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Flyers Playoff Gameday: Game 2 vs Sabres

April 16, 2011, 7:21 AM ET [ Comments]
Bill Meltzer
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • RSSArchiveCONTACT
PREVIEW 6:30 AM EDT

Over the course of their history, the Flyers have lost the first game of a playoff series 34 times. They have come back to win the series 14 times, including three times in the past three seasons. This evening (5 PM EDT starting time), the Flyers will attempt to even up their Eastern Conference Quarterfinal series with the Buffalo Sabres at 1-1.

In losing Game 1 by a 1-0 score, the Flyers accomplished a lot of what they set out to do in terms of executing their game plan.

They controlled the majority of the territorial play, took good care of the puck (3 Flyers giveaways and 8 Buffalo takeaways to 13 Sabres giveaways and 9 Philly takeaways) and won 54 percent of the faceoffs. They were physical, outhitting Buffalo and matching a season high with their 40 credited hits. The Flyers also attempted 73 shots on goal (34 got on net). They got a good start from rookie goalie Sergei Bobrovsky and, defensively, contained Buffalo to the perimeter for much of the game.

What the Flyers did not accomplish, of course, was putting a puck past Ryan Miller. The Sabres' keeper came up with some outstanding saves in close and allowed very few rebounds. The team in front of him blocked many of the Flyers' better scoring chances (16 blocks in all), while the Flyers missed the net on another 23 attempted shots. By way of comparison, 24 of Buffalo's 36 attempted shots got on net in the first game.

If the Flyers are to fare better in Game 2, they need to do a little better job at fighting through the Sabres checking and getting traffic to the net. I only recall two screened shots that Miller had to make saves on, with another one that missed the net. The Flyers did not generate a single deflection in the first game. Plain and simple, if Miller can see the puck and it doesn't change directions, he's usually going to make the save.

There were a couple of scrambles near Miller's net during the first game, where the Flyers had close-in scoring chances. Philly needs to generate a few more of these and they need to actually finish them this time.

The Flyers went 0-for-5 on the power play in Game 1, which included a 5-on-3 opportunity. Give the Sabres credit for their PK work, but special teams struggles have been a much-discussed issue for Philly all season. You aren't going to win many games in the playoffs with an unproductive power play.

Hockey is not a one-sided sport. There are two teams out there and, in a league ruled by parity, it is rare that one team can simply impose its will on the other. The Sabres are capable of playing much better that they did in the first game, and I expect that they will make adjustments in Game 2.

For one thing, the Sabres will look to do a better job in Game 2 of getting their speed game going and establishing a forecheck. They got contained to the outside for much of Thursday night's tilt and are capable of generating more Flyers' turnovers and forcing Philadelphia to take penalties and icings. Undoubtedly, Lindy Ruff noticed how many stretch passes the Flyers attempted in Game 1, and the Sabres can be a little better at taking those away. Buffalo was a good counter-attacking club in the second half of the regular season but didn't generate too many countering chances in the first game.

In the offensive zone, the Sabres scored the game's only goal by generating a rebound off a point shot and getting a man open (Patrick Kaleta) to collect it and deposit the puck in the net. In Game 2, they will look to generate more opportunities of this nature. The Flyers will need to clean up the rebounds that Bobrovsky leaves out. The rookie goalie tracked the puck well in the first game but at times had problems in that regard during the season.

Chris Pronger is expected to miss Game 2 today, keeping Danny Syvret in the lineup. For Buffalo, Jordan Leopold (broken finger), Jochen Hecht (upper body) and Derek Roy (torn quad, out since Dec.) will not be able to go either. Shaone Morrison missed practice on Friday and his status for today is undetermined.

PROJECTED LINEUPS (subject to change)

FLYERS

JVR/Nodl - Richards - Versteeg
Hartnell - Briere - Leino
Nodl/JVR - Giroux - Carter
Carcillo - Betts - Powe

Coburn - Timonen
Meszaros - O'Donnell
Carle - Syvret

Bobrovsky
[Boucher]


SABRES

Vanek - Connolly - Pominville
Ennis - Boyes - Stafford
Gerbe - Gaustad - Kaleta
Niedermayer - McCormick - Grier

Butler - Myers
Weber - Morrison (or Sekera)
Montador - Gragnani

Miller
[Enroth]
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