Flyers-Devils Game 5 Recap: This Is How It Ends
And just like that, the 2011-2012 Philadelphia Flyers’ season has come to an end after a 3-1 loss to the New Jersey Devils in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. It was a lackluster performance by all three units of the team: offense, defense, and goaltending, and the loss raised more questions about the future than it answered. After a tumultous offseason that saw much upheaval, an up-and-down regular season that saw some growing pains, a rousing first round playoff victory over the hated Pittsburgh Penguins, and a Game 1 OT victory over the Devils, this had all the makings of an eventual champion. But things came to a crashing halt in Games 2-5, as the Devils outplayed the Flyers in every zone of the ice and beat them thoroughly in each of the last 4 games of the series, although the scoreboard didn’t always reflect that. Here’s a recap of the season-ending loss to the Devils at the Wells Fargo Center last night:
As the Flyers have done in each of their 4 losses this series, they scored the first goal of the game. After a few early opportunities for both sides and some heavy hits (Anton Volchenkov punished Brayden Schenn, but Zac Rinaldo retaliated by laying out Volchenkov just a couple minutes later) there was a mad scramble in the crease after a Flyers’ scoring opportunity and Max Talbot put a rebound home amid the mass of humanity in the blue paint for a 1-0 lead just over 7 minutes into the game. Brayden Schenn and Danny Briere picked up the assists, and the Flyers looked alive. Suddenly, extending the series didn’t seem out of the question.
Just 2 minutes later, however, the Devils struck back. After puck movement in the offensive zone, Bryce Salvador took a shot from the point that deflected off of Wayne Simmonds’ stick and beat Bryzgalov over his shoulder to tie the score. Adam Henrique and Ilya Kovalchuk picked up the assists on the goal, Salvador’s second of the series after going the entire regular season without a goal.
Three minutes later, David Clarkson “scored” the goal that will be talked about all offseason in Philadelphia. Kimmo Timonen played the puck back to Ilya Bryzgalov’s stick. He could have covered the puck or sent it behind him, but instead tried to clear it up the ice directly into the onrushing David Clarkson. The attempted clear hit the shaft of Clarkson’s stick and ricocheted between Bryzgalov’s legs and into the net for an unassisted goal that gave the Devils a 2-1 lead. The goal will be placed in the annals of Flyers postseason history as one of the worst goals given up by a Flyers goaltender, along with such luminaries as Michael Leighton, Roman Checkmanek, and John Vanbiesbrook. The period ended with the same scoreline at 2-1.
The second period was devoid of scoring, and the Devils’ domination of the period seemed to suck the life out of the Flyers. As the minutes ticked down on their season, the Devils continued to possess the puck. The only real scoring opportunity for the Flyers came when Martin Brodeur mishandled a puck behind his net, leading to an open wraparound opportunity for Danny Briere, but it hit the post and rolled away, along with the Flyers’ hopes to tie the game. The score went into the 3rd period 2-1 Devils, with the Flyers needed a goal to extend their season.
The third period came and the early portion of the period was uneventful until James van Riemsdyk took an incredibly stupid holding penalty in the offensive zone. The Devils went on the power play, won the faceoff, and exactly 4 seconds into the power play they had a 3-1 lead. Ilya Kovalchuk blasted a shot off the won draw and it hit the top right corner where post and crossbar meet and banked into the net for the dagger in the Flyers’ hearts. The last 15 minutes were a mere formality. The Flyers knew they couldn’t score one goal, let alone two, and the Devils knew the same thing. Everyone in the arena knew it, and fans began to stream towards the exits. Time eventually, mercifully, ran out, and the Devils had a 3-1 win in Game 5 and a 4-1 win in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Revisiting the Keys to the Game:
My 3 keys to last night’s game were 5-on-5 play, forechecking, and desperation. The Flyers played better at even strength, but it was hard to play worse. They were outscored 2-1 at 5-on-5 in the game, so the Devils still won that battle. The Devils also kept up their aggressive forecheck, and while the Flyers did initially it subsided back to a level that, while better than the previous games, was simply not good enough. And finally, the Flyers just didn’t play desperately enough. The Devils still won puck battles, still got odd man rushes and had numbers back on defense, still out-shot the Flyers. They simply wanted it more, and in the end the Devils got what they deserved: a berth in the Eastern Conference Finals.