Rematch set with Boston; Carter should return
The Philadelphia Inquirer Blog - Flyers Report: Broad Street Bull
Rematch set with Boston; Carter should return
Sam Carchidi, Inquirer Staff Writer
It's on.
The Boston Bruins have been waiting nearly a year to pay back the Flyers for their humiliating collapse last season.
Now, they will get the chance, setting up The Rematch with a clutch vistory Wednesday.
Thanks to a 4-3 overtime win over visiting Montreal, Boston moves into the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Flyers. Game 1 is Saturday afternoon in Philly.
In last year's semis, of course, the Flyers overcame a three games to none deficit _ and a 3-0 deficit in Game 7 _ to shock the Bruins and reach the conference finals.
They became the third team in NHL history to win a series when down, three games to none _ and the first to do so by overcoming a 3-0 deficit in the final game.
Boston may be the only NHL team that can match the Flyers' physicality on the blue line, so this figures to be another long, grueling series.
The Bruins beat Montreal despite going 0 for 21 on the PP. They becamse the first team to ever win a seven-game series without a PP goal.
Here is the schedule:
GAME 1 – Saturday, April 30 at Philadelphia – 3:05 PM. NBC. GAME 2 – Monday, May 2 at Philadelphia – 7:35 PM. Versus. GAME 3 – Wednesday, May 4 at Boston – 7:05 PM. Versus. GAME 4 – Friday, May 6 at Boston – 8:05 PM. CSN. GAME 5 – Sunday, May 8 at Philadelphia – 3:05 PM. NBC. GAME 6 – Tuesday, May 10 at Boston – TBD, CSN. GAME 7 – Thursday, May 12 at Philadelphia – TBD, CSN.
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Forward Jeff Carter, who led the Flyers with 36 goals in the regular season but missed the last three playoff games with a knee injury, is getting closer to returning to the lineup, general manager Paul Holmgren said on Wednesday.
Holmgren said he was optimistic Carter would play in the Eastern Conference semifinals, though he wouldn’t be specific as to when he would return.
Carter injured his right knee when he collided with Buffalo’s 6-foot-8 Tyler Myers early in Game 4 of the conference quarterfinals, and reportedly suffered a severely sprained MCL. The Flyers will only call it a “lower-body injury” and say he is “day to day.”
The injury will not require surgery, Holmgren said.
Carter missed 11 playoff games last season with a broken foot.
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Boston was 3-1 agaiunst the Flyers this season, with goalie Tim Thomas leading the way with a 1.96 GAA and .942 save percentage. The Flyers' PP was 0 for 7, Boston's was 4 for 12.
BTW, Boston needed OT to win three of its games in the series against Montreal.
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Follow Sam Carchidi on Twitter at www.twitter.com/BroadStBull.
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Who cares about shooting % - the guys scores goals! He is fast and he is another threat. When Pronger is 100%, we don't need 7 D-men so if anything he is a pure addition. Fine he has his faults but you can not question that his return will be welcomed.— gob1234
The Carter goal tale is slightly skewed one. Sure he scores a lot of goals but I would love to see that stats on how many times he just flat out misses the net. Its not the fact that he misses either. Its the fact that most of them end up as odd man rushes the other way with Carter listfully skating back to the bench. Not to mention he doesn't even show up for the playoffs. Carters motto for goals must be "Throw enough sh*t at a wall ( goal) and some of it is bound to stick"...
Comment removed.- here are his playoff stats:
GP G A P +/-
45 13 8 21 -10
Jeff can take all the time he needs to get better---
Remember game 6 of the SCF, with about a minute left and the score was tied, all he had to do was lift the puck and shoot over the goalie and we were going to game 7.
— YOU GOT IT - Ah how could I forget about him choking on not 1 but 2 open net goals 2 years in a row to extend the series.....Must be a reason I decided to block those memories.
- -10! Put me in coach, I am ready to play, Today! Go rub Prongers hand. Pronger will be eaten alive by better team if he does not improve quickly. LETS GO FLYERS!— NYPHILLYPHAN
- I hope Carter NEVER comes back. Now that he's not around taking lazy, uncreative wrist shots, OTHER GUYS are shooting more and finding the back of the net. He's a piece of garbage and should be treated as such.
F all your stats…the only stat that counts is heart, and he's fresh out.— springfish - Zherdev > Carter— n62
- Carter is a great forward and the Flyers are lucky to have him. They should extend his contract for as long as possible. The Flyers have mentored and developed him for many year at considerable cost, would be a shame to see all that talent and hard work appear on another team.— elixmusic
- Thanks for the update Sam. Hurry back Carter. I look forward to you shutting up your critics.— dianne16
- Let's just say I wouldn't want him playing AGAINST us...sniper is a sniper is a sniper!! Oh and by the way, did any of you check out his plus/minus??? nuff said!— CalgaryFlyer
- Carter would look good in any uniform except the Flyers, go join Olympic Figure skating. Show me one good hit, ONE and I might change my opinion.— knarfage
- Comment removed.
- Doesn't matter. If the flyers play like they played the 1st period lst night, they can beat anyone.— hititwheretheyaint
