Flyers face another deficit as Tim Thomas steals Game 2 for the Bruins

The Flyers almost have the Bruins right where they want them. After winning Game 2 in overtime by a score of 3-2, the Bruins have now taken a 2-0 series lead against the Flyers. Just one more loss to go by the Flyers and they will be ready to make another miracle comeback, right?

Tim Thomas stole the game for the Bruins, looking unbeatable after giving up 2 goals in the first 10 minutes of the game. Thomas made 52 saves in total on the night, including several of the highlight variety. There wasn't anything the Flyers could do against Thomas; no matter how often they generated a good scoring chance, he was there to stonewall them. The Flyers outplayed the Bruins for the majority of the game yet had little to show for their efforts because Thomas stood on his head.

Despite the loss, the best player on the ice for the Flyers tonight was James van Riemsdyk. This game was something of a coming out party for JVR, who had been emerging as the Flyers best forward in the playoffs. In Game 2 he took his game to another level, not only scoring a pair of goals but basically owning the ice whenever he was on it. While it may have taken awhile for him to develop, JVR has become the beast that we all envisioned when the Flyers took him second overall in the 2007 draft.

The Flyers goaltending carousel continued to turn in this one, though not because of ineffective play. Brian Boucher started the game for the Flyers and was solid in net despite letting in two goals in the first period. Midway through the second period, Boosh took a puck off the hand and had to leave the game. Sergei Bobrovsky replaced him and performed quite well, making a few sparkling saves as he shut down the Bruins for the rest of the period. Despite how well he played, Bob's night was done at the start of the third period when Boucher came back into the game. Despite giving up the overtime goal, the Flyers should feel confident in starting Boosh in Game 3.

Coming back from an 0-2 deficit in a series is nothing new for the Flyers but that doesn't mean it's going to be easy. The Flyers can take some consolation in the fact that they were the better team in Game 2 but, unfortunately, Tim Thomas probably has another game or two like that in him in this series. With the series now shifting to Boston, the Flyers are going to have their work cut out for them. Winning Game 3 and not relying on another miracle comeback will obviously be their first step in getting back into the series.
(AP PHOTO)

Defense scuffles as Bruins spank Flyers in Game 1

If the Flyers are going to win their second round series against the Bruins, they are going to need to make another comeback. Only one team showed up in Game 1 and it was Boston, who used a big second period to crush the Flyers, 7-3, and earn a big 1-0 series lead.

There isn't much to break down about this game as the Bruins were simply the better team from beginning to end. The Flyers nearly made a game out of things in the third period when they cut the lead down to two goals but Boston simply flipped the switch again and sealed the win with a pair of late goals. Offensively, the Flyers were even good at times, generating a number of chances and forcing Tim Thomas to have to make several big stops, but they couldn't dig themselves out of their massive hole.

While much will be made about the Flyers switching goaltenders in-game again, having to go from Brian Boucher to Sergei Bobrovsky, the defense deserves much of the blame for the loss. Boosh let in 5 goals before being pulled but he was really only at fault for at most two of them with the rest falling squarely on the defense that hung him out to dry. Too often, the Bruins went unchecked in front of Boucher, allowing them to get multiple scoring chances while the Flyers D seemed to sit back and watch. Knowing that the goals were not his fault, look for the Flyers to stick with Boucher in net for Game 2.

Game 1 was an ugly loss for the Flyers but, as they know, it was still just one loss. Expect the Flyers to re-group, shift their focus to playing better defense in their own end, and have a much better effort in Game 2. Inconsistency has been something that has plagued the Flyers all season long so don't be surprised to see them flying around the ice and playing great hockey in Game 2.
(AP PHOTO)

Flyers overcome shaky goaltending to force Game 7

Well that was on hell of an Easter. After wins earlier in the day by the Sixers and Phillies, the Flyers followed suit by overcoming a terrible start in Game 6 to beat the Sabres, 5-4, in overtime. The win keeps the Flyers alive and brings the series back to Philadelphia for a do-or-die Game 7.

The Flyers went with Michael Leighton in goal for Game 6 and it quickly proved to be the wrong decision as he allowed 3 goals on just 8 shots in the first period. While the Flyers did manage one goal in the first period, they still found themselves in a 3-1 hole and forced to turn to Brian Boucher, the goat of their Game 5 loss.

Luckily, Boucher was up to the task, bouncing back nicely as he stopped 24 of the 25 shots he saw, including several huge saves that would have given the Sabres a two goal lead in the third period. With Boucher locking things down, the Flyers offense proceeded to peck away at the Sabres lead until Scott Hartnell tied the game halfway through the 3rd period.

The hero in overtime for the Flyers was Ville Leino, who punched a rebound past Ryan Miller for the game winner. Thankfully, Leino's goal was early on in the period and it spared us from the heart attacks that come from a prolonged overtime game when elimination is on the line.

The Flyers proved, once again, that they are a resilient hockey team. No goaltending is too terrible and no deficit is too great for this team to overcome. Why they have to keep making things so difficult for themselves is beyond me but at least they have the ability to find another gear when the chips are down. With the series shifting back to Philly for Game 7, the Flyers have a chance to prove that they really are the better team in the series. With Peter Laviolette already announcing that Boucher will be the starter in Game 7, hopefully the Flyers get the goaltending that allows them to prove it.

Could you have asked for a better Easter, Philly Sports fans? Last year, Donovan McNabb was shipped out of town on Easter. This year, every team in the city won. I'd call it an Easter miracle.

Flyers comeback for naught as Sabres win Game 5 in OT

Talk about a rollercoaster of emotions. From the pain of the the ridiculously terrible start to the joy of a thrilling comeback to the depression of an overtime loss, Game 5 was all over the place for the Flyers. Unfortunately, as the ride came to an end, the Flyers find themselves trailing in the series to the Sabres, 3-2.

Simply getting to overtime was quite a task for the Flyers, who had to overcome an atrocious start in net by Brian Boucher. Boosh was not himself tonight, giving up 3 weak goals on 11 shots before getting pulled in the first period. Enter Michael Leighton (yes, really), who found some of that playoff magic and didn't give up a goal for the rest of regulation.

Facing a 3-0 deficit is nothing new to the Flyers and the offense starting working their way out of it in the second period, beginning with a goal by James van Riemsdyk. While JVR hasn't put up a ton of points in the playoffs, an argument can still be made that he is playing the best out of all the Flyers forwards. Andrej Meszaros added another goal just over a minute later and they Flyers were well on their way to another comeback.

After several close calls, the Flyers finally tied the game early in the third period after Kris Versteeg, while on his backside, made a pass to Mike Richards who fed Danny Briere in front. After the obligatory Briere fist-pump, the Flyers had all of the momentum and controlled the play for the rest of regulation, even getting a powerplay with just over two minutes left. When they couldn't capitalize, the writing seemed to be on the wall, and the Sabres took advantage in overtime when Tyler Ennis put a big Leighton rebound in the back of the net.

Now trailing 3 games to 2, the Flyers find themselves in a difficult, but hardly impossible, situation. Anyone who followed this team last year knows that you can't count the Flyers out until the final buzzer sounds in their 4th loss in the series. With plenty of questions also surrounding who will start in goal for the Flyers in Game 6, the team finds themselves in an almost familiar situation. Now is the time where we find out whether this Flyers team still has some of that magic leftover from last year. If they get another terrible goaltending performance, though, all of the magic in the world isn't going to help them.
(AP PHOTO)

Latest NHL History Will be Made video features Brian Boucher

The NHL unveiled their latest "History Will Be Made" video and it features our very own Brian Boucher after his performance in Game 3 for the Flyers:

Expect Sergei Bobrovsky or Michael Leighton to get his own commercial sometime down the road.

Flyers take back home ice advantage after Game 3 victory

With all the questions surrounding the Flyers goaltending situation, Brian Boucher made the most out of his starting opportunity, backstopping the Flyers to a 4-2 win over the Sabres in Game 3 of the series. The win puts the Flyers back in the drivers seat and gives them their home ice advantage back.

Boucher was solid in net, making 35 saves while looking sharp in net. He's been through the ups and downs of the playoffs a few times already in his career and he proved that the Flyers made the right decision to let him start. Boosh showed tonight that he wants to take that starting spot and run with it, though, with the way things seem to go in Philly, don't be surprised to see the Flyers have to turn to Sergei Bobrovsky or (gasp) Michael Leighton at some point down the road.

Offensively, the Flyers got goals from two unlikely sources: Jeff Carter and Nikolay Zherdev. For Carter, it was his first goal of the playoffs and it even came on the struggling Flyers power play. As for Zherdev, he only saw action tonight because of an injury to Andreas Nodl but he took full advantage, scoring a goal despite getting just 8 minutes of ice time.

The Flyers now find themselves in a great position to take control of this series in Game 4. As each game passes, they seem to be gaining confidence in beating Ryan Miller while also getting stronger in their own end. Plus, at some point in this series, they still have the Chris Pronger card to play, a move that will surely boost them even further. One thing is for sure: the Flyers have already gone a long way to make us forget about that team that didn't seem to care at the end of the regular season.
(AP PHOTO)

Boucher to start Game 3 for Flyers, Leighton the backup

The Flyers goaltending carousel continues to turn. After his poor performance in Game 2, Sergei Bobrovsky has lost the starting gig to Brian Boucher, who looked solid after taking over for Bob. Even more surprising is that the Flyers appear to be turning to Michael Leighton to be the backup.

Word out of Flyers-land from the beat reporters is that Bobrovsky doesn't even have a locker stall for all of his equipment in Buffalo while Leighton does, implying that Bob isn't even the backup tonight. I'm not sure what the Flyers are thinking dropping him to third goalie but it does make sense to have a veteran backup you can trust. The Flyers must feel that Bobrovsky is too inconsistent to be a reliable backup goaltender.

In other Flyers news, Andreas Nodl is out of the lineup tonight, and Nikolay Zherdev will get his first playoff action.

Offense awakens as Flyers even series with Sabres

Whew, it's safe to breathe again. After failing to score a goal in Game 1 against the Sabres, the Flyers offense came alive in Game 2, solving Ryan Miller to the tune of 5 goals in a 5-4 win to tie the series up at 1 game apiece.

The Flyers jumped out of the gate with an early goal by Claude Giroux but then proceeded to give the goal right back after a penalty to Kimmo Timonen. Things got wild from there, as Dan Carcillo scored less than a minute later and the Sabres added two more goals of their own shortly after that. After allowing those 3 goals on just 7 shots, Sergei Bobrovsky was then pulled from the game and then things settled down from there. The mere presence of Brian Boucher seemed to calm the Flyers down as the defense tightened up and the Sabres chances became fewer and farther between. The Flyers took the lead on goals by Ville Leino and Danny Briere and coasted the rest of the way for the win.

Getting the win in Game 2 was crucial for the Flyers as they now head to Buffalo for a pair of games. While they haven't played their best hockey yet in the series, they aren't playing bad and seem to have figured out their gameplan against Ryan Miller. The Flyers still have a ton of work to do to figure out their power play, which scored just once on 10 attempts after going 0 for 5 in Game 1.

Of course, the biggest question facing the Flyers now will be whether Bobrovksy or Boucher starts in net in Game 3. While I would be much more comfortable with a consistent goaltender like Boucher in net, the Flyers might give Bobrovsky another crack at the starting spot. Bob seemed out of sorts in Game 2 but if the Flyers give up on him now they may not be able to turn back to him should Boucher falter.

As the series shifts to Buffalo, the Flyers find themselves in a pretty good position. Ryan Miller isn't in their heads and the mistakes they have made in the first two games are fixable. After a solid win in Game 2 and the imminent return of Chris Pronger, the Flyers and their fans have to feel good about their chances to win 3 of the next 5 against the Sabres.
(AP PHOTO)

Flyers place Michael Leighton on waivers

Here's how quickly someone can go from Stanley Cup goaltender to not having a job in the NHL: the Flyers have placed Michael Leighton on waivers. Leighton, who looked less than stellar in his first NHL start in months, has proven to be the odd man out in the Flyers crowded goaltending situation. Clearly, no other teams were interested in acquiring a goaltender who hasn't proven that he is healthy yet.

There are a few things that can happen next, from Leighton being claimed by another team to joining the Phantoms. Clearly, the Flyers are content with having Brian Boucher and Sergei Bobrovksy continue to battle it out for the starting spot in net. No matter what happens, the Flyers have cleared up a little more cap space by jettisoning Leighton

Michael Leighton is back in goal for the Flyers

He's baaaack. For the first time since Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals last season, Michael Leighton will be in between the pipes for the Flyers tonight as he makes the start against the Kings. With the way the Flyers goaltending situation has played out, should Leighton play well tonight, it's safe to assume he will get a few more starts in the coming weeks. There is no word as of now who the backup will be, though I would guess it will be Brian Boucher.

With the Flyers still keeping three goaltenders on the roster, things are going to get very interesting in the coming month. While their cap situation allows them to keep three goalies for now, the Flyers will likely have to move one at some point in the near future. While the easiest, and most depressing, choice would be to send Sergei Bobrovsky to the minors, the Flyers might try to trade Leighton or Boucher, with Leighton likely to be the better trade chip. So, while fans might be upset that the Flyers are giving Leighton the start tonight, it makes sense for them to see what Leighton can do and let the rest of the league see that he is healthy and ready to contribute.

Despite how great Bobrovksy and Boucher have looked this season, we can't forget what Leighton did in the playoffs last season. The Flyers legitimately have three goaltenders that could be their starter come playoff time, a fact that sounds good on paper but could be detrimental in the long run. The sooner the Flyers figure out their goaltending situation and let the two remaining guys settle into their roles and get some confidence, the better. Unfortunately, as Flyers fans, we are all too familiar with the problem of not having a number one goaltender.

Guess who's (almost) back! Yep, Michael Leighton

Just when you thought the Flyers goaltending situation was all settled, with Sergei Bobrovksy settling in as the starter and Brian Boucher the backup, a former playoff hero is almost ready to return to the mix. Michael Leighton, who backstopped the Flyers into the Stanley Cup Finals, has recovered from back surgery and is going to play 6 games for the Phantoms in a rehab stint.

What happens to the goaltender situation when Leighton returns to the NHL is anybody's guess. The Flyers have said that they would be willing to carry three goaltenders but the salary cap likely doesn't allow them to do that. Instead, the most likely scenario is for the Flyers to either trade Boucher or dump him into the minors and let Leighton and Bobrovksy battle it out for the starting job. Look for the Flyers to ride the hot hand until one of the two distinguishes themselves as the starter.

Shootout win propels Flyers past Capitals

In a wildly entertaining game between two heavyweights in the Eastern Conference, the Flyers downed the Capitals, 5-4, in a game decided by a shootout. This one certainly had a playoff feel to it with two good teams battling from start to finish, neither one willing to concede two points to the opposition. In the end, after letting a two goal lead slip away, the Flyers managed to hold on in overtime and then win on a Danny Briere shootout goal.

The Flyers offense continues to feature a balanced attack as 8 different players ended up with points. The usual suspects of Claude Giroux, Mike Richards and Jeff Carter all scored goals and Andreas Nodl even chipped in his 5th goal of the season.

Brian Boucher got the start in net for the Flyers, his first since October 25th, and he was just good enough to keep the Flyers in the game. At times, Boucher was brilliant, making some key saves for the Flyers down the stretch. At other times, Boucher looked rusty, giving up a few questionable goals that allowed the Capitals to stay in the game. While Boosh may be the odd man out when Michael Leighton returns to the ice, he is certainly still talented enough to be a quality backup goaltender in the league.

With the win, the Flyers still remain atop their division and second in the Eastern Conference in points. They have positioned themselves as one of the best teams in the league through both their offense, which has scored a league-high 75 goals, and their defense, which, Thursday night's game against the Lightning notwithstanding, has been lock-down, as evidenced by their league high goal differential of +22. With a game against the Canadiens on Monday, the Flyers string of entertaining games figures to continue.
(AP PHOTO)

Leighton to have surgery, miss 6-8 weeks

Get ready for a whole lot more Sergei Bobrvosky in net, Flyers fans. Michael Leighton, who was previously thought to miss "about a month", will have surgery on his back in the coming days and will miss 6-8 weeks of the season. While he is out, expect the Flyers to stick with Bobrovsky as the starter with Brian Boucher also getting a few starts in net.

Back injuries are tricky things, so it would be a stretch to expect Leighton to come back in December and be the starting goaltender right away. By that time in the season, it's hard to say what the Flyers goaltending situation will look like, as Bobrovksy might established himself as the starting goaltender in Philly or he might fizzle out and need to go the minors. Given the injury situation and the way he looked last night, it's not to difficult to assume that Bob is going to be the man this season.

Flyers to start Bobrovsky in season opener

Hockey season is here and the Flyers look poised to fight their way back to the Stanley Cup Finals. This year, however, they may need to ride a different goaltender to get that far in the playoffs.

In a surprising move, the Flyers have announced that rookie goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky will get the start in net tonight against the Penguins. With Michael Leighton out, Bobrovksy made the team after an impressive preseason showing and was thought to be the backup to Brian Boucher. Apparently, the Flyers liked what they saw enough to stick with the hot preseason hand and give him the start in the first game that mattered.

Given the always tenuous Flyers goaltending situation, if Bobrovsky can get off to a hot start, there is no reason why he can't take over as the permanent starter in net. While I suspect the Flyers are starting him tonight is just a "heat check", meaning they are just rolling with him until he cools off, he can still make the most of his opportunity and force the Flyers to stick with him.

In other Flyers news, Chris Pronger isn't ready to play yet, so he is scratched for the season opener. Oskars Bartulis will take his place in the lineup. Go Flyers!