the Flyers’ “Relentless” slogan during an up-and-down regular season.
But the slogan came to life during the Eastern Conference quarterfinals, which ended Thursday with the Flyers’ 3-0 win over the Devils at the quiet Prudential Center.
The Flyers’ domination Thursday was downright stunning because they played without two of their top players _ Jeff Carter and Simon Gagne, who were injured Tuesday and will have foot surgery on Friday.
In winning the series, four games to one over the second-seeded Devils, the seventh-seeded Flyers got production from all four lines and received terrific work from their defenseman, especially Chris Pronger and Kimmo Timonen.
Oh, and goalie Brian Boucher continued one of the most remarkable in-season transformation in Flyers’ history.
It was just last month that Johan Backlund had replaced the struggling Boucher as the starter in Pittsburgh.
Shortly thereafter, Boucher steadied himself. And in the playoffs, he has been one of the NHL’s best, compiling a 1.59 goals-against average and a .940 save percentage.
On Thursday, Boucher notched his first playoff shutout in 10 years _ and he became the first Flyer to notch a shutout in a series-clinching win since April 16, 1987, when Ron Hextall blanked the Rangers, 5-0, en route to reaching the Stanley Cup Finals.
An omen? Probably not. But if this team continues to play like it did in this series, it will make Washington _ its expected opponent in the next round _ work hard to get to the conference finals.
Sam Carchidi, Inquirer Staff Writer
UPDATE: Here are the Flyers' lines for Thursday night in New Jersey:
Carcillo-Richards-Laliberte.
Leino-Briere-Hartnell.
Sam Carchidi, Inquirer Staff Writer
Jeff Carter and Simon Gagne will miss Thursday's playoff game in New Jersey because of injuries to their right foot, the Flyers announced.
Both are day to day, general manager Paul Holmgren said.
The forwards were injured in Tuesday's 4-1 win over visiting New Jersey in Game 3. After the game, Carter said "it's nothing," but he was limping around the locker room.
