The Philadelphia Flyers were probably anxious to play their first game of the 2011-12 season. Not so much because they couldn’t wait to test the waters with their new-look team, but because they had to sit around for over 40 minutes in the dressing room after warmups while the Boston Bruins enjoyed a rather lengthy Stanley Cup ceremony.
Aside from the traditional raising of the Stanley Cup banner, there were also a few speeches, a video montage recapping the Bruins’ Cup run and even (and was this really necessary?) time for each player to skate around with the Cup.
Needless to say, when the banner was finally raised, the Flyers were ready to go. Despite giving up the first goal of the game, a first-period power play goal by Brad Marchand, the Flyers responded. Claude Giroux and newcomer Jakub Voracek scored the Flyers’ goals 47 seconds apart in the final minute of the first period.
That’s all the Flyers would need as Ilya Bryzgalov proved why he is the elite netminder the Flyers thought he was when they singed him over the summer, making 22 saves to secure a 2-1 victory for the Flyers on opening night in the NHL.
While it was a quiet night offensively for both teams, Flyers fans have to ecstatic that the chemistry developed between Giroux and Jaromir Jagr during the preseason carried over into tonight’s game.
Bruins fans, on the other hand, have to be concerned with their team’s power play. After struggling mightily throughout the entire 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs with the power play, that trend continued for Boston tonight as they were just 1-for-5 on the power play.
Boston will put this one behind them, and the Flyers have to be pleased to be staring off 1-0.
Hockey is back!
