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Meltzer's Musings: 3/20/11

March 20, 2011, 10:29 AM ET [ Comments]
Bill Meltzer
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • RSSArchiveCONTACT
After a pretty dull opening to the game in Dallas last night, the game between the Flyers and Stars turned into one of the most entertaining contests of the season. Although I will never be a fan of the shootout, at least the Flyers got the extra point they needed from the tied game in order to go into Tuesday's game with the Capitals holding a two point lead (with two games in hand and an edge in tie-breakers). Philly also clinched a playoff spot.

Some notes and observations:

* I can't say enough about how well Braydon Coburn has played of late. He's been very good overall since the All-Star break but he's been a monster for the last three games especially. When he brings a physical edge and a confident decisiveness to his remarkable mobility for such a big player, Coburn is a force to a be reckoned with. He deserves kudos for stepping up the way he has since the team learned Chris Pronger would be out for 3-4 weeks.

* Last night, Sergei Bobrovsky also played his best game since the All-Star break. That was the type of goaltending the Flyers -- or any team -- needs in the playoffs. He was out challenging the shooters and he stole a couple of goals from Dallas at point blank range.

* Breaks and officiating tend to even out over the course of a game. Jamie Benn, who saw his point streak snapped at nine games last night, had a point blank scoring chance but the puck wouldn't quite settle for him and he shot it wide of the net. Later, in the third period, the red-hot Claude Giroux had a chance to potentially seal the game for Philly, but ticked a backhanded shot off the post when he had Kari Lehtonen down and out.

Likewise, both clubs got away with their fair share of unpenalized infractions last night. Philly escaped a four-minute penalty kill when Erik Gustafsson's high stick that clipped Steve Ott somehow escaped notice by the referees. But the Flyers also caught a tough break when Kimmo Timonen accidentally flipped the puck over the glass (how I hate that rule) late in regulation, forcing the team to kill off a late 4-on-3 that became a 4-on-3 again heading into the overtime period.

* It was rather predictable that the Flyers would be unable to hold their 2-0 lead (and 2-1 lead in the third period) against the Stars. In Philly, of course, the tendency is to focus on the Flyers' ongoing problems closing out teams when they get a multiple-goal lead.

However, with the notable exception of Vancouver, most of the teams in the NHL have had difficulty putting away Dallas even when they take a lead into the third period. The Stars are the best comeback team in the entire league, and they have now racked up a remarkable 22 points (9 wins, 4 OT/SO losses) when trailing after two periods. By way of comparison, the Flyers have just 5 points (1 win, 3 OT/SO losses) when they take a deficit into the third period.

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Today's Daily Drop at Versus.com looks at Ray Emery's excellent performance in his first two-plus games back in the NHL after his return from an experimental surgery for avascular necrosis in his right hip.
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