If the Penguins, 0-4 against Sergei Bobrovsky in his two NHL seasons, need help figuring him out, he certainly is not going to help them.
I have no explanation for that, said the Flyers goalie.
Lets put it this way: Chris Neil had a lot less trouble squeezing a 25-footer from the far edge of the circle through Bobrovsky in the first period than the media did squeezing a quote out of Bob after he came bobbing back from a 3-0 deficit to give the Flyers every chance to win Saturdays game.
They didnt because Ottawa goalie Craig Anderson was the best player on the ice from start to finish of a 4-3 Senators win on Saturday (see story) and he ended the game by beating the last shooter of the shootout, Danny Briere, to the post.
Bobrovsky, victimized by turnovers from Pavel Kubina and Eric Wellwood for two good Ottawa goals to start the game, almost let in a bookend baddie to Daniel Alfredsson before Matt Carle swept the puck off the goaline. But the rusty Flyers backup, hardly prepared by a pathetic 16-shot Toronto effort Thursday night for this first real start since March 11 at New Jersey, hung in there, stopping Kyle Turris breakaway with the score 3-3.
He obviously wants the third one back, but he gave us a chance to win, said Laviolette, who in the absence of Ilya Bryzgalov until at least Tuesday will settle for the same opportunity from Bobrovsky today in Pittsburgh. It is an important game for seeding, unless it turns out that it isnt.
Are you sure we are going to be facing them? Laviolette said. Im not quite sure of that.
NHL
The concentration is going for the two points and trying to get our team to do the same push forward to the end of the regular season.
Laviolette can read the standings; he just wants his players to think of this as another game of playoff preparation, albeit against the team they most likely will play.
Its kind of weird to play them two games at the end of the season when you know you are going to play them in the playoffs, Claude Giroux said.
But its hardly daunting. The Flyers have won both games this season at CONSOL Energy Center and are 3-1 in the season series as they enter Sundays practically last call for home ice in the first round.
They dont count for the playoffs but you want to show up with good games and show theme that what we are capable of, Danny Briere said. Its going to be a playoff atmosphere.
Playoff preparation, for which Giroux is already well prepared.
I like it when the fans are all over us, he said.
Jay Greenberg covered the Flyers for 14 years for the Daily News and Evening Bulletin. His history of the Flyers, Full Spectrum, was published in 1996. He can be reached at jayg616@aol.com.