Philadelphia Flyers: The Comeback Kids
Just when you start to count the Philadelphia Flyers out of a game, they can surprise you with a second gear. The Carolina Hurricanes could tell you about the Wachovia Center. The Washington Capitals could add a few words on the difficulty of maintaining a lead over the Flyers at the Verizon Center.
And based on last nightโs performance, the Boston Bruins should be added to the list of teams who are painfully aware of the Flyersโ counter attack.
We say so often that hockey is a game of mistakes, that success depends on โgetting back to the basics.โ Claude Julienโs Bruins take that mantra to heart. They play a simple system - solid defense, clean passing, and an aggressive forecheck. Once they take control of a game, they rarely surrender it. Moreover, the Bruins know how to utilize their home ice - the Bs had only lost four games at the TD Banknorth Garden prior to last nightโs tilt.
It seemed unlikely that the Flyers, struggling to find a rhythm with all the injury and flu casualties, could overcome even a one-goal deficit against the Eastโs best team in their own barn. But thatโs where the counter attack began.
Scottie Upshall intercepted a Marc Savard pass, converting that turnover into a perfect shot to beat Manny Fernandez and tie the game. Capitalizing on that one Bruin error shifted the momentum into the Flyersโ hands.
The Flyers were able to maintain team composure โeven while facing a deficitโto wait for that mistake to happen. Upshall and his teammates had the presence of mindย to act swiftly in response to the error (Knuble was driving towards the net from the opposite wing, drawing Charaโs attention and giving Upshall the option to shoot or pass).ย Thatโs the stuff that makes a playoff caliber team.

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