Saturday, April 23, 2011
Posted: 4 p.m.
By Tim Panaccio
CSNPhilly.com
Sean ODonnell is a great believer in momentum within games. Yet, after 16 years in the National Hockey League, he seldom puts much stock into the belief that momentum carries over during a playoff series.
You can have it and then other team goes out the first two or three minutes and scores and all of a sudden theyve got the momentum, ODonnell said. From game to game, there is no such thing as momentum.
So maybe the Flyers should ignore the momentum the Buffalo Sabres have in this Eastern Conference quarterfinal playoff series, despite having won two of three games from the Flyers in their building.
The Flyers are facing elimination Easter Sunday (3 p.m.) in Buffalo where they will need to get the series to 3-3 so they can force a Game 7 Tuesday in Philadelphia.
Either way, its elimination time.
NHL
Any time you are under a microscope, the stakes are raised, ODonnell said. Guys rise to the top or not perform as well. Were certainly not overconfident, butIve been in this situation before where weve been able to do it.
This team last year has been in this situation many times in the Boston series and even going down 2-0 to Chicago where they had to win two games coming home and the team responded.
One thing the Flyers have going for them is the road. They were a better road team this season with a franchise record 25 wins. They often play a more simple, more relaxed game on the road. Less distractions.
Going there, its the same thing weve been doing all year long, Scott Hartnell said. Were a great road team. We really hustle, weve taken crowds out of the building. Thats probably the biggest thing. Theyre going to be coming to hit and coming to skate.
Weve been awesome on the road this year. Weve played some of our best games there. Guys show up on the road and at home, too. Theres a lot of positives for us going on the road in Buffalo.
Peter Laviolettes club needs to survive the first 10 minutes, settle in and go about its business. Its not about winning two games on Sunday. Its about winning one game to earn the opportunity to play a seventh game next week.
The first challenge is the road challenge, Laviolette said. The fact that we played well on the road this year, we can take confidence in that and go win one game.
We said this before the series began and will say it again. If this team is going to win in the postseason, it needs its power play to make a difference.
The Flyers have lost three games by one goal. The PP units are a horrendous 2 for 26 (7.7 percent) in the series. Goaltending aside, theres your three goals.
Interestingly, the Flyers spent about 15 minutes working on the power play before doing anything else on Saturday morning. Even more interesting was Laviolette hovering near power play coach Joey Mullen, who is under pressure to get these units going.
The power play was ranked ninth on Nov. 16. From that point on, the power play dropped like a stone in the rankings. It sank in the second half to 23rd before finishing 19th out of 30 teams.
On Saturday, Laviolette had James van Riemsdyk as the tip man in the crease, flanked by Danny Briere and Claude Giroux. Mike Richards and Kimmo Timonen worked the points.
Buffalo has done a good job, Laviolette said. We have had a lot of shots, and a lot of looks on this power play. We havent been able to get it through. Theyve done a good job taking away lanes and blocking shots.
Theyve done a good job of putting a body in front of it so that were trying to change the lane and change the angle. By doing so, were missing the net. Weve havent gotten those breaks and those bounces were looking for.
Good power plays create their own bounces and breaks. For whatever reason, this has not been a good power play all season and its become a major factor in the series given how tight things are.
Its frustrating, Hartnell said. Two minutes left in the game we have a power play and cant find the net.
The Flyers better find something because as Hartnell said, its do or die.
You can always draw on experiences, but I wouldnt want to bank on it, Laviolette said, about reaching back in to last springs playoff run. This team has to make its own mark. They have an opportunity tomorrow to fight back. Its their first shot at it.
Through the course of a long playoff run youve got to do that in order to be successful. You will be faced with situations where you will be tested as a group. Tomorrow, is our real first test.
Laviolette admitted he will find out what were made of tomorrow in Buffalo.
Its not going to be an easy game to win, he said. Our backs are against the wall. Lets go play.
E-mail Tim Panaccio at tpanotch@comcast.net
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