It is inexplicable why the Flyers have only won one game in the playoffs when they score first, and are 4-0 when playing from behind early. Whatever the reason, the team is now on the brink of elimination from the playoffs following last night's 4-2 loss to the Devils in Newark.

It is hard to feel confident right now in the Flyers' ability to come back and win the series. They are having the same problems game after game: they can't handle the Devils forecheck, and they go long stretches without any significant forechecking pressure of their own. Philly has had plenty of time to adjust, and they haven't. Right now, New Jersey has just been the better team and deserves to be up games to one in the series.

Even as they built a 2-0 lead on Scott Hartnell (PPG) and Claude Giroux (SHG) tallies in the first period last night, it was clear that the Flyers' hold on the game was tenuous. The Giroux goal should have been a huge boost to the team, and it wasn't.

I thought the Flyers would need to get out of the first period with at least a 2-1 lead. It didn't happen. As soon and Marek Zidlicky scored to tie the game, the loss felt inevitable. The resiliency the Flyers showed all season and in the first round of the playoffs was gone. The Devils had their way with the Flyers in the second period and then slammed the door in the third period.

Dainius Zubrus has been a force against his original team throughout the series so far. The Flyers cannot take him off the puck. Last night, he got rewarded with a pair of huge goals for his team.

Over the course of franchise history, the Flyers have only successfully completed one comeback in 15 tries when trailing 3-1 in a series. The one comeback was the 2010 Eastern Conference Semifinal against Boston, which the Flyers originally trailed 3-0. In Game 5 of such series, however, the Flyers do have a winning record (8-7) all time.

The Flyers are capable of winning tomorrow, but they need to be the club that's hungrier for the puck and better defensively. In short, they'll have to break the pattern of this series in a hurry.

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