"This team is built for the playoffs."
For a team that barely snuck in as the 7th seed, that statement was hard to justify.
A team that can score 7 goals one game, then get shutout on the next.
A team that played through an emotional win one night, then drop the next 3.
A team that has had goaltending issues since before the new year.
A team that looked like it was weighed down by it's expectations.
You can now throw all those issues out the window, because this team has put it all together. For the first time all year, the Flyers are playing consistent hockey night-in and night-out.
Maybe Briere was right after all, and it all starts with Brian Boucher
A few weeks ago, it seemed like this team was heading towards a downward spiral. Boucher had not been playing well, and was giving up soft or ill-timed goals that cost his team points in the standings. Boucher had as much confidence as a high school nerd asking the prom queen on a date.
However, every once in a blue moon, the prom queen says yes, and that nerd is the most confident person in the world.
Boucher got the yes from the prom queen after being pulled against the Fish Sticks on April 1st.
Peter Laviolette's decision to start Boucher the very next night against Montreal gave him the confidence he needed. He responded by only allowing one goal in a 1-0 loss to the Habs, then playing very strong against the Detroit Red Wings, who were the hottest team in the NHL at the time.
In the last 5 games of the regular season, Boucher went 3-2 with a GAA of 1.81 and a SV% of .934.
In the playoffs, his GAA is 2.33 with a .909 SV%. Those are very respectable numbers based on the fact he's seen an average of 25 shots a game.
Boosh has gotten hot at the right time. He is making the key saves, and has the ability to shut the door when he needs to. Mainly, because his defense has stepped it up as well.
Chris Pronger and Kimmo Timonen are each logging about 30 minutes a night, and are keeing Illya Kovalchuk off the scoreboard.
Kovalchuk only has 1 goal in this series, and it was on an empty net. It seems the Flyers have pressed the mute button with the noise he usually makes on the score sheet.
And most importantly, the team is scoring goals.
The Flyers had an issue a few weeks ago where they could not sustain pressure on the forecheck. Peter Laviolette has installed a very aggressive 2-1-2 system, which is useless without a consistent forecheck. The Flyers are just now getting used to how it works.
A basic 2-1-2 works like this:
The puck is dumped behind the goal line, and two players give chase to pressure the defenseman who is near the puck and try to turn it over (this is the forecheck). A support player stays in the slot or moves from dot-to-dot in the circles, and two defenseman stay at the blue line.
Not too hard to understand right?
Laviolette's system is a bit different because he uses the defenseman as support to the players behind the net, which allows them to jump in the play down low. The free player moves from behind the net to the slot, and the slot player moves back to the blue line. It's a constant cycling process that takes a lot of speed and patience.
Confused? Why do you think the Flyers had trouble scoring goals?
For a while the offense was slumping because they had not adjusted to the system. While they went on a tear before the olympic break, they did not play the system consistently because they just didn't know it.
Now, they are getting many more shots and scoring chances because they don't have to think about where they need to be on the ice.
This has taken pressure of Boosh and the defense, which is why they are playing so well.
Regardless, the Flyers are playing their most consistent hockey of the season, and with consistency, comes confidence.
The Flyers have battled back from being behind in 4 out of their last 5 games. Game 1 vs. NJ was the only game where they scored the first goal. It seems as now the Flyers know that they will get back in the game if they fall behind.
Why?
The Refuse to Lose mentality. Chris Pronger said it before the playoffs that the Flyers needed to give everything they had each shift on the ice. So far, they have.
And that's a scary thing to other teams around the league.
The Flyers want to be the last team standing in June.
As long as they keep playing this way, they will.
Until next week...keep your stick on the ice.
Playoff Results:
Game 1 - W - 2-1
Game 2 - L - 3-5
Game 3 - W - 3-2 OT
Flyers lead series 2-1
Upcoming Games:
Game 4 - Tuesday, 7:30PM
Game 5 - Thursday, 7:00PM
Game 6 - Sunday, TBA (If Necessary)
Game 7 - 4/27, 7:30PM (If Necessary)
Caption of the Week:
Jeff Carter doesn't understand what Dan Carcillo is saying to him:
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