Their victories have been impressive. The wins have been invariably due to significant success at the offensive end. There is, of course, a flip side to that fact.
In the five playoff victories the Flyers have mustered so far, they have won two games by four goals, one by three goals, and two more by one goal. Over that span, the Flyers have averaged an eye-popping 5.8 goals per victory. That is an oversized number, a giant figure that is striking and notable even if it was inflated by the anomalistic, high-scoring, fast-paced Pittsburgh Penguins series.
All of that is to the good, though. What team wouldnt want to terrorize the opposition and the other goalie by finding the net time and again? But to the not-so-good, perhaps, is this: The Flyers have not won a postseason game when scoring fewer than four goals. Distilled further for simplification purposes: When they have failed to wear out the scoreboard operators toggle finger, they have lost each time.
After Game 2, which the Flyers lead 1-0 for much of the game until everything cratered in the third period, Danny Briere was asked whether the Flyers are concerned about that. He paused for a moment to digest what he had just been fed. It was entirely new information, apparently.
I didnt realize that, Briere said, pausing again to consider what it meant and how to respond. Right now, tonight, that wasnt the issue. The issue was the desperation that we showed. We got out-skated, out-battled. They just wanted it more than us. I think thats the bigger problem. Thats the thing we have to look at more than anything right now.
Hes right about that, of course. As issues go, the Flyers probably have bigger ones to worry about than how they win games or what the final score is. As Peter Laviolette is fond of saying, the how is irrelevant. It doesnt ultimately matter who performs well and who doesnt or even what the final score turns out to be. All that matters in the end is whether the Flyers win or lose.
And yet it isnt a trend that can be completely dismissed, either. Scoring 5.8 goals per victory is remarkable and applause-worthy, but it is also a likely untenable way to win over the long haul. Before Game 6 in the quarterfinals, Scott Hartnell admitted as much. The rest of the nation was captivated by what Hartnell said more closely resembled a track meet than a hockey series. Hartnell, however, wasnt quite as enamored with what was transpiring. Winning big, he said, was just finebut he added he prefers low-scoring games that are tight and every play means a lot. Then, and this is the most significant part, he said that the defense and the goalie would eventually have to win games for them as the playoffs continued to unfold.
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For sure, its impossible to win every game 6-5, Jakub Voracek said. Especially against a team like New Jersey that is so much different than Pittsburgh, thats important for us to play and win close games. The Devils have a great defense and we have to match that.
E-mail John Gonzalez at jgonzalez@comcastsportsnet.com