Daily News Online Extra: Flyers need to play better

Throughout the playoffs, Daily News columnist Rich Hofmann will write an exclusive column only for philly.com readers, posted at midday each day.

NEWARK, N.J. - "We feel the pressure's on them," the Flyers' Blair Betts was saying. He was talking about the New Jersey Devils, who probably had twice as many good scoring chances as the handful that the Flyers had in Game 1 of their playoff series last night.

But the Flyers won anyway, 2-1, and now the game within a game has begun.

"We're obviously going to put pressure on ourselves to win," said Betts, a fine defensive forward and a penalty-killing specialist on a team that gives him lots of practice. "We know that when we're playing at our best, we can compete with any team in this league. Throughout the year, we've had quite a bit of success against this team but I'd still have to say that they're the favorites. We're kind of using that to our advantage."

Playoff series are all about actions and reactions -- especially reactions. People talk about how the odd-numbered games in a series are the key games, especially Game 1 and Game 5 (and obviously Game 7). To me, though, especially earlier in the series, it is the even-numbered games that tell you the most about the teams. They have both been presented with a new reality in Game 1. How they deal with that new reality is the most fascinating part.

All of which is a roundabout way of getting to the real thesis here: That the Flyers are going to have to be better than they were last night if they are going to take the Devils down in this series.

They were too slow getting started, however understandable early-series jitters might be. They were too careless with the puck, especially at the start of the game. They didn't generate enough sustained offensive pressure. They were bailed out by goaltender Brian Boucher, and their penalty-killing was excellent.

"You have to give New Jersey credit," Flyers coach Peter Laviolette said. "They're a very good hockey team. They've had a very successful year. They play a very structured game. They have good goaltending. You have to give them credit. That's why...media folks picked them to be successful in the series. We've got our work cut out for us. We won a game tonight. We need to play better. We need to play better."

By some accounts, Laviolette blistered the team after the first period. Betts, for one, said it was deserved. But after the game, you began to hear a subtle shift in the coach's tone, seemingly born out of the reality of playoff hockey, which is all about survive-and-advance.

So, last night, the coach's criticisms were paired immediately by pats on the back.

"I can't explain why (the Flyers often start slowly)," Laviolette said. "They're probably not happy with it, I know I'm certainly not happy with it. Bottom line is we won a hockey game and you've got to give the players credit because Boucher gave them an opportunity and held them in in the first period. Then we came to our senses some in the second and played a much stronger period and were able to win a hockey game. In the playoffs, that's really all it's about."

Later, the coach added, "There's too many times where we're trying to make plays from our heels or trying to make plays from standing still. Our game is about attack and skating and offense and puck movement and puck support. In order to do that, it requires a lot of energy. For me, in the first period, it wasn't a picture-perfect period by any stretch.

"Not to harp on that -- I give our guys a lot of credit," Laviolette then said, before talking some more.

You can see where he is headed -- correcting without wearing down the team. Meanwhile, Devils coach Jacques Lemaire is publicly presenting a very unworried face. And the thing is, what he says is true: it was a close game, the Flyers really had a small number of scoring chances, and the Devils didn't do a lot wrong except failing to score on any of their five power-play opportunities.

"We limited them to a certain number of chances -- that's what we were looking for," Lemaire said. "It was a 2-1 game. We were looking for a goal earlier than (with less than 3 minutes left in the third period). That would have helped.

"We have to work a little more on our power play, try to get some goals on the power play. Special teams in the playoffs is really important. If you do get scored on shorthanded or don't score on the power play, it can cost you the game."

Lemaire is a veteran of a million playoff series as a player and a coach. As the maneuvering begins in earnest, as the actions and reactions begin to unfold, he is projecting exactly what he wants to project. As Laviolette urges improvement, Lemaire urges calm.

"This is the playoffs, and the playoffs is the first team that wins four," he said. "Hasn't changed."

Send e-mail to

hofmanr@phillynews.com, or read his blog, The Idle Rich, at

http://go.philly.com/theidlerich. For recent columns go to

http://go.philly.com/hofmann.