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Flyers' coach making right calls with goalies

There is little rhyme or reason to the way Flyers coach Peter Laviolette determines whether to put Sergei Bobrovsky or Brian Boucher in goal for each game.

Brian Boucher (above) and Sergei Bobrovsky have split time in net for the Flyers this season. (Ron Cortes/Staff file photo)
Brian Boucher (above) and Sergei Bobrovsky have split time in net for the Flyers this season. (Ron Cortes/Staff file photo)Read more

There is little rhyme or reason to the way Flyers coach Peter Laviolette determines whether to put Sergei Bobrovsky or Brian Boucher in goal for each game.

Regardless, it's apparent he's been pulling the right levers because the Flyers lead the Eastern Conference, and both the rookie, Bobrovsky, and the veteran, Boucher, currently have his trust.

Of course, it's likely Laviolette will at least begin the playoffs with one of them playing every game because coaches traditionally prefer to avoid juggling goalies when the stakes are highest. But that remains to be seen.

In the meantime, Laviolette will continue to select his goalie for each game based on . . . what?

"We talk about a lot of things when we talk about picking a goaltender," Laviolette said Tuesday. "Sometimes we factor in the style of the team we're playing. Sometimes we factor in the goalie's past record against a team. Sometimes we factor in the previous performance of our goaltenders. Sometimes it's even practice that might determine who we go to. It changes from game to game."

Asked how much his simple gut feeling goes into the decision, Laviolette said, "Lots of times. Lots of wrong calls, too."

Not this season. The way Laviolette handled his goalies last week was a prime example of the golden touch he's had most of the season. Bobrovsky started last Tuesday, the first game following the All-Star Game break, and was pulled after allowing three goals on six shots in the first period. Boucher played the second and third periods and was solid in the Flyers' 4-0 defeat.

In that game, Boucher was the better goalie. Yet, Laviolette went back to Bobrovsky against tough Nashville on Thursday, and played Boucher Saturday against Dallas. The Flyers won both games. Laviolette explained he wanted Bobrovsky to get right back in the nets for the chance to get a bad game out of his system. What he didn't say was whether or not he wanted to see if the kid has a short memory, which is mandatory for a goalie to succeed.

"He [Laviolette] made a great call last week," Flyers goalie coach Jeff Reese said. "He really does go one game at a time. There are factors we take into account. But it's not rocket science. Mostly, he goes with his gut."

Reese said Laviolette doesn't like to keep a goalie idle for too long after a poor performance.

One of the factors Laviolette sometimes takes into consideration is the opponent's style of play.

"If a team likes to dump the puck in a lot and the goalie has to handle it a lot, that's something Boosh is very good at," Reese said. "But Bob's getting better at it. Overall, though, it's not a major thing. Another factor might be the building we're playing in. But like I said, a lot of it is gut feeling."

Laviolette leaned heavily on Bobrovsky at the start of the season, playing him in 18 of the first 25 games and raising concerns the 22-year-old might become burned out. But his purpose for giving Bobrovsky so much work so soon was he simply wanted to find out what he had as early as possible. In the 34-year-old Boucher, he knew what he had. Since the start of December, Bobrovsky's starts have been spread out more. Reese sounded confident Bobrovsky can handle a heavy load.

"He prepares very well and he's very mature for such a young guy," Reese said. "He takes care of himself. He eats well. He's in shape and he has a lot of energy. He's also getting better all the time."

So far, there's been little to choose between the two goalies. Bobrovsky has played 34 games, Boucher 22. Bobrovsky has a 2.48 goals-against average and .918 save percentage. Boucher is at 2.31 and .919. That's the way the Flyers like it.

"The bottom line is we have confidence in both of them," Reese said. "It shouldn't really matter which one is in there."

Notes. Laviolette presented Paulsboro High School wrestling coach Paul Morina with a Flyers jersey with the No. 1000 across the back and "Paulsboro HS" on the name line. Morina said he's been a Flyers fan since the club's inception in 1967. "Back then, we used to go to the Spectrum and buy tickets at the gate," Morina said. Morina chatted with Laviolette and gave Paulsboro wrestling T-shirts to the players. . . . James van Riemsdyk was at the point on the power play at Tuesday's practice. Van Riemsdyk saw some time at the point during Saturday's win over Dallas. . . . The Flyers resume play Thursday against Carolina at the Wells Fargo Center. The Flyers are 2-0 against the Hurricanes. But Laviolette expects to go against a desperate team because Carolina is fighting for a playoff spot. "When you go against a team that's desperate and works hard, you'd better play with desperation and hard work," he said.