FLY-BY: On the Brink
Sunday, 05.06.2012 / 10:22 AM
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philadelphiaflyers.com
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| 1. DEVILS RALLY Although the Flyers got out to a 2-0 start, the Devils once again used two goals in quick fashion to even things up… Petr Sykora scored on the power-play to get the Devils on the board and cut the Flyers lead in half with under five minutes to go in the first period… Less than three minutes later Marek Zidlicky scored his first of the playoffs to even things up. 2. BRYZ A BUSY MAN Ilya Bryzgalov faced 32 shots on net - in the first two periods and many of them good scoring chances… Bryzgalov was on top of his game making a great post-to-post glove save at the 15:28 mark of the first on Adam Henrique with the Devils pressing… He added a couple more great stops scrambling around his crease with just over 11 minutes to go in the second period and less than a minute later on Steve Bernier, who got 2-3 opportunities while parked out in the crease. 3. WHATS THAT LINE? Flyers head coach Peter Laviolette showed many different line combinations at the start of Game 4… Claude Giroux got most of the action... Giroux was paired with James van Riemsdyk & Jakub Voracek at times, as well as Brayden Schenn & Jaromir Jagr… Danny Briere was back with Scott Hartnell as well, with Jakub Voracek filling out the other wing… All in told, Giroux played a total of 23:42 in Game 4, a full SIX minutes more than any other Flyers forward. 4. COUTURIER BACK After suffering a lower-body injury in the first period of Thursday's Game 3 that caused him to miss most of the contest, Sean Couturier did not miss tonight's game… Couturier played a total of 7:08 and 14 shifts, recording two shots on goal. 5.LAVY'S TAKE Flyers head coach Peter Laviolette talked about the all-around Flyers game tonight and it's need for all of it to improve for Game 5. "They moved better. They were a little bit quicker; when they got there, they came up with pucks. I think the speed, the quickness in which we do things; the puck battles have to be at a higher level." |
The Flyers have only completed one comeback in their history when trailing a series 3-1 – the 2010 ECSF vs. Boston, which they originally trailed 3-0. They are 1-14 all time in series they trail 3-1. The Flyers are 8-7 in Game 5 when trailing 3-1. Of the 14 series they did not win, the Flyers forced a game seven three times – the 1987 Stanley Cup Final vs. Edmonton, the 1981 quarterfinal vs. Calgary, and the 1968 quarterfinal vs. St. Louis. They pushed the series to six games three other times – the 2009 ECQF vs. Pittsburgh, the 2001 ECQF vs. Buffalo and the 1989 Wales Conference Final vs. Montreal. Scott Hartnell led the Flyers with six shots on goal and was one of two players leading the way with four hits. The team scoring the first goal in Flyers playoff games is now 1-9 this year. The Flyers’ shorthanded goal tonight was their fourth of the postseason. 
Giroux got the Flyers on the board first off a shot from the left circle that Scott Hartnell deflected and later on in the period, broke free for a shorthanded goal. Giroux also played 23:42 in the game which tied for the most by any forward on either team. |
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| "It looks like they're on us all of the time. There's no time and we have to figure out how to break that up, and that's why I said we have a lot of work to do tomorrow." - Kimmo Timonen "It's not acceptable the way we're playing right now and obviously we know we can comeback from their lead. We just need to find a way to play better because right now the way we're playing we're not going to win any games." - Claude Giroux |
Tonight's turning point came at the end of the second period. With the game knotted at 2-2 and almost 18 minutes of a hard, close-checking and tight second period that was scoreless, a goal by Dainius Zubrus put the Devils up by one heading into the locker room for second intermission. That's all the Devils would need after they played defensive hockey for the final 20 minutes and did not commit a single penalty to give the Flyers a power play to try and get back into the game. |
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PIC OF THE NIGHT: Scott Hartnell tries to stuff in a goal at the side of the net.  |
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 Devils 4, Flyers 2 Associated Press NEWARK, N.J. (AP) - Dainius Zubrus scored two goals and the New Jersey Devils rallied from an early two-goal deficit and pushed the Philadelphia Flyers to the brink of elimination with a 4-2 victory Sunday night in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinal. Zubrus put New Jersey ahead 3-2 late in the second period and iced it with an empty-net goal in the final minute.  FULL RECAP |
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