The Flyers didn’t make the playoffs so we won’t have any games to relive, revisit or forget this April and May. However, there are a horde of Flyers playoff games that meant something, whether it was an individual player, to the team or the franchise itself. Here then is a series of games (each cherry-picked) from various eras and playoff rounds, but each game being that game in that particular round of the playoffs.
Round 1, Game 1
Flyers 4, Penguins 3 (OT) (April 11, 2012)
The Flyers found themselves in a huge hole but managed to dig deep by defeating the Pittsburgh Penguins early in the first overtime period. The Flyers lead the first round series 1-0.
The Flyers entered the 2011-12 season fully reloaded and with a whole new core for their future. The trades of Mike Richards and Jeff Carter within hours of each other on June 23, 2011 altered the course of the Flyers for the next decade. The tandem of their captain and their sniper shipped off by Paul Holmgren left many questioning why. Meanwhile others (this writer included) thought it was a clean slate with an emphasis on building with youth and making Claude Giroux the centrepiece of their future. The additions of Jakub Voracek, Wayne Simmonds and Brayden Schenn were key additions. Equally important was the landing of Sean Couturier in the first round of the 2011 draft. They also went way outside of the box, signing former fiend Jaromir Jagr to a one-year deal which at the time looked loopy but 82 games later looked very wise. Throw Claude Giroux, Danny Briere and Scott Hartnell into the mix and the Flyers looked almost as dangerous as they did two seasons prior during their 2010 run.
So the Flyers came into this first round series against the Penguins, the talent-loaded former Stanley Cup champions who wanted nothing more to destroy their interstate rivals. And for the first 20 minutes of Game 1 they did just that, picking apart Flyers goalie Ilya Bryzgalov as Sidney Crosby picked up a goal and an assist for an imposing 3-0 lead. Game over, right?
Well, no. If anything the Flyers relied on their experience in these situations, particularly after being down three games to the Bruins in the first round in 2010 and staging a miraculous comeback. Coach Peter Lavoliette didn’t panic and neither did the Flyers, taking all the Pens could throw at them early then slowly counter-punching the last 40 minutes. Six minutes into the second period Briere scored on a breakaway to get the Flyers back within two. The play itself was controversial as it looked like Briere was offsides, however with no challenge available at the time the Flyers ran with the good break.
Briere wasn’t done though, putting the puck past Marc-Andre Fleury in the third as the once-seemingly unbeatable Penguins started to show a few cracks in their armor. Brayden Schenn then took a great shot/pass from Scott Hartnell to steer it past Fleury to tie things up. The Flyers were feeling good, the Pens not so much as after 60 minutes of play.
In overtime the Flyers looked a bit hungrier, working deep in the Penguins zone before Voracek beat two Penguins to a loose puck to put it into the net for the 4-3 win. The Flyers realized with that game that they could not just hang with the Penguins of Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang and Fleury but could also beat them. It also proved (for better or for worse depending on your viewpoint) that the Flyers would be able to cope without Mike Richards and Jeff Carter wearing the Orange and Black.
(Thanks to hockey-reference and YouTube for the summary and clips.)
