Flyers' goalie Bryzgalov aided by strong defensive play

PETER LAVIOLETTE loves to joke that he doesn't watch film.

He doesn't watch "film" and he doesn't use "tapes." Instead, he reviews and replays Flyers games on his laptop, using the latest "digital technology available" that makes his job a little bit easier.

Playing back last Thursday's opener before his team's second test on Saturday against New Jersey, Laviolette did not need the latest technology to confirm what he saw live from the bench.

Ilya Bryzgalov has looked phenomenal in his first two starts as a Flyer. He earned the team's first shutout since April 6, 2010 - a span of 85 regular-season games - on Saturday in a 3-0 win over the Devils. But it's easy to look good when the defense doesn't allow more than a handful of scoring chances - and Bryzgalov has said as much.

"There wasn't much for him," Laviolette told reporters after the game. "When you hold a team low in scoring chances and a zero on the board, that's what you shoot for - strong defense. We got strong defense and good goaltending. That's a good combination."

By Laviolette's count, the Flyers allowed just five scoring chances in the third period against Boston despite being outshot, 11-4. Four of the shots came on the Bruins' power play.

On Saturday, Bryzgalov faced just 20 shots. By our count, only six of them were scoring chances. And three of those came in the first 20 minutes, meaning the Flyers battened down and allowed just three scoring chances the remaining 40 minutes.

Aside from their stingy defense - and the addition of defensively minded forwards like Max Talbot, Wayne Simmonds and Sean Couturier - the Flyers' increased speed has played a big factor. It has cut down on the turnovers breaking out of the defensive zone and brought the puck out of dangerous neutral-zone scenarios with relative ease.

Jeff Carter and Mike Richards were not slow, but the Flyers' offseason changes have not only made them younger but one of the fastest teams in the league.

It has been just two games, but the new-look Flyers are faster at the blue lines, not only willing to stand up opponents at the entrance to their own zone but more active at keeping teams pinned in their own end.

"Because we spent so much time in our own zone, we didn't create much offensively," Devils legend Martin Brodeur said. "A couple of decent chances, [but] nothing crazy. These guys, they didn't give us much room in their zone, so we barely had the puck-possession time compared with what they had in our defensive zone. They are a tough team to play against."

The quickness has made Laviolette's aggressive forechecking system a lethal weapon. Many look at the Flyers' moves this summer as a product of general manager Paul Holmgren. But most, if not all the players brought in were seemingly molded to play under Laviolette's scheme.

"It looked to me like we were at practice speed and they were at NHL game speed," new Devils coach Pete DeBoer said. "We never caught up."

Blair Betts is back with the Flyers. But not by choice.

Just 4 days after being claimed on waivers by Montreal, Betts was returned to the Flyers by the NHL, for violating bylaw 11.8 (a), which states that a player must be physically fit at the time the claim is made.

Thus, the Canadiens refused the waiver claim once Betts arrived in Toronto for the Opening Night game with a knee injury and was unable to play.

Betts, who missed 26 games over two seasons with the Flyers because of various injuries, has not been a very durable player because of his rugged style of play and his role in the lineup, always putting himself in harm's way on the penalty kill to block shots in precarious situations.

Betts, 31, was seen limping through the Flyers' practice rink near the end of training camp with a heavily bandaged left knee and a full bag of ice.

"I am not prepared to dispute the conclusion of the Montreal club doctors that Mr. Betts was physically unfit to play at the time of the claim," commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement.

Paul Holmgren said in a statement that Betts is "back on the Flyers' roster" as of yesterday.

Betts' surprising return, with his $700,000 salary, forced the Flyers to move forward Ian Laperriere to the long-term injured reserve list to receive salary-cap relief. By doing that, the Flyers now have about $500,000 in space.

But Betts' return also brings the Flyers back to the treacherous, 50-contract limit.

Since they likely will need to make room for Sean Couturier's contract, the Flyers could release Betts from his deal and place him on unconditional waivers. Or they could keep the defensive-minded, faceoff specialist on the roster. Either way, Couturier's contract counts against the limit after he has played his 10th game with the Flyers this season and they'll need to find some other way to shed a contract. That's why putting Betts on waivers last week made so much sense.

Nonetheless, it will be a strange situation for Betts, returning to a team that just waived him.

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