Bruins blank Flyers in rematch

PHILADELPHIA, Pa – Last time these two teams met was the historic playoff series that saw the Flyers become only the third team in history to battle back from a three game deficit.   Revenge had to be on the minds of the visitors to Wells Fargo Center, and they got it with some spectacular goaltending, taking down the home team 3-0.
 
The Flyers jumped all over the Bruins in the first period, out shooting them 15-10.   In fact they led in all categories except the one that counted.   Patrice Bergeron started the scoring on the power play off of a failed clearing attempt by Sean O’Donnell.   And at 15:12 of the first period, the rookie Tyler Sequin fired in an even strength goal to put them up by two.   No more goals would be scored until Milan Lucic put one in the open net after, Flyers goaltender, Sergei Bobrovsky had been pulled in the final minutes of the third.
 
The Flyers had plenty of chances, they out-shot their opponents, 41-32, but Thomas, who’s been in Vezina form lately, had an answer for each shot fired.   He even stopped a penalty shot awarded to Scott Hartnell for being pulled down by Andrew Ference.
 
“It’s frustrating when you have so many chances and rebounds, two-on-ones, and everything. He’s there to make the save every time,” said Hartnell.   “I don’t know how many shutouts he has this year but I think it’s four, or five, or six, or something like that now. It’s only twenty-something games in. They’re playing well in front of him and I wouldn’t say we weren’t hungry enough around the net but we just couldn’t buy a goal.”
 
Thomas is playing somewhat of a makeup year.   After winning the Vezina Trophy in 2009, he lost his starting job to the youngster, Tuukka Rask, who carried the Bruins into the playoffs.
 
After the game, Thomas sits atop the leader board in save percentage, .955, goals against average, 1.46, and shutouts with 5.   And with 12 wins, he is tied for second in the league, alongside Bobrovsky.
 
After a twelve game winning streak that brought the Flyers to the top of the NHL, they’ve gone 5-3-2 in their last ten.   They’ve outshot their opponents in eight of those ten games, and six times achieving over 40 shots.
 
Their power play, which was like the wrecking ball that currently sits outside the old Spectrum during the winning streak, went 0-for-4 against the Bruins, and is a dismal 2-for-38 in their last eight games.
 
One problem hounding the Flyers is their giveaways.   They turned the puck over 18 times in the shutout, and several times right in front of their goaltender.   Since signing the two big free agents, their production has begun to trail off.   Jeff Carter, who’s been locked up for the next 11 years for 5.27 million, has only managed a goal and an assist in his last five games.   Claude Giroux, who recently achieved elite status by averaging more than a point per game over the first 22, has now gone scoreless over his last four.
 
The orange and black have lost three in a row and are losing ground to the streaking Penguins and Caps.   If they want to right the ship, they’ll have to do it quick, as they are right back at it this Saturday and Sunday against division rivals, the New Jersey Devils and the NY Islanders.  
Contact Chuck.Tay@prohockeynews.com Photographer Lewis.Bleiman@prohockeynews.com