Winter Classic Preview: A Classic, Flyers Beat Bruins In Shoot Out

Written By: Mark “The Hard Hitter” Ritter

Some games on the NHL schedule hardly register a blip, and then there are games like Thursday nights tilt between the Philadelphia Flyers and the Boston Bruins, an instant classic.

The Flyers and Bruins share a rich history, one that has seen these two teams play more than 165 games; each one of them, memorable in their own way.

Thursday night's game served as a preview to the NHL’s Winter Classic that will see the Flyers and Bruins go at it at Boston's Fenway Park. Coming into the game, the Bruins had several injuries that they would have to overcome, including the loss of Marc Savard and Milan Lucic, two of the Bruins biggest contributors.

The Flyers came out quickly in this match, establishing their physical game early and getting out to a 1-0 lead at the 12:03 mark of the first period, when a a booming slap shot from Chris Pronger beat Bruins starting goaltender Tukka Rask.

Not to be outdone, the Bruins earned themselves a power play opportunity and did not disappoint their loyal fans, as Bruins defenseman Derek Morris beat Flyers goaltender Ray Emery with a great slap shot of his own, tying the game 1-1 at the 17:26 mark.

The Bruins were lucky to escape the first period tied at ones. The Flyers dominated the Bruins by registering 12 shots to the Bruins six and, for the most part, took their game to the Bruins. Fortunately for the Bruins, Rask was excellent in net and would be for the entire game.

The second period saw the Bruins come out hitting. They were rewarded for their efforts when the Bruins Matt Hunwick tipped a shot past Emery for his third goal of the season. Advantage Bruins, but how long would it last?

As it turns out, not very long. Surrendering the lead caused the Flyers to wake up. They took a page out of the Bruins early second period success, started hitting everything that moved and, at 8:41 of the second period, the Flyers were rewarded with a goal from little known Darroll Powe, his second of the year, a beauty of a wrist shot.

The Flyers continued to bring the pain, coincidently resulting in tough-guy Arron Asham burying a slap shot past Rask at 13:06 of the second period, for his second goal of the year.

To their credit, the Bruins fought back and were rewarded for their hard work with what would amount to the tying goal at 16:26 of the second period, a wrist shot off the stick of Steve Begin, which eluded Emery.

The Flyers dominated the shot clock in the second, but, once again, were stymied by the Bruins starting goaltender Tukka Rask for the second straight period. The Flyers had outworked and out shot the Bruins through two and all they had to show for it was a 3-3 tie—not what they were hoping for.

With all the momentum seemingly on the Bruins side, the Flyers opened the third period with a couple of big hits from Daniel Carcillo and Braydon Coburn. The Flyers and Bruins continued to exchange scoring chances and hits alike. It was a hard fought period, one in which both teams were giving their all.

The Bruins earned a final chance at the full comeback when Flyers forward Simon Gagne took a hooking penalty on the Bruins Patrice Bergeron at 18:23 of the third period. The resulting power play saw Bruins forward Marco Strum get a decent shot on Ray Emery, but the Flyers were able to hang tough and even had a shorthanded chance when Jeff Carter broke in on a shorthanded breakaway. But it was not to be, as Rask made a huge save to preserve the tie.

Once again, the Flyers outshot the Bruins by a 10-8 margin, but the Bruins played a good third period and deserved to be in overtime with the Flyers.

Overtime would solve nothing, so the teams would have to go to the shoot out to determine a winner.

The Flyers sent out Danny Briere, Mike Richards, and Claude Giroux. The Bruins sent out Blake Wheeler, Patrice Bergeron, and Michael Ryder. The only player to score in the shoot out on this night would be Claude Giroux and, on this night, he became a hero to his teammates and the Flyers fans alike.

Some numbers to note. Flyers defenseman Ole-Kristian Tollefsen had two assists on the night earning him first star honors, while Bruins defensemen Andrew Ferrence and Mark Stuart each netted a minus three rating on the night.

Going forward, the Flyers now sit at 4-2-1 on the season and face the Florida Panthers, a team that beat the Flyers by a score of 4-2 in their last meeting, at home on Saturday night. For the Bruins, they now sit at 4-4-1 on the season and face an energized Ottawa Senators team on Saturday night in Ottawa.

It may not be winter and the game was played indoors, but, for the most part, this was another in a long line of classic tilts between the Flyers and Bruins. Let’s hope the Winter Classic is just as entertaining.

Until next time,

Peace!