Brian Boucher all dressed up for the 2010 Winter Classic against the Bruins.
So…
Who expected that?
It’s certainly been an exciting ride since the time the Flyers beat the Rangers in that shootout. That is if you’ve watching the Stanley Cup Playoffs this year. Being a Division winner in the East this year was like the mark of death as all top three seeds fell; we obviously beat New Jersey in 5, Boston beat out Buffalo in 6, and the Canadiens pulled off the impossible by beating the Capitals in 7 after a 3-1 deficit. The other team to advance was Pittsburgh.
That leaves us with the Penguins (4) vs. the Canadiens (8) and the Bruins (6) vs. the Flyers (7).
Knowing that Washington’s offense wouldn’t stay dormant for another round, it’s probably a good thing we didn’t face the Capitals. Even so, the Bruins have their own unique set of challenges we have to overcome.
It’s time for the Spring Classic: the Phialdelphia Flyers vs. the Boston Bruins. We all of course remember how this year’s Winter Classic ended; in OT in come-from-behind fashion as the Bruins became the first Winter Classic home team to come away with victory.
The Flyers went 2-1-1 against Boston this year including an OT loss on January 1st when it looked like the Bruins had too many men on the ice.
Now the Flyers will seek a little bit of revenge, and though the Winter Classic was Leighton vs. Thomas, starting in net for this series will be Boucher and Rask.
Boucher, a New England native, has played 2 games against the Bruins this year accounting for a 1.35 GAA and a 0.949 SV%. Rask has played 2 games against the Flyers this year accounting for a 1.92 GAA and a 0.944 SV%.
In the playoffs, Boucher has won 4 of 5 games played and leads the league both with a 1.59 GAA and a 0.940 SV%. Rask has won 4 of 6 games played for a 2.18 GAA and a 0.927 SV%.
However, with offensive injuries on either team, this series might come down to who can score. The Bruins are averaging 2.67 goals-forced per game while the Flyers are averaging an even 3.00. There’s no question that the Flyers have the stronger defense, but dealing with Chara comes with its own problems.
The series will definitely be an interesting one. It will be the first Flyers vs. Bruins playoff match-up since 1978.
We definitely know what big games against the Bruins are like:
We even know what they’re like from before many of us were born thanks to YouTube.
It’s not all sunshine and rainbows though. Boston is going to be physical, but they’re beatable. We do have to deal with some injuries. As most know, Ian Laperriere is the latest to go down, but the good news is that Gagne could be making an appearance at some point during this series. Bruins have their own injuries and moved out their only true sniper, Phil Kessel, out to Toronto last year.
Rask is a good goalie who we will have to exploit. We need to make life miserable for him, and it will be up to call-ups Ville Leino, Patrick Maroon, and Andreas Nodl to help make a positive impact on the series.
Boosh took care of his unfinished business from a decade ago against the New Jersey Devils, and now he has a bone to pick with his home region after not getting the go-ahead to play them in the Winter Classic.
Let the excitement begin.
The action starts in an early game this Saturday. We got the Rangers, we got the Devils, and now the we go back up I-95 to give our regards to the Bruins.
- Saturday, May 1st — 12:30 PM @Boston
- Monday, May 3rd — 7:00 PM @Boston
- Wednesday, May 5th — 7:00 PM @Philadelphia
- Friday, May 7th — 7:00 PM @Philadelphia
- Monday, May 10th — 7:00 PM @Boston (if necessary)
- Wednesday, May 12th — TBD @Philadelphia (if necessary)
- Friday, May 14th — 7:00 PM @Boston (if necessary)
(I hope everyone’s ready for round two.)
