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Flyers Playoff Gameday: Game 4 vs. Habs |
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WRAPUP AND THIRD PERIOD COMMENTARY
Another crazy night in a crazy series. Just when it seemed like the Flyers had the game under control -- a 2-0 lead in hand but, more importantly, strong two-way play -- the Habs roar back with bang-bang goals.
Prior to that, the Flyers had dominated the equivalent of a full period of play, holding Montreal to a total of four shots from the mid-point of regulation to shortly past the 10:00 mark of the third period. Scott Hartnell potted a Vaclav Prospal rebound off the post for a two-goal lead at 6:47.
"I felt like our energy was coming back today," said Flyers coach John Stevens. "We're starting to skate, we had sticks in the passing lanes and were moving the puck much better,"
The first Montreal goal was the result of a faceoff loss by Briere, and a deflection by Plekanec. The second was a result of Koivu (much like his goal in Game 3) being in the right place to collect a rebound and deposit it home.
"They didn't go away, and we didn't expect them to, because they're a good hockey team," said Stevens. "When we get into these situations, there's no panic. The guys on the bench were still upbeat and we felt like we could win the hockey game."
The interference penalty on Steve Begin (who returned after getting drilled by a Daniel Briere shot) had to be called. It was a nasty high hit on Kapanen away from the puck. After the game, Guy Carbonneau essentially said that media pressure forced the call.
The Flyers turned it into Briere's game-winning powerplay goal as Mike Knuble kept the puck alive in front for Briere.
"That goal isn't scored if Mike doesn't do such great work in front," said Briere. "He brings so many little things to our team in addition to scoring goals."
In addition to the game's obvious heroes, I thought the Flyers got a tremendous game from Scottie Upshall (five hits, two takeaways), Kimmo Timonen (24:05 played, +1, four blocks) and Braydon Coburn (used his speed and strength well), Patrick Thoresen and Jim Dowd. In addition, the Jason Smith-Lasse Kukkonen pairing collectively had its strongest game of the series, despite limited minutes.
Having been up three games to one in the Washington series, the Flyers seem to realize that they have to elevate their game further to close it out.
"The hardest work is ahead of us," Stevens acknowledged.
NOTES AND QUOTES
* Stevens was not asked why he failed to change lines or defensive pairings after the first goal, as Briere, Prospal, Hartnell, Hatcher and Jones were out for both goals. Most of the buttons the coach pushed tonight were the right ones, but there was room to second guess why two of the Flyers more defensively challenged players stayed out the shift after getting scored upon.
* Martin Biron was once again sensational in goal. "It's awesome," Biron said of the crowd chanting his name. "You feel like you have 20,000 people behind you. Throughout the whole game,when the game is tight or when it can go one way or the other, it's great to have the fans behind you."
Later, he had a great quote how quickly fortunes can change: "When you're going well, people are throwing you flowers. But if you let up -- watch out -- here comes a vase."
* Stevens said that when he found out about the goaltending switch Montreal had made, "I scrambled to find a scouting report on Halak."
The Flyers said that while the Slovak goalie plays further back in his net than Carey Price, they didn't try to change their approach at all. They also praised Halak's puckhandling.
* Final shots were 38 for Montreal, 26 for the Flyers. The Flyers split 60 faceoffs evenly with Montreal, but won 4 of 6 while shorthanded.
******
SECOND PERIOD COMMENTARY
Montreal controlled the early part of the period. But the Flyers really came on -- defensively and forechecking-wise in the last nine minutes of the middle period. The Habs only had one shot from the 8:51 mark onward. The breakouts were crisp and the Flyers started winning battles for the puck. The Flyers need to build on that effort in the third period.
Biron came up with a ten-bell save on Saku Koivu while the Flyers were killing off Jim Dowd's hooking penalty. The Habs now seem to be aiming rather than just firing.
The Flyers powerplay goal actually started with Montreal keeping Philly hemmed in on their own man advantage, and Biron had to stop a Begin chance. Finally, Briere carried the mail on a counter attack and made a nice cross-ice feed to Umberger, who buried his sixth goal of the playoffs from the left circle.
Carter and Knuble both missed the net on point blank chances in the period. Carter's was early in the period (off an Umberger feed), Knuble's was late.
In the final minute of the period, Montreal went off for an ill-advised line change while Philly was rushing 4-on-2 the other way.
Shots were 14-10 in favor of the Habs, but the Montreal shots were heavily skewed toward the first half of the period.
*****
FIRST PERIOD COMMENTARY
Montreal threw three sustained waves of attack at the Flyers during the first period - one on the first shift of the game, another at about the five minute mark, and a third with a few minutes left in the opening 20. During those shifts, the Flyers simply couldn't get the puck out of their zone, despite multiple opportunities.
The Flyers have been shorthanded twice and did a decent job on the kills. Martin Biron, who once again looks phenomenal, made big stops in robbing Tomas Plekanec point blank and picking an Andrei Markov shot cleanly. He also stopped a difficult deflection.
Jaroslav Halak denied Jeff Carter on a shorthanded breakaway (Carter tried to go backhand) and also had a fine stop on Lupul among the seven shots he saw.
I thought Carter, Scottie Upshall and R.J.Umberger (who made a pair of nice defensive plays on one shift) have been the best Flyers forwards so far.
The roughing call Kevin Pollack made on Lasse Kukkonen was horrendous. It either should have been no call or a 4-on-4. Really, it was nothing more than defending his goaltender in a routine scrum around the net. There were more obvious penalties (both ways) that went uncalled.
Shots in the first period were 14 for Montreal and 7 for the Flyers. Chances were 10-3 in Habs favor and faceoffs were 10-9 for Montreal.
*****
PRE-GAME NOTE (5:30 PM)
The news that Halak is starting in place of Price caught me a bit off-guard. But there have been any number of situations in the recent past where lesser goaltenders than Jaroslav Halak (e.g., Jussi Markkanen) have done an outstanding job under playoff pressure.
Halak is a talented -- and very confident --young goaltender. But if he doesn't get the job tonight, I'd think it'd be very hard for Guy Carbonneau to go back to Carey Price.
******
Tonight's game is a litmus test for the remainder of the Flyers-Canadiens series. If the Flyers find a way to win again and go up three games to one in the series, the Canadiens may fall into panic mode. But if Montreal again controls most of the tempo, plays with a regulation lead for the first time in the series and goes on to win, the Habs go back to having the upper hand even in a tied series.
Neither club has played its best hockey of the series for a full 60 minutes. The Flyers need to do a better job of clearing the zone, staying out of the box and keeping their feet moving for three periods. They also must do a better job on defensive zone faceoffs, especially when shorthanded. Montreal had 13 minutes worth of powerplay time in Game Three. That can't happen again. Martin Biron has been outstanding in the series, but you can't overrely on him every game and hope to win the series.
Meanwhile, the Habs need goaltender Carey Price to significantly elevate his play from the first three games and to get players other than Saku Koivu and Alexei Kovalev (Game One) delivering in the clutch. The top defensive pairing of Andrei Markov and Mike Komisarek (especially the latter) has not played up its usual standards in this series so far.
The Flyers will have Mike Knuble back in the lineup tonight. I would have thought Steve Downie would be the first player taken out of the lineup again, but Tim Panaccio believes it will be Patrick Thoresen.
Tonight's referees are Bill McCreary and Kevin Pollack.
Flyers lines and scratches (subject to change)
Prospal - Briere - Hartnell
Umberger - Richards - Lupul
Upshall - Carter - Knuble
Kapanen - Dowd - Thoresen/Downie
Coburn - Timonen
Hatcher - Jones
Smith - Kukkonen
Biron
[Niittymäki]
Scratches
Modry (healthy)
Parent (healthy)
One of Downie or Thoresen (healthy)
Cote (healthy)
Tolpeko (healthy)
Gagne (concussion)
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
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