Thursday, April 28, 2011
Posted: 4:41 p.m.
By Tim Panaccio
CSNPhilly.com
Everyone knows how the Bruins and Flyers can play a nasty, physical playoff series. Weve seen that - and how the Bruins went 3-0-1 against the Flyers this season, playing with a chip on their shoulders.
Which, of course, goes back to them choking and giving up a 3-0 stranglehold to the Flyers last spring in these very same Eastern Conference semifinals.
And yet, none of that may matter in this series, because this could be the series of the challenged power plays.
The Flyers are facing an opponent with a power play that is in far worse shape than their own.
The Boston Bruins went 0 for 21, becoming the first team in National Hockey League history to win a seven-game playoff series without scoring a power play goal.
NHL
We cant go into the series thinking theyre going to suck on the power play because I dont think theyre going to do that again, offered Kimmo Timonen. Its not easy. Every team is bearing down and its harder to score in the playoffs. Theyre going to get better and were going to get better. Sometimes, it doesnt click one series but another series it might be hot.
The Flyers scored five power play goals against Buffalo. Three of them genuinely mattered in Games 6 and 7 as they made a critical difference between winning and losing.
Think of it this way. Two of Buffalos victories were 1-0 shutouts by Ryan Miller. In those games, the Flyers power play was a collective 0 for 8. A goal here or there and the series doesnt drain on seven games.
Its not hard to find keys to a better power play, Timonen said. Just shoot the puck. Its get up top, shoot the puck. Weve been talking about that enough. Once we do that, we get scoring chances.
Like the last game, Richie Mike Richards shot the puck from the point. G Giroux came in and shot the puck from almost the point. Good things happen. Once you establish that shot, everything else opens up. Sometimes we try those low plays first and it doesnt work.
On Thursday, the Flyers spent a lot of time working on 5-on-3 and 4-on-3 power plays, under PP coach Joey Mullen.
The five-man unit had Chris Pronger in front, tipping shots with Richards, Danny Briere, Giroux, and Timonen. On the rotation, the Flyers even had two forwards up top with Pronger in the box and Timonen at the circle.
We need to move the puck quicker and find the best opportunities to shoot it, Mullen said. With Pronger in front, hes very good at tipping. If we can throw it into him, he has that reach where he can deflect it off people.
With any game, the special teams always are critical. The further you go, the more crucial it is, the more importance is placed on special teams.
The 4-on-3 had Briere, Giroux, Richards and Pronger.
You could see the difference Pronger made on the power play in Game 6 and 7 against the Sabres. Hard, accurate shots got through to the net, especially in Game 7. There were shooting lanes, there was traffic, and there were good looks at Miller. Also, the Sabres backed off when Pronger shot.
The Flyers went from 7.7 percent inefficiency to 14.3 between Games 5 and 7. Their improvement was going 3 for 9 over the final two games of the series where the power play made a difference.
I think we got better and better as the Buffalo series went on, Briere said. The first two games, it was tough. We werent very good. After that, there were some games where we threw a lot of pucks at Ryan Miller and he made some good saves. We started finally getting results in Games 6 and 7. Were definitely moving the right direction. The addition of Chris Pronger on defense helps, also.
Keep in mind that during the regular season, the Flyers were 0 for 7 against Boston with the man advantage while the Bruins were 4 for 12.
Suffice it to say, the Flyers will have to do better in this playoff series. Even a couple of goals figure to make all the difference in the world given the Bruins own struggles.
Boston overcame their struggles on the power play and still advanced thanks to its ability to get the games into overtime.
Theres always a first, Pronger said of Boston advancing without scoring a power play goal. They scored three overtime winning goals. That in itself makes up for all the power play stuff.
Bruins winger Mark Recchi was clearly frustrated.
Weve got to be a lot better, Recchi told CSNNE.com. Were not getting any sustained pressure to top it off. Were getting one shot or one hit, and its getting blocked down."
Lack of movement and lack of quality shots seemed to make it easy for Montreal to defend against Bostons power play units."
Much like the Flyers early in their series against Buffalo, where the Bruins struggled most was getting the puck inside and establishing a setup with sustained pressure.
Pronger didnt like one reporter not giving the Flyers props for doubling their power play percentage by the end of the series.
Im sorry 14 and 7 arent the same, Pronger said.
Yeah, its double.
I appreciate you getting your stats correct, Pronger said. Special teams are always important. Whether you want to be negativeor look at the positives you accomplished, penalty kill and power play are always essential to winning in the playoffs and this series is no different.
Coach Peter Laviolette wont argue that.
In the Buffalo series, on some of the games we lost, we might have won if the power play had been a little more opportunistic, he said. We said all along there were a lot of shots and chances taken even in those losses.
The result is what you need, which is a power play goal. That could have made the difference.
E-mail Tim Panaccio at tpanotch@comcast.net
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