IGT Round 2: DEVILS WIN :'(

[koldjerky]

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GAME 5
Tuesday May 8th, 2012
7:30 PM ET
NBCS (HD) , CBC





PLAYOFF STARS


Travis Zajac
(5g - 5a - 10pts)


Ilya Kovalchuk
(4g - 6a - 10pts)


Zach Parise
(4g - 4a - 8pts)




GOALTENDING


Martin Brodeur
(7-3-1, 2.15 GAA, .929 SV %)


Johan Hedberg
(0-1, 1.67 GAA, .929 SV %)




________________________________________________
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PLAYOFF STARS


Claude Giroux
(8g - 9a - 17pts)


Danny Briere
(8g - 4a - 12pts)


Jakub Voracek
(2g - 8a - 10pts)




GOALTENDING


Ilya Brygalov
(5-5-1, 3.49 GAA, .885 SV %)


Sergei Bobrovsky
(0-0, 8.11 GAA, .722 SV %)





Injuries*/Suspensions

D Marc-Andre Bourdon hasn't practiced since leaving Game 1 of the first round. He is suspected of having a concussion.
D Andrej Meszaros is now practicing with the team in a regular jersey, but doesn't appear ready to return to the lineup just yet.
RW Tom Sestito has returned to practice from a torn groin.

C Claude Giroux is suspended for Game 5 for hit on Zubris.

LW Ryan Carter missed Sunday night's game with an unspecified illness.
C Jacob Josefson, who missed 37 games earlier this season with a broken clavicle after missing almost four months last year with hand surgery, is out again, this time with a non-displaced fracture of the left wrist suffered April 3. He was slated to miss 4-6 weeks.
D Henrik Tallinder (blood clot, lower leg) last played Jan. 17 and General Manager Lou Lamoriello said it is "doubtful" Tallinder will return for the playoffs.

*According to yahoosports.com

[koldjerky]

We Believe

"We're still alive. Obviously we're in a bad spot… but I believe in our team and we've done it all year long, so why not now?"

Those are the words of Flyers defenseman and four-time NHL All-Star Kimmo Timonen at the team's media availability today following a team meeting the day before Game 5 at the Wells Fargo Center.

"It's not going to be easy and it's not just going to happen out of the blue," said Danny Briere who is tied for the NHL playoff lead with eight goals. "There's a lot of things we need to fix, but I think the first step in that is believing in ourselves."

Go up and down the roster and behind the Flyers bench and you'll hear those similar sentiments.

Added Briere: "We've seen it all year and we know we're a team that can make plays… This is the biggest challenge of the year obviously, but we've shown all year that we're not quitters. To me that's what makes me believe that the guys are not going to quit at this point."

Yes, the Flyers are on the brink of elimination from the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and yes, they're trailing by a 3-games-to-1 margin, but they are by no means out of the series, especially when it returns to home ice.

What Tuesday's game represents for the Flyers is not only a really desperate time, but also it's a really good test for what makes up the Orange and Black according to Timonen, who happens to know a thing or two about what it takes for a playoff comeback.

Timonen is one of seven members remaining on the Flyers who have faced this kind of adversity before.

Actually worse.

Timonen, Claude Giroux, Danny Briere, James van Riemsdyk, Braydon Coburn, Matt Carle and Scott Hartnell are the seven Flyers that remain from the 2010 team that overcame a three-game deficit to earn a historic series victory over the Boston Bruins in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

And while those players, as well as head coach Peter Laviolette, don't put much stock in drawing on that series, it's just one example of how very real the possibility is to turn this series around and how that adversity can triumph in the end.

If the Flyers needed any more motivation to force a Game 6 it came earlier this afternoon.

The NHL handed down a one-game suspension to Flyers center Claude Giroux earlier this afternoon.

The NHL's Department of Player Safety's announced that the suspension to Giroux, the Flyers (and NHL's) leading scorer in the playoff with 17 points, was for delivering an illegal check to the head of New Jersey Devils forward Dainius Zubrus during Game 4 on Sunday with four seconds left in the second period. A minor penalty for illegal check to the head was assessed to Giroux.

Game 5 will be the first Stanley Cup Playoff game missed by Giroux in his four-year NHL career. He has appeared in all 50 of the Flyers playoff games since the 2008-09 season, averaging over a point-per-game with 21 goals and 34 assists.

Without Giroux the Flyers face an even more upwards battle, but as Flyers head coach Peter Laviolette often says, facing adversity is all part of the story that is the NHL postseason.

"This is the first time that our group is faced with our back truly against a wall... Our group has to take a stand tomorrow night and fight for something. That's the history of the Stanley Cup."

http://flyers.nhl.com/club/page.htm?...id=DL|PHI|home

[koldjerky]

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SEMIFINALS

GAMES	           DATES	        TIME	         PLACE	       TV
Game 1:            Apr 29           3:00pm EDT            PHI       NBC, CBC
Game 2:            May 1            7:30pm EDT            PHI       NBCS, CBC
Game 3:            May 3            7:30pm EDT            NJD       NBCS, CBC
Game 4:            May 6            7:30pm EDT            NJD       NBCS, CBC
Game 5:            May 8            7:30pm EDT            PHI       NBCS, CBC
*Game 6:           May 10               TBD               NJD         CBC
*Game 7:           May 12               TBD               PHI         CBC

*If Necessary

Flyers Victory
Devils Victory

[koldjerky]

[MacManus]

BRING IT ONNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!111111ONENEONEONEONEONEOAMOKGN ADIOGAOINGIOnoignaofnoangoangoidnohnzklcn

Kick some ***, boys.

[WoodandNails]

Just a heads up: you've got Zajac's picture where Kovalchuk's should be.

Can't wait for this series. Brodeur's stats don't look that bad (mostly thanks to last night's game, probably), but he looked very beatable throughout the first round. New Jersey may have a stiffer defense than the Pens, but once again, we won't have to worry about having to crack a hot goal (though, with our firepower, I'm not sure that would be much of a problem).

Also read something on twitter about Bryz having a .987 save percentage in three games against the Devils this year. It's only three games, but encouraging nonetheless.

Hopefully the rest has done the boys well and they come out rejuvenated and strong on Sunday. It'll be nice to start this one at home.

[phillyeaglesman]

2nd straight atlantic division foe. i am concerned about a slow start, given the amount of time off.

however, it was much needed.


i just can't wait for this game already. can't believe it's only been a week.


LET'S GO FLYERS!!!

[fanofphilly]

Whos the douche that picked the Devils in 6 LOL...

scumbag!


Lets go Flyers ...

I want to see some more of what we saw game 6... Solid Defense. Blocked Shots. Bryz playing well and the offense getting more opportunities. Now granted we cant expect the same from our special teams lol...

[jammastershake]

Is Grossmann a go for this series?

[Jbendz]

Our PP should eat them alive. I'm going with the sweep.

[castan_b]

4 keys to the series:

1) koldjerky threads

2) Wayne Simmonds 4g and a +2

3) Dominant JVR return

4) need to adjust the lines a bit to take advantage of the Devil's lack of depth

Simmonds G Jagr
JVR Couturier Vorchek
Hartnell Schenn Briere
Wellwood Talbot Read

this is just personal preference but this is the perfect series to unleash Couturier in a more offensive roll against Kovy ... mostly because Kovy and Parise play 0 defense ... throwing a line that is all over 6'2'' who has at least 2 players who are excellent at defense with extremely high upside offensively could be the dagger to the series ...

the hope is the break up parise and kovy and then the series is over

[3iverson3]

Scott Hartnell - Claude Giroux - Jaromir Jagr
Matt Read - Brayden Schenn - Wayne Simmonds
James van Riemsdyk - Danny Briere - Jakub Voracek
Maxime Talbot - Sean Couturier - Eric Wellwood

Braydon Coburn - Nicklas Grossmann
Kimmo Timonen - Matt Carle
Andreas Lilja - Erik Gustafsson


Lavi Changing it up. Mez and Kubina were another pair during practise so that is pretty good news. Grossman should be ready and Mez could be back sonner than most thought!

[crzyhawk]

Let's do this, Flyers in 5.

[Burkey3472]

Just got a call from a friend that has free game 1 tickets for me......so pumped.

[jc27]

I'll be at game one even though I have a broken foot (broke it at game 3 vs Pitt). I'll have to miss game two due to surgery though.

Go Flyers!!