As hard as it is to believe this could be the last night that the public tunes in to watch Philadelphia Flyers hockey. It is hard to believe when any season ends for a team that you root for. You just don’t understand why everything didn’t fall into place, why the other team caught the breaks that they needed to move on. To make matters worse if the Flyers lose tonight they will have gone out like a lamb. They have played uninspired hockey in two out of the three games so far in this series. Make no mistake though, this is a Flyers team that was hard to stop at times during the season, they have the talent to come back in this series, using those talents correctly is a different story.
This isn’t just on the Flyers though, Boston has stepped up to the occasion, they came ready to play, minus the first 5 minutes of game 2. They have been much more physical, if you don’t believe me, go back an watch any part of game 3, especially when Kris Versteeg was on the ice. The Flyers have to try and stay one step ahead of the Bruins tonight. When they are going for the big hit, slide out of the way, similar to what Mike Richards did to Adam McQuaid in game 2. The worst thing that could happen tonight is to see a repeat of game 3 in the physical department.
Sergei Bobrovsky should start in net tonight. He had problems stopping the puck in game 1, but that was more so to do with the fact that the Flyers just couldn’t stop the Bruins at all that game. He looked fantastic for the 6 and a half minutes he played in game 2 and only got burned by Chara on a shot that no goaltender in the league could stop. It is not just his responsibility though, the team in front of him has to play better.
With Chris Pronger likely out, the defense has to be smart. They have to pick when to be aggressive, in order to turn the tide of the series the Flyers have to try and put the Bruins on their heels.
Perhaps most importantly the Flyers have to be patient when they get the puck around Tim Thomas. Too many times Zherdev, Giroux, or any one else on the offensive attack will fire a shot at Thomas when he is way out of the net. You have to make him have the sense that he is out on an island away from the net. He will begin to over think and then you can take advantage of him. The Flyers have to look for that extra pass, if they do it will lead to a wide open net.
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Tags: Boston Bruins, Eastern Conference Semifinals, NHL playoffs, Philadelphia Flyers
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