ECSF Game 1: Welcome back, playoff hockey

by Travis Hughes on May 1, 2010 9:31 AM EDT in 2010 Playoffs

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Eastern Conference Semifinals, Game 1
#7 Philadelphia Flyers at #6 Boston Bruins
Series tied, 0-0
TD Garden - 12:30 PM ET - Boston, Mass.
TV: NBC HD, TSN HD, RDS HD
Radio: 610 WIP (internet stream here), XM 204, SIRIUS 208
Get the Boston perspective at Stanley Cup of Chowder
Bruins_yellow_medium

It's been nine days since the Flyers last played in a hockey game, so obviously, the big question heading in to this Eastern Conference semifinal Game 1 is how much the long layoff will hurt or help the team. We can't possibly know the answer to that until game time, and even then, it might not be a clear answer. But there are a few things we do know, and we know that certain things are going to come into play in this game and this series that will likely be the deciding factors.

On my list, the first thing has to be emotion. These are two teams, the Flyers and the Bruins, that can get off of their game when they get pissed off. You can get guys like Milan Lucic off of their game. You have to believe the orange and black will be chasing Marc Savard each and every time he steps on the ice. Tuukka Rask is one of those guys who can get pissed off easily as well:

So, how can the Flyers get to Rask early? You know they're going to try, and if I had to bet, I'd expect to see a lot of Chris Pronger in the crease on the power play. That leads us to the other note of importance in this series: special teams.

Boston's penalty killing is very good. The Flyers power play is very good. This could determine the series. But I think the Bruins power play against the Flyers penalty kill is going to be the more important match up. If the Flyers take the number of penalties they did against the Devils, the Bruins will make them pay. It doesn't help that Ian Laperriere is out of the lineup, either. Philadelphia needs to stay out of the penalty box in this game and this series.

Which brings us full circle here. Piss the other team off, get them off of their game, and play smart hockey yourselves. That's what the Flyers need to do in Game 1. Establish control right away.

At 11:30, we'll have the game thread, complete with lineups and questions to answer. Go Flyers.

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So, that ad we posted the other day?

http://tweetphoto.com/20636890

There was some doubt if it was official. Boruk just tweeted this from outside TD Garden.

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by Travis Hughes on May 1, 2010 9:32 AM EDT reply actions

I am so…proud.

Join me on the Hockey Blog Adventure! (or Twitter.) GO BRUINS! (and Wild!)

by Cornelius Hardenbergh on May 1, 2010 9:37 AM EDT up reply actions

Yeah I had looked it up and a few sites confirmed that it was official, and I never saw anything about it being potentially fake.

by DragonGirl0583 on May 1, 2010 9:39 AM EDT up reply actions

A Bruins fan commented on the post the other day questioning it. Personally, I never did.

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by Travis Hughes on May 1, 2010 9:41 AM EDT up reply actions

I don’t really get it…it’s so weak it’s ridiculous.

Can't think of something catchy to say here...I suck.

by EREX21 on May 1, 2010 11:31 AM EDT up reply actions

As the series progresses, I wonder if they will make fun of our mothers next.

by Angrycoder on May 1, 2010 12:00 PM EDT up reply actions

wow. that Rask video is amazing. hadn’t seen it yet.

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by kyleshank on May 1, 2010 9:38 AM EDT reply actions

I’ll be at work listening to the game on the radio, so hopefully no one else comes in today so I don’t have to worry about accidentally screaming at them. Hahaha.

So glad we get to watch the Flyers again finally, I was having flashbacks to those long layoffs in October and November. Let’s go Flyers.

by DragonGirl0583 on May 1, 2010 9:43 AM EDT reply actions

I hope Rask will be pissed this afternoon too

by MathB on May 1, 2010 10:01 AM EDT reply actions

I’d love for the Flyers to chase Rask, forcing Boston to put in Thomas.

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by Mitchell Green on May 1, 2010 10:07 AM EDT reply actions

They be better off just putting a 6th man on the ice

bread. butter. cheese. VICTORY!

by Prometheus74 on May 1, 2010 11:30 AM EDT up reply actions

Somehow I think Lavy’s solution to getting Rask off his game will be letting Hartnell do what he does best. Crashing the net and then standing up and blaming the goalie.

by thwalls on May 1, 2010 10:09 AM EDT reply actions

Also, did anyone else catch the Pens game last night?

I couldn’t tell if the Pens were just playing really well or the Habs were just that bad.

by thwalls on May 1, 2010 10:10 AM EDT reply actions

Which is why I wanted to play the Caps. The Pens will have no trouble handling the Habs and we could have beaten the Caps because they were playing terribly. I think the Bruins would have given the Pens more trouble…

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by Mitchell Green on May 1, 2010 10:13 AM EDT up reply actions

I thought the Habs played better 5-on-5 over the Pens, but the Pens just absolutely dominated special teams play.

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by Travis Hughes on May 1, 2010 10:30 AM EDT up reply actions

I thought it was funny that on two of the Pens goals, all of the Habs PKers were staring at the guy with the puck and then one of the other Pens would rotate behind the play and catch Halak from the back door. I thought they would learn after the first time, but then they scored again with the same play.

by thwalls on May 1, 2010 10:46 AM EDT up reply actions

I don’t care if Tuukka Rask went crazy, I still love that name.

by Ben16 on May 1, 2010 10:21 AM EDT reply actions

it reminds me of the name of a Star trek villain.

by thwalls on May 1, 2010 10:24 AM EDT up reply actions

Who do you think will replace Lappy? Powe or Nodl? And isn’t Giroux replacing Gagne on the PK? I didn’t get to see the last two games against the Devils unfortunately.

by The Legend on May 1, 2010 10:29 AM EDT reply actions

LET’S GO FLYERS! WIN IT FOR LAPPY!

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by FlyerGuy18 on May 1, 2010 10:42 AM EDT reply actions

While nine games is a ridiculous layoff, I’m not terribly concerned about it because the Bruins had five (?) days off. I think thats enough time for them to start feeling a bit of rust as well. And of course we couldn’t have asked for a better scenario than giving Pronger and Kimmo 9 days off after round 1.

by MarioD on May 1, 2010 10:45 AM EDT reply actions

Completely agree. I think it’ll help them more than anything.

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by Travis Hughes on May 1, 2010 10:46 AM EDT up reply actions

Tuukka is level-headed compared to Thomas. Thomas would have taken about 4 penalties in the last series by overreacting to minor bumps and traffic in front. You guys saw what that first hand at the Classic when he pushed the guy in front instead of watching the puck.

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by Stanley Cup of Chowder on May 1, 2010 10:48 AM EDT reply actions