The Philadelphia Flyers‘ season is over. After a 3-1 loss to the New Jersey Devils in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, the Broadstreet Bullies once again fell short of their quest of capturing a Stanley Cup.
And although everyone in the City of Brotherly Love will once again want to blame the goaltending for the Flyers‘ shortcomings, Ilya Bryzgalov, despite his inconsistencies all season long and through the playoffs, is not to be held solely responsible for what will be another Cup-less year in Philadelphia.
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Flyers Eliminated By Devils, but Ilya Bryzgalov Isn’t to Blame
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by Marc Williams on May 8, 2012
Remember “24″ on Fox? Jack Bauer frantically trying to save the world as the clock ticks down to the bottom of the hour. Last night at Madison Square Garden delivered the most frantic final push of the post-season and it was all capped by Marc Staal’s Power Play goal less than two minutes into overtime. In a pivotal Game 5, the New York Rangers pulled a 180 on the Washington Capitals giving them a 3-2 lead in the best of Seven.
by Rhiannon Volpe on May 7, 2012
On Sunday, May 6th, the New Jersey Devils hosted the Philadelphia Flyers in game 4 of the NHL playoffs Eastern Conference semifinals. The Flyers entered the game in hopes of evening the series. Philadelphia forward left winger Scott Hartnell opened the scoring with a power play goal at the 11:50 mark of the first period. Star forward Claude Giroux padded the lead with a backhand shorthanded goal just minute and 50 seconds later. The Devils began their comeback at the 15:14 mark with a power play goal by right winger Petr Sýkora. Defenseman Marek Zidlicky tied the game for the Devils with just a minute and 51 seconds left in the first period.
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Devils Put Stranglehold on Flyers, Flyers Now Face Elimination
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by Marc Williams on May 7, 2012
After the marathon of Game 3, the Washington Capitals came through the gates with the passion needed for a team to even a series after losing in three overtimes. Within the first FIVE minutes, the Caps peppered Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist with 7 shots. The Caps also blocked 26 shots to the Rangers 7, which is a staggering amount given that the Rangers are a great shot-blocking team.
Ever since head coach Dale Hunter took over the Washington Capitals in the middle of the regular season, he’s built in a team-first mentality that’s dependent on four lines contributing equally. Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals and the philosophy was the same, except it was the core group of Caps players that led the way in their 3-2 win over the New York Rangers at Verizon Center Saturday afternoon.
Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom and Mike Green, otherwise known as the “Young Guns,” the three guys who dominated stat sheets just a few years ago with their high-octane brand of hockey, all chipped in with goals today, leading the Caps to victory and evening the series with the Rangers at two games apiece.
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Ovechkin, Green Lead Caps over Rangers with 3-2 Win
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by Melissa Reidelberger on May 5, 2012
The St. Louis Blues find themselves one game away from their summer vacation.
Trailing the Los Angeles Kings 2-0 entering game four of a Western Conference semi-final, the Blues needed to win last Thursday night to get back in the series. Unfortunately, they could not pull it off. Although they started with more speed and aggression than in game two, they couldn’t stop the Kings’ offense, which has been on fire as of late. The Kings had goals by Dwight King and Drew Doughty along with a Gordie Howe hat trick (a goal, an assist, and a fight) by Mike Richards. Jonathan Quick also had a solid game in net for the Kings. However, he received a lot of help from his defense. Quick did a great job of stopping the initial shot, but he left a number of rebounds. The Kings’ defense was strong and did a great job of boxing out the Blues forwards so they couldn’t put in the rebound.
by Rhiannon Volpe on May 5, 2012
On Thursday, May 3rd, the New Jersey Devils played host to the Philadelphia Flyers in the NHL playoffs Eastern Conference semifinals. Prior to puck drop, this best of seven game series was tied at one game apiece.
The Flyers opened the scoring at the 6:08 mark of the first period with a power play goal by rookie forward Brayden Schenn. The Devils tied the game at the 12:33 mark with a power play goal of their own by forward Patrick Elias. Just 20 seconds later, New Jersey star forward Ilya Kovalchuk would take the lead for his team, returning to the lineup that night after missing the previous game with a lingering back injury.
by Steve Dolan on May 3, 2012
If tonight’s Game 3 is half as entertaining as Game 3 in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals vs. the Penguins, everyone is in for a treat. If tonight’s game is like Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals vs. the Devils, Flyers fans are not going to be happy.
You think fans are the only ones who take gut-wrenching, triple-overtime playoff losses hard?
Well, just ask Karl Alzner how his dogs handle them? Better yet, just look at the photographic evidence of their dismay.
After the Washington Capitals lost a 2-1 triple-overtime thriller to the New York Rangers Wednesday, the Caps defenseman returned to his home only to find that his two precious pooches either could not stand the tension of overtime hockey in the playoffs, or they were incredibly upset with Rangers forward Marian Gaborik for scoring the game-winner and needed to take out their frustrations on some bags of trash.
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Karl Alzner’s Dogs Destroy House After Capitals’ 3OT Loss
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by Marc Williams on May 3, 2012
The magic of the playoffs is that the most maligned player on the ice can be the hero. Everyone has been in one of these moments -even Wayne Gretzky in 1993 with the Kings. Last night, it was Marian Gaborik’s turn.
In Triple Overtime, Gaborik scored on a quick feed in front by Brad Richards to win Game 3 between the Rangers and the Capitals. After a Dan Girardi pinch, Richards found the Rangers leading goal scorer for his first goal of the series. On the previous shift, Carl Hagelin found Gaborik in the slot, but Gaborik’s redirection hit the goal post. Gaborik had only one goal in the nine playoff games this post-season and his shot total was alarmingly low 3 shots in the series. In Game 3, Gaborik recorded seven shots, which was to most for either side.
