Philadelphia Flyers: Brian Boucher Dislodging Mask Is Turning Point in Series

In every playoff series in any sport, there's always one defining moment that turns the series for better or worse.  That "moment" in the series between the Philadelphia Flyers and Buffalo Sabres occurred on Monday night in the third period at HSBC Arena.  

Brian Boucher, who replaced a jumpy, erratic Sergei Bobrovsky in Game 2, has been the "talk of the town" in Philadelphia ever since.  Boucher worked his magic again on Monday, keeping the Sabres afloat while making 35 saves in a victory.  With this game, the Flyers regained home-ice advantage and furthermore possess a stranglehold on the series heading into Game 4 on Wednesday.

The key play in Monday's thriller, and possibly the series thus far, wasn't a save, goal or check.  Instead, it was Boucher simply dislodging his goalie mask to give the Flyers a breather on a potentially dangerous 5-on-3 Sabre power play.  The Flyers were hanging on by a thread and needed a spark.  That's when a fortuitous broken buckle on Boucher's helmet aided the Flyers. 

To the displeasure of the Buffalo faithful, Boucher needed assistance from the bench and was promptly given a new mask.  Say what you want, but this heads-up play by Boucher is the reason why the Flyers lead 2-1 right now.  This simple play took a lot of momentum away from the Sabres and gave the Flyers' penalty killers a much needed timeout.  

Had Boucher not flipped his mask off and stopped play, the Flyers, who were already down and out, likely would've succumbed to Buffalo's power play.  That was the turning point in the game and the series, as the Flyers now have the Sabres' backs to the wall.

The Flyers "flipped the switch" so to speak and defeated Buffalo in back-to-back games, something that hadn't been done since mid-February.  They did so by playing sound, Peter Laviolette-style hockey, and it guided them to another playoff victory under their tactful coach.  

What is it about Boucher and masks in the playoffs?  Remember the 2000 ECF against the New Jersey Devils?  Well, not the obvious, but rather Boucher's extraordinary play and several issues with his mask in that particular series.

Boucher was everything that the Flyers could've wanted in a goaltender last night.  He was solid, smooth and comfortable taking a flurry of shots from Buffalo and of course vocal jabs from Sabre fans.  Boucher "answered the call" and then some, as the Flyers look to now make it three straight in Buffalo tomorrow night.

With a victory in Buffalo on Wednesday, the Flyers could "ice" the series and would have the opportunity to close the Sabres in Philadelphia on Friday.  If that's the case, Chris Pronger would likely get a rest, otherwise, expect to see him out there Friday if the series is tied.  

Impressively enough, the Flyers have set a franchise record with 25 road victories this season.  Their road successes continued last night with a monumental victory.  

Thank Boucher and his mask in large part.