Flyers-Sabres series review

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – Goals.   It’s as simple as that.   The team with the most goals wins, but the first two games of the Flyers-Sabres series proved that’s easier said than done.   In two games thus far, there’s been no consistency.
Game 1
Mistakes or lack thereof, are what defined game one.   The first and only goal of the night didn’t come until 5:56 of the third stanza off the stick of enforcer Patrick Kaleta.  
Sabres defenseman, Marc-Andre Gragnani fired a shot from the point.   Flyers’ rookie netminder, Sergei Bobrovsky, handled the initial shot, but kicked a juicy rebound to the slot, where and unmarked Kaleta, wristed it into the open net.
It was a painful goal to allow, as the Flyers had controlled most of the play, but were unable to beat world-class goaltender, Ryan Miller.   Miller turned away all 35 shots he faced on the night.
Although Bobrovsky allowed a rebound to get away from him, he proved, at least for the time being, that he could handle the Stanley Cup spotlight.   He blocked 24-of-25 shots faced, and saw a number of testers.
The Flyers had the better of the chances on the night, and from the stats sheet it may have looked like the difference was goaltending, but in fact, the home team never took advantage of their chances.   Pucks dribbled through the blue paint, posts were hit, one-timers missed the wheel houses, and shots that should have been taken were passed away.   They went through the motions of a good game, but never executed or made things hard on Miller.
“Well I was going to say that I thought we played pretty well tonight,” said veteran defenseman Kimmo Timonen. “Obviously Miller was pretty good tonight.   You never want to lose a game, but if you want to take anything out of it I thought we played pretty well.   But, somehow we obviously have to score goals.”
Miller has proven he can backstop a team at the highest level, and he can be the difference maker for a lesser squad.   The Flyers needed to get traffic in front of him.   They needed collisions and chaos, but more importantly, they needed to get into his head.   But their hygienic style of play in game one never put pressure on the Sabres’ goaltender.
Their failing power play was also on display.   It went 0-5 on the night, including a 5-on-3, that saw several shots fired, but none connected.   They had a little traffic in front and some strong puck movement, but the Flyers never established a net presence.   The towering Sabres’ defense, all at least six-feet and 200 pounds, kept Flyers’ forwards from getting sticks on rebounds in front of Miller.
The visitors walked away with a 1-0 win, and a 1-0 lead on the series.   And the Flyers needed to up their playoff intensity.
Game 2
If game one was defined by mistake free hockey, game two came down to special teams and who could score more before the buzzer sounded.   It was a hap-hazard free for all that saw fights, plenty of scoring, a goaltender change, and a total of 19 power plays between the two teams.
The first goal of the night came at 4:00 of the first period off a shifty play by forward Claude Giroux, who split the Sabres’ defense and fired a shot past Miller.   Unfortunately the lead lasted less than 3-minutes, and the period continued like that until the first intermission, where it stood 3-3.
In the second period, the scoring was all Flyers, where they took a two-goal lead heading into the third off of Ville Leino and Danny Briere.   Things were looking good, the Flyers had all the momentum and the Sabres were back on their heels.
In the third, they had to deal with a Sabres push that brought them back to within one off of a shot by Cody McCormick, but they were able to hold off the visitors to tie up the series.
It was a strong game for the Flyers.   They took the game to an intense level, and it definitely had a playoff feel to it.   Some high hits were taken and a fight between the Sabres Paul Gaustad and Flyers forward Scott Hartnell.
Shots on goal were closer this game, as the Flyers barely outshot their opponents 34-28, but the chances were better.   They were in the blue-paint, fighting for rebounds, and taking second and third chances.   They pushed the Sabres defense and forced them to take penalties.
One part of the game they still need to improve upon is their special teams.   It’s been a problem for them for some time now, and it’s been horrendous.   Their penalty kill allowed two goals on 9 attempts.   They responded with only one of their own on 10 attempts, including two 5-on-3s that saw nothing.
*Bobrovsky, who played well in game one, was pulled at 12:43 of the first after allowing three questionable goals on only 7 shots.   It was a concern as to whether or not the rookie could handle a playoff run, but no one seemed to point the finger at him.
The Flyers raced to the Stanley Cup final last season, backstopped by Michael Leighton and Brian Boucher, and its possible Boucher could carry the weight for the remainder of the playoffs.
“Brian [Boucher] has bailed us out so many times. He just has a sense of calmness about him,” Flyers coach Peter Laviolette said. “It was such a lively game, and he can come in and really settle things down for us. That’s what he did tonight.”
When asked who the possible starter for game three would be, Laviolette said, “We don’t talk about goaltenders, injuries or lineups. That should take care of it.”
For Game 3
The next two games take place in the hostile HBCS Arena in Buffalo, and regardless of who starts in the net for the Flyers the playoff switch seems to have been flipped.   They threw 34 hits and blocked 18 shots in Saturday’s match-up.   The team’s intensity is up and they look strong for a deep run at the playoffs.  
A player to watch is sophomore winger James van Riemsdyk, who’s been playing with a snarl and taking the body at every chance.
Chris Pronger, who’s been out with a broken hand, is still not skating with the team.   It looks like he’ll be out at least until game four.
Who’ll be in net for game three is anyone’s guess.   Laviolette has gone back to Bobrovsky for strong rebounds after bad losses before and it worked, but this is the playoffs, and there’s no time to waste.   It’s likely he’ll choose Boucher for Monday night.   The question is who’ll be his backup, Bobrovsky or Leighton.
Contact Chuck.Tay@prohockeynews.com
Photographer Lewis.Bleiman@prohockeynews.com