Bruins Flying, Beat Philly 3-0
Games against the Philadelphia Flyers are never dull. Boston has faced them in regular season and playoff games. It’s no secret that both teams hold a distaste for each other, and a sunny warm Saturday afternoon in Boston was no different.
Despite a stellar performance by Bruins Khudobin during Thursday evenings contest against the Leafs, it was Rask who got the nod for Boston. In net for Philadelphia, the always entertaining off-ice, never know what you’re going to get on-ice, Ilya Bryzgalov.
With nearly half the first period behind them, shots on net remained decidedly low with one for Boston and just three for Philadelphia. Opportunities for both teams were sparse until Boston went on their first power play of the game. Tyler Seguin has been striking almost every game, today’s being no different when he nabbed the first of the game at 11:53; the goal put an added energy in the strides of his teammates. Closely following the Seguin goal and proving that point, Chris Kelly at 13:28 making it 2-0. Not to be forgotten and getting in on the fun at 14:11, Daniel Paille, tallying a point in his 401st NHL game.
Going up 3-0 in the first period was exciting for fans, but with the same scenario happening in Washington just days before, an air of hesitation in the atmosphere was not to be missed. Trying to switch the momentum in the Flyers favor, Zac Rinaldo engaged Bruins resident tough guy Shawn Thornton- despite getting a few punches in, Thornton easily dropped Rinaldo to the ice at 11:05. With the minutes winding down, the Flyers frustrations should have been mounting, but their lack of effort was clearly visible. As Boston tried to make plays that didn’t come. It wasn’t until the remaining seconds of the second period that Philadelphia showed any form of urgency in protecting their own zone.
Trying to keep their 3-0 lead and perhaps turn it into a 4 goal lead, Boston came out strong in the opening minutes of the third. But Bryzgalov shut them down on all attempts, making a few “replay” worthy saves. 6:59 brought a bench minor for Boston with too many men on the ice, despite clinking the post Philadelphia found themselves unable to score. With another power play opportunity on their sticks at 12:00, the Flyers used their time out in hopes of making an attack plan. Needless to say, it didn’t work to their advantage and Boston won 3-0.
March madness skates on as Boston will face back to back game nights. They travel to Ottawa for a game on Monday, followed by a tilt against Pittsburgh on Tuesday- both 7:30 pm puck drops.
