It's not that way for a hockey goalie. It's not that way in hockey overall. Players credit or blame bounces, calls and effort levels.

And goalies? Well, they're really just trying to survive.

"When you're playing the game you don't tell yourself, 'This is the moment to make a big save,' " Flyers goalie Martin Biron said yesterday after recording a second consecutive shutout. "You play the game and when it happens, it happens. When Tiger puts in one from 20 he doesn't say, 'I was born for this putt.' He just putts it."

In a season finale that was about momentum for the Flyers and health for the Penguins, Biron played what coach John Stevens deemed, "Probably his best game of the year." He faced only 20 shots from a Pittsburgh team that at times played as if it preferred a first-round matchup with Ottawa rather than the Flyers, but Stevens' declaration was not pure hyperbole.

Why? Because the Penguins played like the Penguins enough - "Your pride kicks in and you still want to go out there and beat these guys," Pittsburgh forward Ryan Malone said - especially amid eight power plays. And during those stretches, and in a few other notable cases, Biron played as if the game was an extension of Friday night's 3-0 masterpiece over the Devils, not a separate entity.

There was some hope in the locker room afterward that it was. "You look at him the last two games and he's really calm and there's no rebounds and he's doing the smart things," Flyers defenseman Kimmo Timonen said. "Going into the playoffs you need a hot goalie. Without that you're not going to win. That's a bad thing to say, but it's the truth.

"It looks like we have a hot goalie right now, so that's good for us."

The definition of a good goalie has less to do with saves or shots than it does moments. It's what separates Martin Brodeur from the pack even now, that uncanny knack of making the big save at critical junctures. And it has been the most inconsistent part of Biron's inconsistent season - at least until now.

Yesterday, when Mike Richards' line got caught for more than a minute trying to clear the puck on a penalty kill, Biron gloved a low shot through traffic and stopped play. When Richards uncharacteristically coughed up the puck to his own slot midway through the third period, Biron's glove bailed him out again.

Big moments.

Big saves.

Big karma.

"It just gives an overall confidence to the team," Timonen said. "He makes few mistakes, he's making good plays, no rebounds . . . "

Said Richards, "He's obviously playing well but big credit goes to our defense for clearing people from our net. The last couple of games everybody has played well. That's a big boost for us to see how well we can play against teams when we move our feet and communicate with each other."

The Flyers broke open Friday's game in the third period after New Jersey mounted its most sustained attack, after Biron protected the one-goal lead by stopping big chances from the likes of Flyer-killer John Madden. Yesterday it was Jordan Staal and Evgeni Malkin seen shaking their heads.

That's what gave meaning to yesterday - maintaining both the momentum from Friday night and the style of play, re-committing to a philosophy of defensive responsibility and counterattack.

But it only works if the goalie is giving you those moments, buying you a few blips that are bound to come from such an intense and unforgiving way to play. After surrendering four goals to Pittsburgh Wednesday night and watching Washington push the Flyers into the ninth spot Thursday, Biron said he woke up Friday morning determined, not fearful.

"I felt I had let something slip Wednesday that could have made it a lot easier for everybody," he said. "I got up Friday morning and put it all behind me and went in thinking, 'This is what we play hockey for.' "

For the moment.

And the next moment.

It's how goalies become famous this time of the year.

"Every time there's a shot you're thinking this is the one I've got to stop," Biron said. "And then you move on to the next one. I think that's what has made us a little successful the last little bit here. Because guys don't focus on the whole game or the 60 minutes. They focus on their next shift. And I focus on the next rush coming in and that's it. And we move forward from that point on." *

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