Pairing with Timonen has helped Flyers' Coburn

Through the first four games of the Stanley Cup playoffs, Flyers defenseman Braydon Coburn has been awfully quiet.

But Peter Laviolette and the Flyers coaching staff don't mind that. Like children, defensemen are sometimes better seen and not heard.

As a plus-2, Coburn has quietly and almost flawlessly logged heavy minutes for the Flyers on a familiar defensive pair with Kimmo Timonen.

Coburn, who finished the regular season as a minus-6 (his worst season as a Flyer), had been prone to costly turnovers that have largely disappeared.

"I thought those four [defensemen] have been really strong," Laviolette said. "I think those big four, the top four, have done a really good job defensively, position-wise.

"Braydon has been, I think, excellent. He has been using his speed to move the puck well. I think he and Kimmo have played well together."

Laviolette said that he has noticed a more confident Coburn so far in the playoffs.

"It's playoff time," Coburn said. "You want to be at your best. I think everyone needed to elevate their game. We need everybody on board."

Coburn had been paired with Timonen for the first 20-25 games under former coach John Stevens but not often under Laviolette. The two had played together for much of Coburn's first two seasons as a Flyer, with Timonen having a large impact on Coburn's improvement during the 2007-08 season.

Coburn averaged 21:07 in ice time through the first three games.

"I think any time you play with Kimmo or Chris [Pronger], that experience tends to rub off on you," Coburn said. "Those guys are so calm with the puck and they always know what they're doing."

Coming off two road trips this regular season - with an immediate home game looming - the Flyers have stayed in a hotel the night before the game.

Thus far in the playoffs, Peter Laviolette hasn't had a reason to pull his players from their homes and families to stay in a local hotel to better focus on their first-round series against the New Jersey Devils.

"Our players have found a routine that I think works for them," Laviolette said. "I haven't felt the need to do it. I've never done it in the playoffs. I think our guys are pretty focused."

Interestingly, the Devils broke their team tradition and did not spend the night between Games 1 and 2 in Newark to stay in a hotel as a team.

"When you get off the road and you were gone for a week to 10 days, you're running around doing other things," Laviolette said. "The 'honey-do' list gets long and you start thinking about other things."

Either way, the Flyers won't have other things to think about tonight in their Newark hotel rooms as they prepare for Game 5.

Thanks to a story in Monday's Daily News about Claude Giroux' pregame ritual that includes his favorite food, grilled cheese sandwiches, the Flyers sold "Giroux Cheese Sandwiches" at their pregame Playoff Block Party outside the Wachovia Center last night . . . The Flyers kept the same lineup from Game 3 . . . Peter Laviolette said he would not be opposed to rotating five defensemen instead of using three distinct defensive pairs and moved Lukas Krajicek and Ryan Parent between Braydon Coburn at times last night.

For more news and analysis, read Frank Seravalli's blog, Frequent Flyers, at http://go.philly.com/frequentflyers.