Posted: Saturday, April 23, 2011, 12:19 AM | 42 comments |
 

Game 6 goalie? Boosh-rovsky-ton?
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  UPDATE: At Saturday's practice, Chris Pronger again skated and took slap shots, but the Flyers would not say if he would play Sunday. Jeff Carter and Andreas Nodl did not practice and are expected to miss Sunday's game.

    Coach Peter Laviolette would not announce Sunday's goalie.

    * * * *

    So who starts Game 6 for the Flyers on Easter Sunday?

   Veteran Brian Boucher, the usually steady goalie who yielded two of the worst goals of the season in Game 5?

    Rookie Sergei Bobrovsky, who surrendered three goals on seven shots in Game 2 and hasn’t even dressed in the last three contests?

    Journeyman Michael Leighton, who allowed a juicy rebound that produced the game-winning OT goal in Buffalo’s 4-3 win on Friday night?

    Boosh, Bob or Leights? Or perhaps a period for each (Boosh-rovsky-ton)? And maybe call Johan Backlund if the game goes into OT?

   After Friday’s deflating defeat, coach Peter Laviolette would not commit to his goalie on Sunday.

     “I’m going to sleep on that one and probably give you nothing,” he said.

     He figures to use Boucher. Bob’s confidence is probably shot for this series, and Leighton didn’t instill much trust with his shaky OT.

    Boucher stood up and took the blame.

    Leighton deflected it.

     “You know, it’s a tough situation,” he said of Tyler Ennis’ winning goal. “The defenseman has to go out and block the puck, and it kind of puts a little bit of a screen on me, and I just caught it (the sight of the puck) through.  You know, it’s just a play that has to happen; the defense has to do that and it was just kind of a lucky bounce right on the guy’s tape.”

     Boucher allowed two goals in the first 3:51, both from impossible angles _ a long shot from the goal line on the left, and a shot from behind the goal line on the right.

     “The first one, I was anticipating a pass and he shot it on net,” Boucher said. “The second one, aside from maybe coming out and playing the puck before that, I don’t know if I would’ve played that any differently.  I mean, the guy banked it off me.  But the first one was me anticipating a pass and he threw it on net.”

      Boucher said he took “full responsibility” for the loss. “I put my team behind the 8-ball.  It was on me.  Those are goals that can’t go in.”

     Give Boucher a crack at redemption. For all he’s done for this organization over the years, he deserves it.

  * * *

   Follow Sam Carchidi on Twitter at www.tywitter.com/BroadStBull.

 

 


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Posted by Sam Carchidi @ 12:19 AM  Permalink | 42 comments
42
Comments   
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:35 AM, 04/23/2011
    So the Flyers are about to be eliminated in the first round...Is anyone really surprised about this?
    — n62
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:42 AM, 04/23/2011
    Yes...I am.
    — Gray Areas
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:50 AM, 04/23/2011
    Sam: Your love of Boosh is so cute. Nevermind that Tim Saunders, Chris Therein, and whoever is on WIP right now are all saying it is 99.9% going to be Leighton. Leights comes in to play his first NHL game in months, his first game of any type in weeks, PITCHES A REGULATION SHUTOUT (WHICH HAS NOT HAPPENED ALL SEASON, NOT ONCE BY EITHER GOALIE IN A FULL OR PARTIAL PERFORMANCE), and it sounds like you blame Leighton and feel as though Boosh, who let in two horrific goals, deserves another chance. Why doesn't Leighton deserve another chance?????? What is he supposed to do to make you happy, take the blame for the goals that went in while he was on the bench? The guy was rusty, played nowhere near his best, and yet still managed to have the best stats of the 3 goalies in the game. Give him a break....and a deserved vote of confidence.
    — snipesmorris
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 1:18 AM, 04/23/2011
    Watching Leighton play was torture. He was leaving big rebounds and wide open shots on net. Thank goodness he got great help in front. Did you notice when a Sabre was behind his net he would immediately flop to the ice and not know where to turn? It was scary watching him play. With elimination facing the Flyers ,I definetly would go with Boucher.I don't see any other choice. If the move on (That's right) then you can bring Bob back to start a new series.
    — Johnnyboyl
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 1:30 AM, 04/23/2011
    Let me get this straight, you are concerned about rebounds when Boosh let in a goal from behind the net and another from near the goal line? Leighton stopped 95% of his shots. Boosh stopped 73%. I don't think Leighton was tested much, but neither was Boosh. Leighton did not look entirely on his game, but him going down with the puck behind the goal is NOWHERE near as scary as Boosh letting in shots from behind the goal. Get real.

    I agree with you about one thing-- the team plays better defense with Leighton in net. Why is that a bad thing again?
    — snipesmorris
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 1:40 AM, 04/23/2011
    Leighton does not make saves...Leighton gets hit by the puck. There's a difference. He's like 99% of the beer league goalies out there.
    — Gray Areas
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 1:59 AM, 04/23/2011
    Giving stats after one game, snipesmorris your an idiot.
    — Howard32
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 2:13 AM, 04/23/2011
    Howard: I've given you stats all season. Want to compare Boosh and Leighton's numbers with the Flyers from the ENTIRE playoffs or regular season with the Flyers? You go right ahead. I've written them out for you SO MANY times that by now you must know that Leighton is better than Boosh in almost every statistical category, including those insignificant things like save percentage and winning percentage. I'm sure you've convinced yourself that, despite these numbers, Boosh is better. Tonight proved yet again-- he isn't.

    I don't know how Leighton is going to play in Game 6 this time, but i highly doubt it will be worse than how Boosh played tonight. That was atrocious.
    — snipesmorris
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 2:07 AM, 04/23/2011
    Sam -- you need a lesson in "sunk costs" -- The Flyers should start the goalie that gives them the best chance to win the game on Sunday, not whichever goalie has "given the most to the organization over the years." What kind of garbage is that. Thats what happens when you live in a newsroom for too long, you get to capivated by the 'storyline' and lose sight of how to enable logic.

    Lets try this; Coach has probably seen enough practice repititions to have the best collection of information as who to start, and should in no way factor in the subtleties in the post game press conference comments that you suggested he will.
    — bumbaca90
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 11:23 AM, 04/23/2011
    Exactly. You chose your goalie by who is going to give you the best chance to win (which is measured by how they perform on the ice) rather than what they do for the organization.

    In any event, i feel as though Leighton is superior to Boosh in both respects. Boosh's contribution to the Flyers last year was a 9-18 record, .899 save percentage, and 2.76 GAA. I remember the Flyers in 14th place behind his leadership. Enter Leighton. Enter a 16-5 record, .918 save percentage, and 2.48 GAA. Want to compare playoffs? Leighton was better than Boosh in every statistical category and led them to the Cup Finals when he replaced Boosh with the Flyers down 3 games to 1 to the Bruins. And this year? Leighton took what looked to be the worst team in AHL history and had a winning record with them, pitching shutouts in 17% of his games played.

    In short: Leighton revitalized the Flyers last year. He did the same thing for the Phantoms this year, he just got there too late to carry them into the playoffs. He played 50 minutes of shutout hockey last night in his first appearance in any game in weeks....he just got into the game too late.
    — snipesmorris
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 2:14 AM, 04/23/2011
    So what happened to coming out hitting?
    — drunk13
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 3:09 AM, 04/23/2011
    Put Bernie Parent in the net. He's probably sharper than the current crew.
    — Liberty4All
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 4:37 AM, 04/23/2011
    what is it about ed snider organizations that make them absolutely suck year after year after year. dont feel bad for the flyers at all. they have a system that somehow F^ &ks up every year. Congrats Ed
    — belocki
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 6:31 AM, 04/23/2011
    Leighton should get the start.

    Flyers in 7 with a double overtime.
    — WildwoodDays
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 6:49 AM, 04/23/2011
    After sufferring hrough Bob and boosh all year, Leighton looked huge in net, and calm..especially after being banished to the ahl and getting his 2nd taste of nhl action this year in a playoff game. The real fans wanted him all year, and hopefully now it isn't too late for him to save this mess..I'm ready for some shut outs on our side now.
    — philly thug


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About Sam Carchidi
Sam Carchidi is in his fourth year as the Flyers' beat reporter. He became an Inquirer staff writer in 1984 and covered mostly South Jersey high school sports and the Phillies before taking the Flyers beat.

Carchidi has written three books _ the nationally acclaimed Miracle in the Making: The Adam Taliaferro Story, which he co-authored with Scott Brown; Bill Campbell: The Voice of Philadelphia Sports; and Standing Tall: The Kevin Everett Story, which was featured on the Oprah Winfrey Show. He also contributed to a 1993 Inquirer book on the Phillies.

A lifelong South Jersey resident, Carchidi lives in Wenonah with his wife, JoAnn, and their two children, Sara and Sammy.

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