SB Nation NHL 2011 NHL Playoffs, Sabres Vs. Flyers
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For continuing coverage of the Quarterfinal series between the Flyers and Sabres, click here.
Somewhere, in some far off land, the game of hockey is played with five men on each side, plus goaltenders. In Saturday's Game 2 between the Flyers and Sabres, this is not the case.
After a penalty-filled first period between the teams ended in a 3-3 score, Buffalo came completely unhinged in the second, taking six minor penalties worth a total of 12 minutes. The Flyers also added four PIM of their own.
Typically, taking penalties would be a good strategy for the Sabres. The Flyers power play got to the point where they were 0-for-10 in the series with the man advantage before finally, the Law of Averages kicked in and Ville Leino scored a power play goal. That came with about six and a half minutes remaining in the period, and just two minutes later, Danny Briere redirected a shot from Scott Hartnell to give Philly a two-goal lead.
The challenge now for Philadelphia will be holding that lead. Buffalo will surely be improved out of the break following that horrible second period in which they only put five shots on Brian Boucher. If they aren't, we'll be heading to Buffalo with an even series.
For all intents and purposes, the first period of Game 2 on Saturday in Philadelphia ended in the exact same fashion as the first period of Thursday's Game 1. Heading into the final 40 minutes of play, the game is tied.
But okay, today's second period was a little different. Opposed to a 0-0 score following the first in Game 1, today's first period featured six goals, several power plays, a five-on-three chance for both clubs, six goals, a fight and a goalie change.
It was a period that featured essentially no defense of any kind, as both teams appeared completely discombobulated in their own end. Former Vezina Trophy winner Ryan Miller looekd horrible and shaken. Highly-touted rookie goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky looked just as bad, and now he's on the bench in favor of veteran hand Brian Boucher.
In all reality, though, the goals really weren't the story of the first period -- a period that lasted over an hour, by the way. No, the story was the physicality, and in the grand scheme of things in this series, these teams are quickly developing a strong distaste for one another. James van Riemsdyk clocked Patrick Kaleta near the net. Cody McCormick shoved Boucher. Paul Gaustad took down Danny Briere in the face off circle.
It's getting nasty, and there are still 40 minutes (at least) of hockey to be played in Game 2. Stay tuned.
On Thursday night in Game 1, Ryan Miller and the Buffalo defense completely shut down a potent Philadelphia Flyers attack, ultimately winning a close-to-the-vest 1-0 squeaker on a Patrick Kaleta goal in the third period.
As we prepare for Saturday's Game 2 between the clubs at Wells Fargo Center, it might be a little tough for the Sabres to have the same type of defensive success. Defenseman Shoane Morissonn suffered a concussion in Game 1 and he'll be out of the lineup on Saturday. In his place, it looks like emergency call up Dennis Persson will take a few shifts.
For the most part, though, the Sabres defense will likely be down to five men, as it's not likely that Persson sees a lot of ice time. While beating Miller is never a tough task, it's much easier to break down the defense in front of him when they're short. This is the group that blocked 23 shots and clogged the middle of the ice successfully against Philly on Thursday.
Chris Pronger is still out of the lineup for the Flyers, but defensively they've been fine in his absence. The struggles come on the power play and in the transition game, and without Pronger, the Flyers are much easier to stop in that regard. With defensive struggles possible today, the Sabres will need to be better at tying things up in the neutral zone.
We'll be keeping you posted on this one from the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. For more, visit our blogs: Broad Street Hockey for Flyers coverage, Die By The Blade on the Sabres. You can find full SBNation.com coverage here.
Sabres Vs. Flyers, Game 2: Wild Night Ends With Philadelphia Win, Tie Series
It was a wild one, but the Philadelphia Flyers earned themselves a huge victory in Game 2 against the Buffalo Sabres at Wells Fargo Center. Danny Briere scored the game-winning goal late in the second period when he redirected a Scott Hartnell shot with his skate, beating Sabres goaltender Ryan Miller.
That tally was a 5-on-5 marker, but the game didn't really get much of a flow at even strength. In total, 54 penalty minutes were handed out in a game that was just insane from the drop of the puck. Six goals were scored in the first period alone, leading to an early shower for Flyers starter Sergei Bobrovsky.
When Brian Boucher entered late in the first to relieve Bob, the game cooled down quite a bit in terms of the "holy-crap-everything-is-going-in-the-net" factor. But that didn't lead to a slow down in emotion. Seemingly every whistle was followed by an altercation, and after the tight-checking, low-scoring affair we saw in Game 1 on Thursday, Saturday's events certainly made this one feel like a playoff series.
Philadelphia was especially poor on the special teams, which you would think wouldn't bode well in a game with 54 penalty minutes. They allowed two power play goals and failed to convert on nine of their own 10 chances, but that one they did convert on turned out to be a game-changer.
It came just a few minutes prior to Briere's goal when Ville Leino snapped a shot over the shoulder of Miller. From there, the Flyers controlled things at even strength, and even when the Sabres were down by just a goal in the third period, they couldn't establish much pressure in the offensive end.
It was a fun afternoon at Wells Fargo Center for Flyers fans, although likely a bit frustrating for fans of the Sabres. The venue will switch to HSBC Arena for Game 3 on Monday night.
For more on this one, be sure to check in with our Flyers blog, Broad Street Hockey, and our Sabres blog, Die By The Blade. You can also find continuing coverage of this series and every Quarterfinal series right here at SBNation.com.
Apr 16 8:48p by Travis Hughes - 0 comments