Hoepfully, last night was just a wake-up call.
Aside from Bryzgalov, there is very little to say about the Flyers performance last night. The Devils had the better of the first few shifts, but then the Flyers nicked a goal on their first shot. In the next few minutes the Flyers looked like they might get a few more goals and run away with it, but some Devils power plays broke their momentum. They would never get it back.
Towards the end of the first period, Pierre McGuire remarked how the Devils would need to come up with a better push because the Flyers were comfortable playing with the lead and trading some scoring chances. The Devils found a huge push, and it lasted the rest of the game.
Getting outshot 12-2 in a period and looking so lifeless in a playoff game is embarrassing. The Flyers never played with any intensity, as the Devils skated circles around the stationary Flyers, even on the Flyers' power plays.
This game was not unlike the regular season meetings in early November (when the Flyers were outshot 39-23) and early February (where the Devils led 6-0). Those were the Devils two best performances against the Flyers this year, and both meetings took place in Philadelphia.
The Flyers are still a much more potent team than the Devils, but this game is a reminder to them of the carelessness which occasionally plagued their regular season. No need to panic, but the Flyers need to get back on the horse quickly.
Notes:
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