The Boston Bruins and Philadelphia Flyers will renew their bitter rivalry Saturday afternoon at TD Garden. Boston’s 15-3-3 record is far better than the 11-13-1 mark Philadelphia holds. As always, records aside, Bruins-Flyers games make for spectacular hockey. Count on a physical, fast paced, emotionally charged affair in this one.
The 1PM matinee will be the first of three games between the two sides this season. It will also be Tuukka Rask’s first time seeing the Flyers since the infamous 2010 Eastern Conference Semi’s collapse. Over the years, the Bruins and Tim Thomas handled the black and orange with relative ease. Certainly have to believe Tuukka will want to keep that going.
The Flyers have several offensive weapons at their disposal. Claude Giroux, Jakub Voracek, and Wayne Simmonds headline their offensive attack. Voracek is posting career numbers (12G, 17A). Giroux, Philadelphia’s captain, is one of the best in the sport. By no means can Boston take their offensive talent lightly.
The Flyers are a bit thin on the back end. Chris Pronger’s absence (Post Concussion Syndrome) and the loss of Matt Carle (Tampa Bay) via free agency has caused them to take a step backward in the defensive department. Kimmo Timonen,Braydon Coburn, and Luke Schenn are all sound defensemen although they each have weaknesses.
The scorching play of Boston’s top lines coupled with the wildly erratic play of Ilya Brzgalov may spell disaster for the Flyers. Bryzgalov was pulled in his last outing and eight of the last thirty-six shots he has faced have resulted in goals. The Bruins top six forwards have combined for more than two-thirds of the clubs total goals scored this season. If Peter Laviolette goes with Brzgalov, there is no telling what sort of performance the Flyers are to expect. Oddly enough, Brygalov has a career 1.96 GAA against the Bruins. Philadelphia must keep Boston’s stars in check or ‘Bryz’ as they like to call him, could see his GAA triple.
The Flyers possess one of the game’s finest Power Plays. The Bruins kill off penalties at a 91.9% clip. This Original Six faceoff sure has all the makings for a great one. A season ago saw Boston win three out of the four meetings. Philadelphia will be hungry and the Bruins will be determined to keep pace with Montreal atop the Eastern Conference standings.
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