Unsung heroes spur Flyers
The Philadelphia Inquirer Blog - Flyers Report: Broad Street Bull
Unsung heroes spur Flyers
Sam Carchidi, Inquirer Staff Writer
Center Claude Giroux had a goal and two assists while willing the Flyers to a series-clinching 5-1 win over Pittsburgh at the electric Wells Fargo Center on Sunday.
With 14 points in the six games, Giroux was obviously the series MVP.
But who were the unsung Flyers heroes? Here, in no particular order, are a half dozen:
- Braydon Coburn. The D-man was a big reason the Flyers did a great job containing Evgeni Malkin, especially in even-strength situations. Coburn played 29:27 and had six blocked shots Sunday, and he was plus-3 and averaged about 28 minutes per game in the series.
- Max Talbot. He helped turn around Games 2 and 3 with shorthanded goals, and finished the series plus-5 with three goals and 18 hits against his former team.
- Andreas Lilja. Not many people expected Lilja to play much, let alone be an impact player. But the veteran defenseman led both teams with 19 blocked shots in the series, including six on Sunday.
- Jakub Voracek. His OT goal in Game 1 changed the series, and he quietly had seven points (two goals, five assists) in the six games.
- Sean Couturier. Couturier, 19, got under Malkin’s skin with his defense and was plus-3 with three goals. Malkin, the likely MVP of the regular season, was minus-1 and also had three goals.
- Brayden Schenn. The 20-year-old rookie was second on the team with 19 hits – six behind Scott Hartnell _ and he contributed six points.
The waiting game. The Flyers won’t know who they will play in Round 2 until the other Eastern Conference quarterfinals are over and the teams are reseeded. Their worst matchup would be the Rangers, while the best would be Florida.
“We just beat one of the best teams in the league, so it doesn't matter who we play next,” center Danny Briere said after the Flyers eliminated the Penguins. “….It's always the way we've approached it. When you win your first round, usually you're on a roll, so no matter who we play, it's going to be a tough battle.”
The Flyers probably won't start until Friday or Saturday, and the delay should help several injured players heal. The Flyers are hopeful defenseman Nick Grossmann can play in the next round.
Classless. Maybe it was because he was talking after a season-ending loss to a bitter rival and didn’t have time to compose his thoughts.
Whatever the reason, Pittsburgh coach Dan Bylsma, a stand-up guy, showed little class when he started his post-game news conference this way: "I want to congratulate the Flyers organization on the series win, but I really can’t wish them good luck, though.”
Follow Sam Carchidi on Twitter @BroadStBull.
Agree with the list, except for Schenn. The kid had a monster game 1, but he really struggled in the two losses and finished the series -3.
For biggest disappointment, it would be Simmonds. Is he hurt? He was certainly benched in game 6, despite the big lead. I think we will see a lot more out of him in the next round.— snipesmorris- Great to see some props given to Lilja. It seemed like he was blocking a lot of shots in the series, had no idea he was leading the team in that area. Coburn looked great too, lot of ice time and good against the top line on the Pens as well as a force pinching down to keep the puck in the offensive zone. With Mez, Grossmann, and Bourdon coming back you gotta wonder who's the odd man out? Kubina looks hurt so I'd think he'll find his way out of the lineup. That still leaves Gus, Bourdon, and Lilja vying for one spot to stay in the lineup. While the Flyers definitely didn't have a defense to be reckoned with, they did find a way to limit the Penguins chances in Games 1, 5, and 6 and gave the team a chance to win in Games 2 & 3. Regardless who they go with, I'm sure wrapping up the series and getting a few extra days off will go a long way.— MJFur51
- How about some props to our coach Laviolette!— ej610
- Bylsma is the classless coach of the most classless organization in the NHL.— ej610
- "
The Flyers won’t know who they will play in Round 2 until the other Eastern Conference quarterfinals are over and the teams are reseeded. Their worst matchup would be the Rangers, while the best would be Florida." If Ottowa, WAS and NJ all win the series, wouldn't the Flyers host Ottowa? I know it's a long-shot, but I'm pretty sure that's how things would be re-seeded.— furio - Suffrin succotash coach cant ya at least wish us luck?!— NYPHILLYPHAN
- Make sure to vote for Claude for the cover of EA Sports NHL 13 - voting ends tomorrow!!
http://covervote.nhl.com/:b=safari/#/ballot— bpcmd 
Comment removed.- I might even take my wife out for dinner to celebrate the series win. Well, on the other hand...— schultz8
- Its midnight Pittsberg Pumpkins— Sasquatch
- Who cares about that classless coach ... Enjoy Tee times with your goon squad and be sure to watch the Flyers on TV in the playoffs to see how a real team and coach performs.— mortt1956
- and I don't wish Bylsma luck in finding a new job. If Mario doesn't can him I'd be shocked. He has too much talent to go out in the first round.— steveacts
- It was classless, better to say nothing than to throw a jab after the fact. Fact is there were a lot of OPens player who did show up, Dupuis, Cooke, Malkin, Flower and basically their entire defensive core. Anyways, we move on, they get to book tee times today!— Fabulous
- I would expect nothing less from the coach of the Pittsburgh Punkuins.
Giroux's hit on Squidney should have been delivered in Game 1. Malkin appears as a "no-show" due to great play by Couturier. Can't fault Bryz plays great when the TEAM doesn't play some "D". We need to stay out of the penalty box!— 50_buick - Sam - any word on Meszaros and Grossmann coming back for Round 2? I still find it hard to believe we beat the Pens with 3 of our top 4 d-men out for 2 games, and 2 of 3 out for the whole series (counting Pronger).— uncle meat
- Well, too bad Dan's team played aBylsmally. A team reflects its coach, and this Penguin team, though talented has a few men in the lineup who hunt heads with the coach's blessing. From that Sunday regular season game in Pittsburgh it was clear that the Pens tried to eliminate Giroux, Briere, Couturier and Grossman.— retzlaff
- Did the same thing 4/5 years ago...going after Coburn and/or Kimmo Timonen. — Romus
- That's some interesting stats, Sam. Lilja may be slow, but his positioning, one-on-one play and shot blocking were great especially in game 6. Coburn anchored the defense, paid back for his new contract and stepped up physically.— flyerdommo
