• March 29, 2024

JVRidiculous Not Enough to Take Game Two

Fifty-four shots on net sounds impressive, but the Flyers will still head to Game Three against the Boston Bruins down two games to none.

James Van “Ridiculous” put the Flyers up 2-0 early in the first period with an even strength goal and a powerplay goal. JVR would, in fact, finish the game with the most minutes among any forward and the second most shots on net for the Flyers. He was, without question, the best player on the ice among both teams. Unfortunately, he couldn’t carry the team the rest of the way despite his best efforts.

As with Game One, the offense wasn’t all that bad tonight. The powerplay looked decent, the shots were there, but goaltender Tim Thomas took away all the easy goals. At the other end of the ice, Brian Boucher will be getting a lot of flack from the fair-weather fans, but he was as good as could be expected from a Philadelphia goaltender these days.

Chris Kelly tapped in the first goal from the Bruins with traffic in front of the crease. It was a breakdown of the defense that didn’t clear the garbage in front of the net. Brad Marchand scored the second goal for the Bruins minutes later. I will grant you that Boosh could have done a better job of tracking the puck, but the blame still needs to be shared with the defense.

Bruins defenseman Adam McQuaid left the game before the end of the first period after trying to elbow Mike Richards in the head, missing, and then awkwardly hitting his head into the boards. McQuaid is currently in the hospital and will likely be out for some time. I hope Philadelphia fans wish him a speedy recovery despite the jeers that I heard from a few individuals.

The Bruins and Flyers traded pressure back and forth in the beginning of the second period. Boucher left the game after taking a shot from Johnny Boychuk awkwardly into his left hand and was replaced by Sergei Bobrovsky. Bobrovsky looked decent in relief, but the game could have easily gone in the Bruins’ favor if David Krejci hadn’t hit the post on a wide open net.

Johan Backlund dressed in case he needed to back up Bobrovsky, but Boucher was miraculously back in time for the third period. The Flyers dominated the period, but couldn’t solve Thomas or the Bruins’ defense. They also failed to convert on two crucial powerplays against Marchand and Zdeno Chara.

The Flyers were credited with 33 hits compared to the Bruins’ 18 after the third period, but that was likely the home crowd being a bit generous with the counts. At this point in the game, the Flyers were pressing and keeping hope alive.

Unfortunately, a turnover from Braydon Coburn and Kimmo Timonen  led to Krejci open, AGAIN, in front of the Flyers’ net with all the time in the world. A quick wrister later and the game was over.

Actually, it took about an extra thirty seconds because the puck bounced in and out so fast that the referees initially waived off the goal. Much like the goal in Game 6 of the 2010 Stanley Cup Finals, it took some time before fans realized that the game was actually over.

Game Two was a much better effort from the Flyers than the joke of a game they put together on Saturday. JVR continues to be a monster on the ice, and Boucher looked better after the second period. Unfortunatley, the Flyers’ defense failed to put forth as tight a game as the Bruins defense and allowed them too many opportunities to score.

For everyone blaming Boucher for the loss, I ask you to replay every goal of tonight’s game and ask where the coverage was on the shooter. This series is going to require complete coverage for as long as it takes to win, because Tim Thomas isn’t going to give up easy goals, plain and simple.

Game Three begins on Wednesday Night at TD Garden.

Josh Janet

Josh Janet was raised in Northern New Jersey, but by an odd set of circumstances, is a Philadelphia sports fan. While recently converted to the Phillies, Josh is a diehard Flyers fan and can be expected to stay on top of the latest NHL news.

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Boyer
Boyer
May 3, 2011 1:53 am

I’m really happy that its “clicked” for him. That means great stuff for this team. But we HAVE to win this next game. We must dominate them or our season is done. And we won’t have the playoff beast Leino next year either.

paulman
paulman
May 3, 2011 7:04 am

The poor pass and lack of stopping the puck by the Defense on that last play cost them the game.. A lazy pass behind the net around the boards which the other D didn’t really move to get, no winger back on defense (maybe a line change) and Boston pounced on it and took advantage… A seemingly innocent clearing pass not executed well cost them this game and perhaps this Series.

Casper
Casper
May 3, 2011 9:04 am

right on paul-to-the-man…and you can’t give up a 2 goal lead, even in the first, and especially on the AWFUL 2nd goal. I was at the game and it was (to be cliche) electric. The fans were really into it, trying to pump up the Flyers. They had a bad 2nd period and really came on strong in the 3rd, but Thomas was the difference. The Flyers have to realize that the Bruins are NOT the Sabres. The Bruins have more than just a Vezina caliber goalie in front of him

paulman
paulman
May 3, 2011 11:26 am

With the embarrasment of last years blown series vs the Flyers, fresh in their memories, I can tell you as a former hockey player, The Bruins will not be satisfied and let up, until they sweep these Flyers as their own vindication.. It’s not too often a team in any Professional Sports gets an opportunity to redeem themselves against the same oppoenent with both teams having many of the same players.. The Flyers should have won last night’s game and blew a great opportunity to get the Seriies back to even.. Now it’s an uphill battle for sure

Horatio
Horatio
May 3, 2011 2:36 pm

You can’t blame Boucher for any of the goals that went in.

Here’s the problem, though. The Flyers had chances as good or better at the other end, and Thomas stopped them all after JVR’s pair. This is the problem with the Flyers’ strategy of getting good defense at the cost of not improving goaltending, which is clearly what they did getting Meszaros and O’Donnell rather than a top goalie.

Even the best defense will occasionally give up very dangerous chances against. A top goalie may stop those chances, whereas an average goalie will let them in and you’ll say “can’t blame the goalie”. Of course you can’t blame the goalie, but a better goalie would have stopped them. On top of that, defenders are much more likely to be injured than goalies. Maybe Coburn and Timmonen don’t cough up such a great chance if they had Pronger playing 25 minutes instead of Syvret sitting on the bench all game. Even Walker or Bartulis playing 10 would have kept the better defenders rested, but they’re both injured, too.

You can’t blame the goalie, but you can blame the management for never changing their philosophy and getting a top goalie.

jott1972
jott1972
May 3, 2011 8:57 pm

the defense has played soft and careless the entire series…started last series and its killing them now….with Carter out, they need Richards to step up and he has played poorly… if not for Briere and JVR, they wouldnt be playing the Bruins right now…
Matt Carle looks lost out there and scared….