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Flyers Playoff Gameday: ECSF Game 1 vs. Devils

April 29, 2012, 6:15 AM ET [1099 Comments]
Bill Meltzer
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • RSSArchiveCONTACT
PREVIEW 5:30 AM EDT

It has been a full week since the Philadelphia Flyers last played a hockey game, but only a couple days since they learned their opponent in the Eastern Conference Semifinal will be the New Jersey Devils. Game 1 of the series takes place today at the Wells Fargo Center. The game starts at 3:00 p.m. EDT and will be broadcast nationally in the U.S. on NBC and in Canada on CBC.

During the six-game regular season series, each club won two games on the other's home ice as well as one at home. One of New Jersey's wins came via shootout. The rest were all decided in regulation by margins of two or more goals.

Ilya Bryzgalov (3-0-0, 0.29 GAA, .987 save percentage) recorded a pair of shutouts against New Jersey: one in the second game of the regular season, the other in the midst of his team record shutout streak in March. Claude Giroux led the club in scoring with seven points (4 goals, 3 assists). For New Jersey, Ilya Kovalchuk racked up eight points (2 goals, 6 assists). Martin Brodeur had a 1-3-0 record against Philly in the regular season but a 2.26 GAA and .905 save percentage.

For the Flyers, the biggest immediate challenge today is to avoid their habit of struggling in the first game after lengthy layoffs. Although the club only took one off-day after the end of its series with the Penguins, it can be tough to come out with crisp passing and active skating legs in the first period of the next game. However, the week-long break also gave injured players extra healing time.

Another key to the series, as per the norm, is special teams play. The Devils were the best penalty killing team in the NHL during the regular season, and also led the NHL in shorthanded goals. However, New Jersey suddenly struggled killing penalties in its first-round series against Florida. In the Flyers' first-round series against Pittsburgh, the team had one of its best series-long power play performances in franchise history. We will see if these trends continue or reverse in Round 2.

At five-on-five, Peter Laviolette is likely to want Sean Couturier's forward line and Braydon Coburn's defensive pairing out on the ice against the opponent's most dangerous line. They did a stellar job in containing Evgeni Malkin's line in the first round. Meanwhile, Devils head coach Peter DeBoer made lineup changes at practice yesterday to make sure that the Flyers can't stack up their resources against Zach Parise and Kovalchuk at the same time.

DeBoer moved Parise off the line with Travis Zajac and Parise and onto a line with longtime Flyer-killers Patrik Elias and Dainius Zubrus. Alexei Ponikarovsky was moved from the third line with rookie standout Adam Henrique to Zajac's line.

The New Jersey could would also prefer to "sacrifice" offense from the Henrique line to play them to a stalemate against the Couturier line and then hope the Zajac and Elias lines beat the Giroux and Danny Briere lines head-to-head. At least from Philly's practice yesterday, it looks like Laviolette may move Brayden Schenn from left wing on Briere's line to center of his own line.

Goaltending is always a huge key to any series, and there are question marks about the netminders on both sides.

Brodeur is a lock for the Hall of Fame and many consider him the greatest goalie of all time, but the soon-to-be 40-year-old's level of consistency and health have dropped off in recent years.

Bryzgalov is, well, Bryzgalov. He finished out the Pittsburgh series strong but struggled at times in the series and is (hopefully) in the latter stages of healing a chip fracture in his right foot sustained about a month ago.

The week-long break between series has enabled the Flyers to get a little healthier. Nicklas Grossmann (concussion) is expected to return to the lineup today for the first time since Game 4 of the ECQF. James van Riemsdyk played in the final two games of the first round but was far from 100 percent after foot surgery in early March. He moved around much better at practice this week, especially the last couple days.

It is believed, but not confirmed, that Kovalchuk and New Jersey shutdown defenseman Anton Volchenkov are both playing through groin pulls. That does not mean that both men are not extremely dangerous. Kovalchuk still has his rocket of a shot and underrated passing touch, and Volchenkov is a nasty hitter and shot blocker.

PROJECTED LINEUPS (subject to change)

FLYERS

Hartnell - Giroux - Jagr
JVR - Briere - Voracek
Talbot - Couturier - Wellwood
Read - Schenn - Simmonds

Carle - Timonen
Grossmann - Coburn
Lilja - Gustafsson

Bryzgalov
[Bobrovsky]


DEVILS

Ponikarovsky - Zajac - Kovalchuk
Parise - Elias - Zubrus
Sykora - Henrique - Clarkson
Carter - Gionta - Bernier

Harrold - Volchenkov
Zidlicky - Salvador
Greene - Fayne

Brodeur
[Hedberg]

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