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Meltzer's Musings: Blocked and Blocked Again |
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For the first time in their Eastern Conference Quarterfinal series with the New York Rangers, the Philadelphia Flyers had a territorial advantage for the decided majority of a game. Philadelphia outshot New York by a 32-23 margin in Game Three and generated some of their best forechecking pressure of the series. The breakouts also continued to improve. For the first time in the series, the Flyers won the majority of the faceoffs (33 of 61).
Unfortunately for the Flyers, all it amounted to was a 4-1 loss as the Rangers took a two games to one lead in the series. What went wrong? It is easy to tick off five major reasons why Game Three turned out as it did.
1. The Flyers may have had 32 shots on goal but they also got blocked on 28 attempts -- including five in a single power play in the second period -- and missed the net on 20 other attempts. At other times, the Flyers looked reluctant to shoot and were guilty of over-passing to look for the "perfect" chance that wasn't there. Claude Giroux was one of the prime culprits in that area, despite finally registering his first two shots on goal of the series. The puck movement was generally pretty good but they need to get shots off faster.
2. Philly went 0-for-5 on the power play. There were some good looks at the net but too few shots that got through to Lundqvist from the better shooting areas.
3. The Rangers won the goaltending battle. Ray Emery (16 saves on 20 shots) played a so-so game in goal. Three of the goals he allowed were potentially stoppable. At the other end of the ice, Henrik Lundqvist came up huge about five or six times in the game on tougher-than-average chances. He got help once from the post (Matt Read shot) and once from the crossbar (on a third-period Scott Hartnell shot that went off the goalie's stick and then off the pipe) but was very sharp when he needed to be.
4. The Flyers started out the game with several good shifts but then fell into a 2-0 hole by the time the opening period was barely halfway over. While Philly came back from a similar situation in Game Two, that's a well the Flyers really could not afford to go back to again.
5. While it is a positive that the Flyers have gotten three goals from defensemen so far in the series -- Andrew MacDonald in Game One, Luke Schenn in Game Two and Mark Streit tonight -- it is starting to become worrisome that the fowards have scored just three goals in three games and none in the two losses. Vincent Lecavalier was among those who had a frustrating night in Game Three.
The first Rangers goal, scored by Derek Stepan at 3:54 of the first period, started out with a Flyers turnover and there was also some loose coverage. However, Emery should have been able to glove a relatively routine initial shot by Rick Nash. Instead, the puck rebounded to Stepan at the opposite post. Emery wasn't quite able to get over as he got a piece of Stepan's shot but not quite enough.
The Rangers made it 2-0 at 10:24. Martin St. Louis knocked down Kimmo Timonen near the net away from the puck, went behind the net and came out in front on the other side to deflect home a Dan Girardi shot. Timonen argued after the goal that there should have been an interference penalty on St. Louis moments earlier, but it was too late at that point.
With the teams skating 4-on-4 late in the first period, Streit shaved the Flyers deficit in half. The Rangers turned the puck over and Philly made them pay on a nice passing sequence that saw Giroux funnel the puck to Voracek and Voracek find a pinching Streit in the slot. Lundqvist had no chance of stopping the ensuing goal.
Philly pushed hard to tie the game before the first intermission. They came close a couple times, but to no avail.
The Flyers dominated the second period in terms of territorial possession. Philly racked up a 13-4 shot advantage in that frame and had about four really good scoring chances that were stopped by Lundqvist. However, the only goal of the period belonged to the Rangers.
New York reclaimed a two-goal lead at the 5:17 mark as Brad Richards fed the puck out to Girardi at center point and the Rangers defenseman hammered a slapshot home from a fairly straightaway angle. Emery said after the game that he was partially screened up high in the zone and didn't pick the puck up until a little too late. It wasn't an easy save, but it was one that needed to be made at that juncture of the game
The Flyers had three power play opportunities in the latter half of the second period and near the midway point of the third period with a chance to draw back within a goal. They were unable to capitalize, and the Rangers blocked a slew of shots.
Former Flyers forward Dan Carcillo put the game away at 10:53 of the third period, joining the play as he came out of the penalty box to create a two-on-one rush. Emery again couldn't quite stop the shot as Carcillo finished off the backdoor-play rush with Brian Boyle by sliding the puck through Emery's five-hole to make it a 4-1 game.
Steve Mason, who seems very likely to start Game Four on Friday unless he suffers an injury setback, mopped up for the final 7:15 of the game. He stopped three shots; all of the routine variety.
NOTES
* Craig Berube said before the game that Mason, who looked better at today's morning skate than he did at practice yesterday, was healthy enough to start tonight. The coach said he was sticking with Emery because Emery had earned another start with his play in Games One and Two. According to the coach, the decision to dress Mason as a backup tonight instead of Cal Heeter was made after the morning skate and a talk with Mason and goaltending coach Jeff Reese.
* The Flyers Black Aces are as follows: defensemen Brandon Manning, Mark Alt and Oliver Lauridsen, forwards Tye McGinn, Ben Holmstrom, Nick Cousins, Petr Straka, Brandon Alderson and Chris VandeVelde, plus goaltender Yann Danis. Shayne Gostisbehere and Robert Hägg are slated to practice with the Black Aces but are ineligible for NHL playoff action this season with their entry-level contracts starting next season. Both Gostisbehere and Hägg were in the pressbox tonight. So was 2013 first-round pick Samuel Morin, who was signed to an entry-level contract during training camp before this season but is out of commission for awhile with what was reported as a strained Achilles tendon (said to be about a six-week injury). Scott Laughton is still in the OHL playoffs with the Oshawa Generals.
* The Flyers will not do any on-ice work tomorrow at the Skate Zone in Voorhees. Timonen indicated after the game that tomorrow would be a video-review day for the team.
* Roughly 90 minutes before the start of the game, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman held a short media availability session. No new light was shed on any significant issues. Bettman would not yet publicly confirm that the Flyers will be the Washington Capitals opponent in the next Winter Classic. The commissioner's most notable statements were in estimating next season's salary cap ceiling in the $69 million to $70 million range and in saying the shootout will stay part of the NHL regular season format. He did not rule out some tweaks to the overtime format in the hopes of somewhat reducing the number of shootouts.
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
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