Thursday, February 10, 2011
Posted: 9:27 p.m.Updated: 11:19 p.m.
By Tim Panaccio
CSNPhilly.com
BOX SCORE
Its been another one of those subtleyet effectivetransitions for the Flyers.
Peter Laviolettes team has become rather comfortable in one-goal games. His Flyers won another one Thursday night at Wells Fargo Center, 2-1, over the Carolina Hurricanes.
Thats 15 wins in one-goal affairs and 35 points overall, including overtimes and shootouts.
We can play in those one goal games, but I think we can also play better, Laviolette said. Instead of defending a one-goal game we should be looking for more attack instead of sitting back.
NHL
Make no mistake about it, after a nothing read: boringopening period, the Canes came hard at the Flyers in the second, and wouldnt go away. The Canes are desperate for a playoff berth and it showed in their defensive posture to keep the Flyers within reach.
Despite that, the Flyers didnt fold, and actually seemed to thrive under those conditions.
We have to stick with thegame plan, stick with how you need to play to be successful, Chris Pronger said. We were able to do thatYou guys seem to think its frustrating to play in these games.
I hear that word an awful lot out of the mediajust our ability to refocus between periods. It wasnt our best second period by any stretch of the imagination, but we were able to come back in the third with a better effort.
Jeff Carter broke the ice 18 seconds into the third period with a power play goal off the rush.
Danny Briere won the game soon after with a second power play goal. Its been a while since the power play scored more than once,plusmade a difference in a game.
The last time the Flyers had a power play game-winner was Jan. 20 in a 6-2 win against Ottawa.
Its been a while since we were able to say our power play won us a game, Briere said. We got two power play goals. Its a good feeling.
Obviously, the PP units needed some uplifting break and they got it.
Yeah, it was huge, especially coming off that third period, Braydon Coburn said. It was great because we talk about shooting and getting the puck to the net. The first thing they did was Carter came off and wired one right in there and Mike Richards was driving the net. I thought that was a great play and it kind of set the tone for us in the third.
Over the last eight games, the power play is 8-for-2927.5 percent.
For the first time this season, it was a 0-0 game going into the final period. That couldnt be a good feeling, could it?
It seems lately, thats a lot of those games were playing which is good, Briere said. Down the stretch and getting ready for the playoffs and playoff-type games, were going to face a lot of teams that are fighting for their lives, too.
A team like Carolina, hanging onto eightplace, theyre going to play hard and looking at our schedule, we have a lot of teams that are right around there.
Brieres club-high 27thgoal came at 11:27, making it 2-0.
Tuomo Ruttu quickly ruined Brian Bouchers shutout attempt 42 seconds later, digging out a puck that bounced off Booshs chest, then flipping it over him.
Yeah, maybe it crossed my mind for a second, Boucher said when asked if he were thinking shutout. But I only had a second because thats when they scored.
I dont think I lost my concentration. Maybe someone up in the press box jinxed me.
Mind you, Boucher was laughing all through this interview.
Chuck! Boucher shouted, meaning Chuck Gormley of the Courier-Post.
You know things are good when a goalie can laugh off a lost shutout. The Flyers are the only team in the NHL without one and seem okay with that.
Coming off a four-day layoff, Laviolette changed up two of his lines at the start.
Andreas Nodl opened the game on Claude Girouxs line with Carter while James van Riemsdyk worked on Richards line with Nikolay Zherdev.
The lines remained shuffled throughout the game whichmay not have been a bad idea given both Laviolette and Canes coach Paul Maurice were both trying to find something to generate offense.
We practiced that way yesterday, just to give it a different look, Laviolette said. We changed it up a little bit in the third period to get more energy going, coming off that second period and get guys back out on the icewho were playing hard.
The Flyers also survived a scare when Giroux blocked a shot from Tim Gleason in the first, two minutes of the second period after a puck struck his left knee.
Hobbling in pain, Giroux went to the dressing room, but returned near the mid-point of the perioda fortunate break given hes their leading scorer (50 points).
I got caught out of position and tried to get back in the lane and the puck kinda hit me where I had no padding, Giroux said. Its all good. Its part of hockey.
E-mail Tim Panaccio at tpanotch@comcast.net