Rangers win series 4-3.
In a series in which neither team ever gained a significant advantage, the Rangers dominated the second period of Game 7 to win the best-of-seven series four-games-to-three over the Flyers and so one of the weirder Flyers seasons ever ends in April. The last day of April, but still, April.
Bullets will finish the job.
- Nothing could separate the two teams in the first period, with shots almost even and chances just minorly tilted in favor of the Rangers. But then the Rangers absolutely dominated the second frame (shots 18-5, chances similar despite the Flyers having two power plays and the Rangers none), and Steve Mason had to be absolutely spectacular to only allow two goals, both of which he had no chance on whatsoever.
- Of course Dan Carcillo scored. The dude is a talented hockey player, which only makes the mockery that his career is more of an embarrassment. Enjoy him while he lasts, Rangers.
- Wow, did the Flyers ever pour it on in the third. Other than the Akeson goal, though, their aim with the pouring wasn’t all that good, so I’m guessing the tablecloth is stained beyond repair. It was the least they could do to give Steve Mason the third period off after how huge he was in the second. I’ve always been high on Steve Mason, and this series was validation of what an elite goaltender he can be under the right circumstances. If he had been healthy for the first three games, I have no doubt that the Flyers win this series. But he wasn’t so they didn’t, and life moves on.
- What to make of this season? It started off shockingly badly, with a coach getting fired after just three games. The Flyers then found buoyancy, consistancy, but never quite greatness. Losing in the first round is about right; anything else would have been a massive overachievement. The Rangers, by the way, have no shot whatsoever of winning the cup either, so nyanyanyanyanya.
- How do the Flyers move on from here? This is a young team, so the future should be bright, in theory. Their bananas are still green, and there’s no reason to exchange them for brown ones out of impatience. Ripeness should be coming in the next two years–they may not wind up being the biggest and tastiest bananas ever, but they definitely haven’t peaked yet.
- Admittedly, pretty much everybody on the team could have had a better series. Assigning blame to one guy seems unfair, but there aren’t many wrong answers when saying who could have played better (except Mason, obviously).
- Tearfully, If it was indeed your last game, Kimmo Timonen, it has been an honor watching you wear orange. Godspeed, buddy. /
Thank you guys for reading Broad Street Hockey all year and sticking with us through what could be a fairly entertaining off-season as well. You da bestest. Go Flyers.
