Philadelphia Flyers: 5 Concerns About Ilya Bryzgalov Going into the Playoffs

Nine games remain in the Philadelphia Flyers’ season, and the team all but officially has a playoff ticket punched. In these last few weeks of the season, the team and fans alike will be focused on obtaining the best possible seed for the postseason and preparing for another important playoff run.

Overcoming injuries, gaining experience and tweaking the lineup will all be a part of the preparation process, but perhaps no individual will draw more focus than the man behind the mask, Ilya Bryzgalov.

Bryzgalov has been a media favorite all season, from his laugh-out-loud funny sound bites to his very public struggles on the ice and in the locker room. When hockey in Philadelphia got interesting, frustrating or downright newsworthy, Bryzgalov was inevitably at the center of it.

Currently, the Russian netminder has appeared to have turned his season around, riding a franchise-record shutout streak and being named a Star of the Week two weeks in a row.

But despite the success, Bryzgalov will have Flyers fans chewing their nails down to the bone as the postseason approaches. Here are five reasons that even the most optimistic of Flyers fans will be nervous about the road to Lord Stanley’s Cup.

Bryzgalov's Playoff History Is Shaky

When Bryzgalov signed his nine-year, $51 million deal in June, critics cited his playoff record as the biggest concern with the Russian goalie.

While playing as a backup to Jean-Sebastian Giguere with the Ducks, Bryzgalov played extremely well in relief, winning nine of his 14 decision over the span of two years, including as a member of the Cup-winning squad in 2007.

However, once the spotlight and pressure were placed firmly on Bryz as a starter in Phoenix, everything changed. Bryzgalov managed only three wins in 11 games over the last two seasons, with abysmal stats (his goals-against average last postseason was 4.36).

Some fans are inclined to blame his poor stats on the fact that he was forced to face the Red Wings in all 11 games with the Coyotes, but in order to make a playoff run, the Flyers will be facing teams every bit as good as those Red Wings.

Unless he can channel his talents from the Duck days, Bryzgalov could wind up being a playoff liability.

Bryzgalov Will Be on Thin Ice with the Fans

In the middle of the season, Bryzgalov was more likely to hear his name chanted in opposing arenas than his own. The praise heard now in the stands at the Wells Fargo Center used to be jeers in every other stadium in the country.

Despite his recent success, fans are still leery of Bryz’s monster contract, and given the city’s history of goalies whose brilliance is all-too-fleeting, the playoffs could be a good indicator of whether or not Bryzgalov is truly Philadelphia’s savior in net.

A poor, or even average, playoff performance will lead to offseason groans and complaints from the fan base. Two years ago, Michael Leighton’s abilities were questioned on the tail of one bad, albeit incredibly poorly timed, Patrick Kane goal. Last season, Sergei Bobrovsky’s entire future in Philadelphia turned into a ticking clock thanks to the signing of Bryzgalov, simply because the untrained rookie couldn’t perform in the playoffs with the goaltending circus that surrounded Peter Laviolette’s team.

One or two bad games can bring the boo birds out in Philly, and this entire season has been a lesson in how public perception gets into Bryzgalov’s head.

Matchups Will Not Be Kind to the Flyers

No playoff matchup is ever easy, but the Flyers look poised to end up with a very difficult first-round matchup.

Currently, the team occupies the fifth spot in the East, which would mean the Flyers would have to face the fourth seed as a road team. In this case, being the fifth seed is especially difficult, because of the strength of the Atlantic Division. The team that earns the four seed will likely be the second-best team in the East, due to the shortcomings of teams in the Northeast and Southeast.

Things could change in the coming weeks, but right now it appears the Flyers would face either the Pittsburgh Penguins or the New York Rangers. While Philadelphia has played Pittsburgh well this season, the Pens have gotten hot and finally have captain Sidney Crosby back. The Rangers have hit a bit of a skid, but the Flyers have not beaten New York this season.

Expect the Flyers to have as difficult a first-round matchup as any team, and expect Bryzgalov to be pushed to his limits in the first few games of the playoffs.

Opponents Will Be Looking to Rattle Bryzgalov

The biggest questions about Bryzgalov’s playoff abilities come from his mental toughness. He has demonstrated throughout the season that he can be rattled, and Eastern Conference opponents have undoubtedly taken note.

He can be beaten early, forcing the Flyers to play from behind. He can give up bad, deflating goals on seemingly harmless shots, the kinds of plays that can discourage an entire team. Philadelphia’s hard-working defense, which has overcome so much adversity this season, needs to know that all of its effort will not go to waste on a low-percentage or bad-angle shot.

Teams like the Penguins, Devils and Rangers have played against the Flyers enough to understand this weakness of Bryzgalov’s. Expect opponents to turn the offensive pressure up to ten, knowing that getting a few pucks behind Bryz can open the floodgates and decide the series.

Bryzgalov's Streakiness Could Hurt the Flyers

Currently, fans are high on Bryzgalov following his remarkable shutout streak that spanned a total of five games and included shutouts against the Panthers, Maple Leafs and Devils. He seems to have recaptured his early-season magic and has, for the moment, silenced critics of his play.

However, it was not so long ago that Bryzgalov was giving up deflating goals and being benched in favor of backup Sergei Bobrovsky.

It has been rare for Bryzgalov to have one bad game. Instead, an off night has seemingly led to shattered confidence and has weighed on the eccentric goaltender’s mind for weeks at a time. Being on an upswing right now may have little bearing on his performance in the playoffs.

A bad Game One in a series could spell death for the Flyers, as Bryzgalov has shown his tendency to dig himself into a mental rut.