Sharks Shut Down Flyers in Boucher's Season Debut

Sunday, October 25, 2009

By Tim Panaccio
CSNPhilly.com

BOX SCORE

You couldn’t have expected Brian Boucher to look sharp against San Jose. Or even comfortable in net.

The Flyers' backup goalie has sat almost as long as Barack Obama has been in the White House.

Then again, you probably didn’t think he’d be so rusty as to cough-up several ugly goals during a 4-1 loss to his former teammates, Sunday night at the Wachovia Center.

“All four of them - they were awful goals to give up; they were backbreakers,” said Boucher, making his season debut. “You can’t expect to win games when the goalie gives up four games like that. I’ll be better.”

One was a weird deflection. Another looked like a pad down and whistle stoppage. But two were downright bad.

“No, there were just some bad breaks,” Boucher said. “The first goal and the second goal, those were the two that were bad breaks. After that, the fourth goal was an awful goal, and the third goal was sort of a broken play screen, but you still have to have it.”

Among the 29 other clubs in the National Hockey League, the Sharks have given the Flyers nothing but misery. No matter what lineup, whether in South Philly or Northern California, they can’t beat San Jose.

The Flyers are now 0-6-4 against the Sharks since 2000, the longest losing skid against one club in franchise history. They are also 0-1-1 against the Pacific Division this season.

Boucher struggled throughout the pre-season and had a suspected groin pull. You could make some excuses, like a non-whistle when he had his pad down on Dany Heatley’s goal in the first period as the ex-Senator whacked repeatedly at the puck.

Then you had a goal from ex-Ranger Manny Malhotra, which deflected off Boucher’s stick from behind the net. Malhorta later scored again on an even uglier goal.

“Regardless of that, we didn’t play well enough to win,” Chris Pronger said. “I don’t care what the shot totals were, we weren’t dedicated or determined enough to get to the net and get those goals. We saw a lot of pucks and we cleared a lot of loose rebounds that were sitting there.

“These are games where you look back and wish we would have played just a little bit better.”

The Flyers were still in it, 3-1, when the final period started.

“You’re not always going to have games where your goalie makes forty saves, but you still have to figure out ways to win,” Pronger said. “The game was there for us to win regardless of whether Ray [Emery] was in net or Boosh was in net.

“We have to play better as a group. When one guy doesn’t play well we all have to pick up the slack, whether that’s me, Coby [Braydon Coburn], Richie [Mike Richards] or Carts [Jeff Carter]. We need everybody on the same page and we need everybody to play on the same day.”

Coburn (-8 for the season) and partner Kimmo Timonen were each -3. That combination which was so sterling a few seasons ago, is anything but right now (-15 combined).

“Obviously, it’s not the start you want to your season,” Coburn said. “We feel like we’ve been getting a couple bad breaks here and there. Sometimes, you need some help when you get some bad breaks and we haven’t been able to get on [the ice] for too many of the plusses, lately. It’s part of the game. You go through some of these stretches sometimes and hope it ends.”

For Boucher, the bad stuff didn’t end even after the first Malhotra goal in the second period.

Trailing 2-1, Patrick Marleau was stripped off the rush by Timonen at the right circle and Malhotra merely picked up the loose puck and fired through Boucher’s five-hole.

“It just wasn’t very good,” said coach John Stevens of Boucher’s performance. “I think everybody who was at the game would agree. I thought we actually played pretty hard and had good energy and created some good chances.

“When those goals go in, now you’re playing catch-up. It’s tough. They’re getting energy from it and we’re losing energy from it, and you start chasing the game. … It’s tough to win those games when three of those pucks go in like that.

“Boosh [Boucher] went down and played very well with the Phantoms, and we wanted to get him in a game because he hadn’t [played] because of his injury. ... Boosh is capable of playing at a high level, it just wasn’t there tonight.”

Loose pucks. Boucher faced 28 shots. San Jose goalie Andrew Greiss faced 38 … Darroll Powe had the lone Flyer goal in the first period…The Sharks finished off their East Coast swing 4-2-0 … This marked the 600th career game for Flyers’ forward Danny Briere … Ian Laperriere fought Jody Shelley in the opening period … Heatley had a knee-on-knee hit on Scott Hartnell that went uncalled in the second period, but did pick up a roughing call after the fact when a scrum ensued leaving both teams at even strength ... The Flyers called up defenseman Oskars Bartulis from the Phantoms because at least one of their defensemen, Stevens said, was questionable. Bartulis did not play … Timonen had an x-ray on his right foot after the game. “I’m fine,” he said.

E-mail Tim Panaccio at tpanotch@comcast.net