Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Posted: 2:16 p.m.Updated: 3:49 p.m.
By Tim PanaccioCSNPhilly.com
If ever the Flyers needed the proverbial character win to get themselves aligned properly for the playoffs, Tuesdays 5-2 victory in Pittsburgh was it.
Twice the Flyers had to come from behind. And when they pulled even at 2-2 in the second period, it was part of four unanswered goals that made the Penguins go waddling back into their Igloo.
Instead of facing a crisis in Flyerdom today, theres a bit of tranquility knowing that the Flyers now figure to clinch first place in the Atlantic Division given their four-point lead on the Penguins, who essentially must earn five more points than the Flyers in their five remaining games.
Youve got to give Pittsburgh a lot of credit, coach Peter Laviolette said. Theyre playing tight defense, tight checking right now. Theres not a lot of room to make plays out there. If youre not competing with that, you find yourself not liking your game very much.I liked the way we competed. The guys played extremely well.
The Flyers now face back-to-back games, hosting the Atlanta Thrashers on Thursday, then traveling to New Jersey for Fridays game against the Devils.
This was a big game for us, Ville Leino, who scored twice, said Tuesday. We needed to be desperate because Pittsburgh is close to us. We dont want that No. 1 spot to slide out of our hands. We were really desperate.
NHL
There were individual keys to the victory that taken alone might not have swayed the game, but viewed as a whole made a difference. But it shouldnt be downplayed that, after Pittsburgh jumped ahead 2-1 midway into the second period, the Flyers didnt wilt.
Instead, they came back three minutes later with the first of two goals in 47 seconds to stun goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, who has been pretty much unbeatable lately, especially in one-goal games, in which he has a 6-2-1 record since March 2 with a 1.83 goals against average and .930 save percentage.
I just like the way we responded to them, Danny Briere said. If they go up 3-1, I dont know what happens. I dont think were a team that usually quits, but it certainly would have made it a lot tougher.
Even at 2-1 in their building, I like the character we showed to come back with four unanswered goals.
What made it even better was that rookie goalie Sergei Bobrovsky withstood a strong push from the Penguins at the start of the third period. The Flyers pushed right back with two more goals.
Bob played well, Sean ODonnell said. He got tested early there and then again in the third. Its the timing sometimes of the saves. Guys can make big saves and then let in that soft one when you need a save.
We had a 3-2 lead going into the third and they came out just like we thought they would. He made some good saves to hold the fort until we got some breathing. That is all you can ask of your goalie.
Though he still has trouble with the English language, Bobrovsky understood completely what was at stake.
This was a very important game, he said. The season is coming to an end and this is the fight for first place.
Bobrovsky, who admitted being nervous until the game began, picked up his 28th win.
The Flyers now hold a three-point lead over Washington, and have a game in hand on both the Capitals and Penguins.
I dont want to get ahead of myself, but its certainly a big win, Briere said. If they Penguins win, were back to square one and tied again.
And Washington is right there, as well. It was definitely a step in the right direction and we have some big games coming up this week, as well. Some tough games, as well.
Like Atlanta, who have had the Flyers' number all season. The Flyers won in regulation in January, but have twice been beaten by the Thrashers this month, once in overtime and once in a shootout.
Its a race right to the finish, Scott Hartnell said. We cant take any game as easy. We got Buffalo next week and theyre desperate for points to hang onto that eighth spot. It doesnt matter who we are playing. We need to be strong just like against Pittsburgh.
Timonen update
General manager Paul Holmgren said Kimmo Timonen, who has a stiff hip flexor, according to sources, is feeling better and expected to play on Thursday against Atlanta.
E-mail Tim Panaccio at tpanotch@comcast.net
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