Stanley Cup Notebook: Flyers even set with authority
By Matt Canamucio, NHL Editor
(Sports Network) - After losing the opener of their first-round series with Toronto, Philadelphia Flyers coach Ken Hitchcock made a plea for his marquee names to step forward.
Those players did just that Friday night, and the rest of the roster followed suit. The end result was an impressive 4-1 victory and a deadlocked series heading north to Ontario.
John LeClair and Simon Gagne spearheaded the showing with a goal and an assist apiece, while fellow "big names" Jeremy Roenick and Mark Recchi tallied as well. Goaltender Roman Cechmanek, after a so-so Game 1, was rarely tested but made the saves when called upon, turning away 16 shots on the night.
"We had everyone on deck today," Hitchcock said. "Everyone was playing."
The biggest difference between the opener and Friday's tilt was that the Philly attack generated significant traffic in front of Maple Leafs goaltender Ed Belfour and took advantage of the suspect Toronto blueline corps with regularity. Second and third shots were commonplace, something Hitchcock had stressed was missing after Game 1.
"We need second and third opportunities if we expect to score," Hitchcock said. "You?re not going to find them from the perimeter. We just have to dig in and find those loose pucks. We were able to find them today."
Gagne's shorthanded goal 12:09 into the first period, which opened the scoring, was a prime example. After intercepting a breakout pass in the neutral zone, he moved in 1-on-2 against the defense pairing of Bryan McCabe and Phil Housley. Gagne harmlessly fired a shot off the chest of Belfour, but was able to maneuver past the duo and gather the rebound all alone in front. He then deposited the puck beneath the netminder for a 1-0 lead.
"Any time you can score shorthanded its a big lift," LeClair said of Gagne's goal. "It gives the team a big jump and I think that's what really started things off."
Gagne victimized McCabe and Housley again with 2:13 left in the opening frame, setting up Roenick's tally. Housley turned the puck over at the blueline, where Gagne grabbed it and moved along the left side. After skating into the corner he fed a centering pass to a driving Roenick, who, despite having Housley draped across his back, deflected the puck high into the right side of the net.
McCabe and Housley were, to put it mildly, simply brutal on Friday. One or both of them were on the ice for all four of the Flyer goals, and played a direct role in the play. On Philadelphia's final tally, midway through the second period, LeClair shoved McCabe aside like he didn't exist before depositing the puck in the cage from the low slot.
"They got pucks deep all the time and we had to go back every time," said McCabe, who is sporting a blue Mohawk. "They went to the net really hard. And they got some lucky breaks."
Heading home with the series tied at a game apiece is somewhat comforting for coach Pat Quinn and Co., but how the split was earned is not. The two games have seen the Leafs get outshot by a combined 67-32 margin, and the Flyers have already beaten Belfour seven times.
Adding to the club's misfortune were the injuries suffered by Nik Antropov and Darcy Tucker in Game 1. Antropov could miss a month with a broken foot, while Tucker sat out the second tilt with a hyperextended knee. They join defenseman Glen Wesley and centers Doug Gilmour and Travis Green in the team's M.A.S.H. unit.
As they proved last postseason, though, the Leafs have quite a bit of internal resolve in their arsenal, and bouncing back from a tail-kicking isn't far fetched.
"They knew they had to win this one," said McCabe. "They played really hard and we got caught a little asleep. We came in and got the split and we'll go back to work on Monday [in Game 3]."
By Matt Canamucio, NHL Editor
(Sports Network) - After losing the opener of their first-round series with Toronto, Philadelphia Flyers coach Ken Hitchcock made a plea for his marquee names to step forward.
Those players did just that Friday night, and the rest of the roster followed suit. The end result was an impressive 4-1 victory and a deadlocked series heading north to Ontario.
John LeClair and Simon Gagne spearheaded the showing with a goal and an assist apiece, while fellow "big names" Jeremy Roenick and Mark Recchi tallied as well. Goaltender Roman Cechmanek, after a so-so Game 1, was rarely tested but made the saves when called upon, turning away 16 shots on the night.
"We had everyone on deck today," Hitchcock said. "Everyone was playing."
The biggest difference between the opener and Friday's tilt was that the Philly attack generated significant traffic in front of Maple Leafs goaltender Ed Belfour and took advantage of the suspect Toronto blueline corps with regularity. Second and third shots were commonplace, something Hitchcock had stressed was missing after Game 1.
"We need second and third opportunities if we expect to score," Hitchcock said. "You?re not going to find them from the perimeter. We just have to dig in and find those loose pucks. We were able to find them today."
Gagne's shorthanded goal 12:09 into the first period, which opened the scoring, was a prime example. After intercepting a breakout pass in the neutral zone, he moved in 1-on-2 against the defense pairing of Bryan McCabe and Phil Housley. Gagne harmlessly fired a shot off the chest of Belfour, but was able to maneuver past the duo and gather the rebound all alone in front. He then deposited the puck beneath the netminder for a 1-0 lead.
"Any time you can score shorthanded its a big lift," LeClair said of Gagne's goal. "It gives the team a big jump and I think that's what really started things off."
Gagne victimized McCabe and Housley again with 2:13 left in the opening frame, setting up Roenick's tally. Housley turned the puck over at the blueline, where Gagne grabbed it and moved along the left side. After skating into the corner he fed a centering pass to a driving Roenick, who, despite having Housley draped across his back, deflected the puck high into the right side of the net.
McCabe and Housley were, to put it mildly, simply brutal on Friday. One or both of them were on the ice for all four of the Flyer goals, and played a direct role in the play. On Philadelphia's final tally, midway through the second period, LeClair shoved McCabe aside like he didn't exist before depositing the puck in the cage from the low slot.
"They got pucks deep all the time and we had to go back every time," said McCabe, who is sporting a blue Mohawk. "They went to the net really hard. And they got some lucky breaks."
Heading home with the series tied at a game apiece is somewhat comforting for coach Pat Quinn and Co., but how the split was earned is not. The two games have seen the Leafs get outshot by a combined 67-32 margin, and the Flyers have already beaten Belfour seven times.
Adding to the club's misfortune were the injuries suffered by Nik Antropov and Darcy Tucker in Game 1. Antropov could miss a month with a broken foot, while Tucker sat out the second tilt with a hyperextended knee. They join defenseman Glen Wesley and centers Doug Gilmour and Travis Green in the team's M.A.S.H. unit.
As they proved last postseason, though, the Leafs have quite a bit of internal resolve in their arsenal, and bouncing back from a tail-kicking isn't far fetched.
"They knew they had to win this one," said McCabe. "They played really hard and we got caught a little asleep. We came in and got the split and we'll go back to work on Monday [in Game 3]."
