Flyers/Devils Game 5

Marty kisses the back of the helmet and we are just about ready to roll at The Rock.

Carcillo takes an early penalty. Boucher makes a save on Kovalchuk and spits out a fat rebound. Devils don't convert.


Devils take a penalty on the ensuing power play, Giroux feeds Briere in front and he slips it under Marty. 1-0 Flyers.

Marty makes a couple Hasek style saves to keep it 1-0 halfway through the 1st.

Carcillo with another penalty. He might be on the bench for long stretches the rest of this tilt. He only gets 6-8 minutes anyway. The Flyers kill off another one and Boucher stands tall making a few nice stops.

Iffy call puts the Flyers on the power play with under 3 minutes in the 1st.

Period ends with the Philly up 1-0. Boucher looks strong so far.

An early Devils power play in the 2nd is cancelled after Colin White gets an extra 2 minutes. Boucher has made a few good stops early on.

Refs arm is up again and Briere goes off for holding. Took the penalty after he saved a goal. 4-on-4 and then the Devils get a short power play. This game is getting nasty in the trenches. I am thinking that during one of the scrums, a player hacking at the goalie might eat a little blocker.


Devils have all 5 guys back. Andy Greene kicks a pretty pass (to the wrong team) to Giroux and he just about came out his skates and blows it by Marty. 2-0 Flyers a little more than halfway through the game.

Devils shooting themselves in the foot and making it that much more difficult to mount a comeback. Flyers go to the power play and it's a double minor to boot.


Before the 1st 2 minutes are up, Giroux scores again. Briere shoots, Hartnell chips the rebound over to Giroux and he taps it in. No chance for Marty. 4 Devils standing around like practice cones right near the puck.

Devils get a late chance on the power play to take a chunk out of the of the lead but do not convert.

Through 40 minutes, the Flyers are up 3-0. Gut check time in the locker room for the Devils. After watching Parise in the Olympics, I am curious to see if he can channel some Team USA-type heroics and rally his team.

And we are underway in the 3rd. Possibly the last 20 minutes of the season for the Devils. It's not like they haven't had their chances. They are currently a man to the good and are already 0-6 on the power with 10 shots.

Ian Laperriere blocks a shot with his face after sliding out high. Direct to what looked like the forehead. Lots of blood and a little panic.

Devils with power play #8 and they get nothing.

Almost 12 minutes into the 3rd and Devils only have 3 shots on goal. The Devils get nothing in the third and nothing in the game. They also get zero return on trading for Kovalchuk. By the way, Ilya's record in playoff games is 1-8. Something to consider when probably every team comes beating down his door on July 1.

The New Jersey Devils (#2 seed in the east) are the first team to be ousted. And for the second year in a row it was at home.

Philly/Devils Game 4

Although not an elimination game, this is a must win for the Devils. Marty can't do it all so they need to fill the net against the Waterboy and gain some confidence. It's Flyers vs. Devils so this could play out like an old Patrick Division playoff matchup.

Intense game so far with coaches matching bruisers on the 1st few shifts. No glove dropping but in all the confusion the Devils take a penalty. Flyers pepper Brodeur and he picks up right where he left off in the third period of Game 3.

Kovalchuk buries one for the Devils on the power play with goofy ass Pronger in the box.

Game starts intense but the teams settle in for the long haul for the remainder of the 1st period. Devils are outshooting the Flyers but the Philly boys have been a little more physical.

1st TV timeout in the 2nd period and the Devils have no shots on goal. Marty is being Marty making all kinds of silly saves. Butterfly?....Hybrid?....Nope....Marty.

Marty couldn't stop Brokefoot Carter walking out of the corner on the power play. Going nuts and eating Tastykakes in Philly.

That Danny Briere character has netted one for the Flyers during a little 4-on-4 play. Blasted one past Marty from the wing that may have been deflected. There is something about Briere. Not quite the same after he had his groin surgically repaired but I have heard numerous NHL announcers and analysts talk about his shot. Sneaky and when he does get it off clean, they classify it as "heavy".

2-1 Flyers and they just took an extra 2:00 after a hard hit on Captain Richards.

Devils have 20 more minutes to pot one to get to OT or 2 to win the game. Jacques Lemaire will have use the ever popular cliche, "We just have to win this period boys."

Who would have thunk it? Daniel Carcillo nets a huge goal for the Flyers less than 5 minutes into the 3rd. I guess I was wrong about his ice time though. After 50 minutes, he only has 6:51 out there. Talk about making the most of it.

Flyers could do some damage here with a 5-on-3. A 4-1 lead would be really tough to come back from for the Devils.

And just like that, it is 4-1 Flyers. Devils could be down 3-1 after this game. Dare I say, "Panic on the Passaic"?