What a great opening night to the NHL playoffs. For Flyers fans, it could not have gone any better.
The Flyers pulled out a 2-1 victory Wednesday night. The team relied on great defense, goaltending, and capitalized on the few mistakes the Devils made. Mike Richards and Chris Pronger, the man they brought in to elevate the Flyers level of play in the playoffs, tallied for the Flyers. Travis Zajac was the Devils' lone scorer.
Despite a great team effort, the Flyers still have a lot to improve on going into Game 2. The Devils dominated a majority of the game and despite Martin Brodeur's recent playoff collapses, 14 shots is simply not enough. It all starts with the breakout and better defensive zone play. If the Flyers make a good first pass and then can start the forecheck, they will be in much better shape.
In the other three contests last night, the Ottawa Senators sent a shock wave through the league and made a statement by beating the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins last night. If goalie Marc-Andre Fleury does not get it together, the Penguins title defense will swiftly lead to the first tee.
Also, the Phoenix Coyotes did not go quietly into the night against the juggernaut that is the Detroit Red Wings. The Wings looked primed for another playoff run the way they ended the season and started the game, jumping out to a 2-1 lead. However, Phoenix kept coming at Detroit and rookie goalie Jimmy Howard. By using the points and working from the top of the offensive zone, Phoenix scored two unanswered goals and secured the win.
Finally, in the biggest upset of the night, the eighth seeded Colorado Avalanche went into the Shark Tank and beat the top seed in the West, the San Jose Sharks. The young uprising Avalanche scored with less than a minute left to continue a trend that Sharks fans are fed up with, early playoff letdowns.
Tonight, three other series are set to begin. The heavily favored Washington Capitals are ready to try and take the first step toward the Cup by taking on the always underachieving Montreal Canadiens.
In Buffalo, the Sabres will take on division rival Boston. The Bruins won some critical games down the stretch including a nice win in Washington while sitting key players Zdeno Chara and Mark Recchi. Both teams have trouble scoring, but the Sabres have a man by the name of Ryan Miller, who I believe will be the difference in this series.
Finally, another surprise team, the Los Angeles Kings travel to Vancouver to take on the Canucks. The Kings are not to be taken lightly in this series. They have a good combination of skill and grit and goaltender Jonathan Quick has shown he can be brilliant through stretches during the year. The Canucks are going to need more of a supporting cast to help the Sedin twins and a return to normalcy in elite goaltender Roberto Luongo not the inconsistent one they had this year. Let the madness begin!
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