Sunday, April 17, 2011
Posted: 2:06 p.m.
By Tim Panaccio
CSNPhilly.com
Sergei Bobrovsky was on the ice for at least an hour Sunday morning during an optional practice as the Flyers head to Buffalo.
Long after most of the players had left the building, Bob was talking on the side with goalie coach Jeff Reese.
Inquiring minds want to know what Flyers fans always want to know after their goalie gets shelled in a playoff game: who starts Game 3 in Buffalo on Monday?
Usually, when one goalie is on the ice that long the day before a game, the other guy is starting. The feeling here is that Brian Boucher will open in Game 3. And, that was also the consensus from several players.
Boucher clearly has better numbers1.28 goals against average and a .952 save percentage. Bobrovsky in two games is 3.38 and .875.
NHL
I want to play every day, Bobrovsky said without a translator. Always. Last night is not easy to forget. I feel good now. Last night, I didnt feel good.
Coach Peter Laviolette yanked Bobrovsky after Andrej Sekera came out of the penalty box on a 3-on-1 and roofed a perfect shot from the right circle under the crossbar to make it a 3-3 game in the first period.
Fair? Or was it more about changing the tide of the game which was out of control early.
I dont blame all those goals on him, Scott Hartnell said. Especially, the third one. It was a great shot right under the bar. Not many goalies in the league would have stopped that.
Look at Ryan Miller. He was beatable yesterday. And he wasnt beatable the day before. And Bob played well in Game 1.
Bobrovsky is just a 22-year-old rookie and you have to wonder if Laviolette doesnt go right back to him, is his confidence shot in this series?
Its the coaches decision and not meI want to play, Bobrvosky said.
Laviolette stressed how calm Boucher was in relief and how he restored order to a game in chaos and how loud Wells Fargo Center was and how emotions were out of hand at the start.
Well, its going to be that way in Buffalo, as well. Does that mean Boucher gets to break the series 1-1 tie?
And if you start Boucher and he doesnt farewell, think of all the pressure that now goes back on Bobrovsky.
Laviolette wouldnt say who is starter was or whether it was important to go back to Bobrovsky, who was very strong in Game 1 and has shown bounce back resiliency all season for the Flyers.
Without talking about decisions, in the past Bob has bounced back, Laviolette said. Hes had an outing he probably wishes things had gone differently and maybe we could have played better in front of him. And hes come back with strong performances.
Bob appreciates comeback opportunities.
Yes, the coach let me, he replied.
And if Boucher starts?
Its the coachs decision. I want to play.
When Laviolette coached Carolina to the Stanley Cup in 2006, he rotated rookie goalie Cam Ward with Martin Gerber.
Weve done this all year, Laviolette said of the Flyers situation.
It was different in Carolina, whereas we really relied on both goaltender this year here. In Carolina, Cam was a first-year player and Martin was really hot through the course of the year and got the majority of starts. And then Cam came in and he was exceptional in the playoffs.
Boucher said neither goalie had been informed of starter status, as yet. He also wouldnt bite on whether he thought it was important for Bobs psyche that he get back in.
That is something the coaching staff has to decide, Boucher said. As a player, my focus cant be on that. Its what I can do and what I can bring and how I prepare. Obviously, be a support cast for Sergei if he needs to bounce things off me.
You just prepare every day the same regardless of last night. Your mindset is the same that youre playing.weve had this mindset all year long. This is how we do it. Its nothing new to the players ... Come to the rink prepared to play. If you dont, you dont.
Boucher said he feels Bobrovsky is very capable of putting three goals on seven shots behind him and moving on in the series.
Hes a resilient person and every time he was faced with adversity, he has bounced backl and I would anticipate that be the case again.
Reese wasnt offering any clues, either.
Im not going to comment but Id like, Reese said. Hes not fragile, I can tell you that. Hes a great kid. He wants to play and hes ready to play.
E-mail Tim Panaccio at tpanotch@comcast.net