It had been seven years since Brian Boucher last started a game in a Flyers uniform. Judging by the cries of "Booosh" that rang through the Wachovia Center before last night's game with the San Jose Sharks, one would think that the 32-year-old journeyman goalie had never left.
But from the opening minute, Boucher looked anything but at home.
It may have been because of the rust from not playing yet this season as he backs up Ray Emery. Or it may have been because his team simply couldn't generate a consistent enough attack.
The Flyers dug themselves an early hole and Boucher allowed his most recent former team to score four goals on 28 shots in a 4-1 loss. Manny Malhotra scored twice for San Jose, which employed Boucher for the last two seasons.
"There are a lot of reasons why this game would have been nice to win," Boucher said. "But it didn't work out that way. But this was a starting point. . . . And I'll be better than this during the season."
The Flyers are 0-6-4 against the Sharks since 2000.
With the Flyers scrambling in the third period, they put pressure on the Sharks and outshot them, 15-10. But San Jose was the only team to score in the period when Jed Ortmeyer connected with just over three minutes remaining in the game.
"It's tough when you have to play catch-up," coach John Stevens said. "They're gaining energy from it, we're losing energy from it, and you start chasing the game."
The Sharks broke the game open in the second period, scoring two goals and ending the period with a 3-1 lead.
The first goal came 7 minutes, 51 seconds into the period. As the Flyers attempted to clear the puck, it deflected off Darroll Powe and ended up in Malhotra's possession. Malhotra beat Boucher with a quick shot from just outside the crease.
Less than three minutes later, Malhotra came up with a much cleaner look at goal and beat Boucher with a wrist shot to the right side of the net.
The only real scoring chance the Flyers mustered in the period came on a Mike Richards breakaway.
One night after his hit on Florida Panthers forward David Booth left Booth with a concussion, Richards broke free but couldn't beat Sharks goalie Thomas Greiss. He was called for charging in the process.
Although the Flyers outshot the Sharks, 38-28, Richards' breakaway was one of their few quality chances in the game.
"We didn't play well enough to win," said Flyers defenseman Chris Pronger "I don't care what the shot totals were. We weren't dedicated or determined enough to get to the net and get those goals."
The Sharks scored first in the game. Boucher allowed a power-play goal 6:20 into the game after a scramble in front of the net. Left winger Dany Heatley stuffed the puck past Boucher.
The goal seemed to wake up the Flyers.
With a newfound aggression, they kept the puck in San Jose's zone, firing shots at Greiss until Powe's one-timer evened the score at 9:44 of the first.
On the next possession after Powe's goal, the Flyers again created a quality scoring chance. With Greiss out of position, James van Riemsdyk took a shot at an open net only to have it pushed away by a diving Jason Demers.
