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Downie played on a wing with Jim Dowd and Sami Kapanen in last night's game. The change gives the Flyers more of an edge in the forecheck and adds more offense to the fourth line.
Thoresen had two assists in 12 playoff games; Downie had one assist in four games. The tradeoff could be in power-play opportunities for the opposition; Downie had 10 penalty minutes to Thoresen's 4.
Still, the risk was worth it, considering that the Flyers needed a more physical game.
"I'm going to do the same thing I always do," Downie said before the game. "Get in the corners and win battles. That's my game and I'm sticking to it."
For two teams that supposedly hate each other they are always quick to offer compliments.
Consider what Flyers forward Jeff Carter had to say about Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin when asked to compare him to the league's other star Russians.
"I think there's a lot of similarities," Carter said. "[Capitals' Alex] Ovechkin, [Canadiens' Alexei] Kovalev, Malkin all those guys are so highly skilled that you have to be aware every time they are on the ice. I think Malkin kind of does it all. He can go right through you, he can dangle around you. He's pretty good in his own end, too. He's just a pretty complete player. You have to really be aware of him."
And Penguins' Sidney Crosby had some kind words for Flyers' Mike Richards:
"He's always been a really responsible player. He's always been gifted offensively, but very strong defensively as well, and a guy that's led by example, and showed great leadership," Crosby said. "All the traits that I've seen since the first day I saw him play, he's carried right on through and improved. He's a great two-way player."
Both teams poo-pooed the idea that they would make changes to adjust to the loss of Kimmo Timonen, the Flyers' best defenseman. Yesterday, Pittsburgh coach Michel Therrien let on what he was really thinking when asked about the matchups of his forwards against the Flyers' defense.
"The loss of Timonen, it's a huge loss for them," he said. "We try to take advantage of it as much as we can. I am not concentrating too much about our forwards against their forwards." *
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