Eastern Conference Semifinals, Game 2 — Boston leads series, 2-0
[Box Score] – [Full Series Coverage] – [Game Page] – [Boston Reaction]
[Shift Charts] – [Head-to-Head TOI] – [Corsi and Fenwick] – [5-on-5 Faceoffs]
PHILADELPHIA — I’m not going to sit here and bitch and moan about a lost hockey game tonight. Truth is, the Flyers couldn’t have played much better in the latter 34 minutes of the game. They threw 32 shots on Tim Thomas compared to the 12 shots the Boston Bruins threw on Brian Boucher‘s net in that final stretch.
Thomas stole a game. The bounces didn’t go their way once or twice (or 30 times). But, they deserved to win the hockey game. It truly is no consolation at this time of year — a loss is a loss is a loss — but what is there to complain about? Sometimes this is a brutally unfair game, and that’s part of the reason why we love it. Also, why we hate it.
Peter Laviolette and the Flyers are a confident, determined bunch. If you watched them last season or this season or last round against Buffalo or tonight in Game 2, you know that. Sit here and blame Brian Boucher or Kimmo Timonen or Danny Briere or whoever you want to blame. I’m not doing it.
Laviolette said after the game that “I believe we’re gonna go into Boston and we’re gonna win a hockey game.” Now let’s go do it, Flyers. Random thoughts, post-game video, questions with answers and the comment of the night after the jump.
– James van Riemsdyk was ridiculous tonight. What a steal as the No. 2 draft pick.
– Brian Boucher left the game in the second period with what looked to be a dislocated finger or some kind of issue with his hand after taking a shot off the glove. Sergei Bobrovsky replaced him and made several saves over the 8:59 he was in goal. But surprisingly, Boucher came back out to play the third period and overtime. He was great in that final portion of the game, too.
– In the latest brilliant example of dancing around injury news, Peter Laviolette said of Boucher: “He had a malfunction. When the malfunction was corrected, he came back.” He’s clearly just f*cking with us, now.
– Gotta think that finger is still bugging him, though. He was unavailable to the media after the game, and Boosh is the last guy on the team who would duck the media after a tough loss. He had to be getting that injury taken care of or something.
– Danny Briere had the game on his stick with four seconds left. He whiffed with an open net in front of him. Heartbreaking. Just one of those bounces.
– We’re letting Drew Carey beat us tonight. UNACCEPTABLE.
– Two times in my life, I’ve sat three seats away in a press box from Ian Mendes of Rogers’ Sportsnet. One time was tonight, one time was Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final. If he’s at Game 5, I’m running for the hills.
– Adam McQuaid was admitted to Jefferson Hospital and released after taking a stumble into the boards when he missed a check on Mike Richards in the first period. Glad to hear he’s okay. Status for Game 3 is unknown, though.
Pre-Game: God Bless America
Post-Game Video: Danny Briere
Post-Game Video: Kimmo Timonen
Post-Game Video: Claude Giroux
Post-Game Video: Peter Laviolette
Questions with Answers
- Can the defense shore things up tonight? For the most part, yeah. The OT goal wasn’t great, nor was the Bruins first goal, but overall, they were better.
- Is the crowd a bit more into the game? Yep.
- Can the Flyers stop that Bruins top line? Until it mattered most, yep.
- Better match-up choices from Peter Laviolette? Eh, basically the same.
- Will Boston’s power play continue to suck? Yep. It’s horrible.
- Rebound game from Brian Boucher? I thought so, yeah. He made some really key saves throughout, and while he’d probably love to have that second Boston goal back, he was solid throughout and the game doesn’t get to OT without him.
Comment of the Night
Prepare for JVR to be named CAPTAIN FUCKING AMERICA
