Nobody wanted it to end this way, but tonight the Flyers usual third period magic just wasn't there. They were done in by poor play (except from Steve Mason) in the first two periods and couldn't quite recover. The Rangers took the game by a score of 2-1 tonight and will move on to play the Pittsburgh Penguins in the next round, while the Flyers prepare for the offseason.
Steve Mason was the lone bright spot for the orange and black tonight. Without his highlight reel saves the score could have easily been 7-1 Rangers. Mason revealed after the game that he did in fact suffer a concussion after receiving a flying Andrew MacDonald to the face in a game against Pittsburgh two weeks ago. For a guy with a concussion though, he played pretty damn well, better than Henrik Lundqvist, who didn't really have to work too much to win this series.
The lone Flyers goal on the night came courtesy of rookie Jason Akeson, who put his own blocked shot back into the net from the slot. This came at 4:32 into the third period. After committing a four minute major penalty & becoming the scapegoat for the game 1 loss, Akeson regained his confidence very quickly and played great the rest of the series. Even that game he received the penalty in he was one of the best players on the ice and showed great hustle. If the penalty in game 1 was the spark for the loss, his goal tonight was the spark that resurged the Flyers offense. (to no avail though) Going into the offseason, the roster spot is his to lose.
The first Rangers goal of the game was scored in the second period by none other than Daniel Carcillo. Carcillo, who was plugged back into the line up for JT Miller, scored on a tip-in from a Mats Zuccarello pass. The Zucchini Man's pass blew right by Andrew MacDonald and Braydon Coburn to find Carcillo, definitely the last Ranger you wanna see score.
The second Ranger goal came from Benoit Pouliot, who beat Mason on a cross-ice pass from Derick Brassard. This came after the Flyers failed on their only 2 power plays of the game, only having 1 shot on goal to show for the 2. The power plays were tough to watch tonight. The skaters at the top of the zone could hardly handle passes and the ones they did receive cleanly they hesitated with for far too long and usually ended up having their shots or passes broken up. New York went 0 for 1 on the power play. Zac Rinaldo was the recipient of that penalty on a hit in which he sent a Ranger barreling into a referee.
Mason still saved an impressive 31 of 33. The Rangers only registered 5 shots in the third period, but that is more excusable being in defense mode. The Flyers were outshot in the second period 18-5. The second was the period that killed the Flyers.
There are now some questions to address in the offseason, such as if Kimmo Timonen will return, and a draft at the Wells Fargo Center in June to look forward to.
It's hard to want to call this season a success only 1 hour removed from the round one loss, but given how dreadful last season was (even though strike-shortened seasons still don't count, sorry Chicago) and the 1-7 start the team had this year that saw a head coach get fired I would still say this team overachieved. How about you?
Only five months until the 2014-15 season!
-Ben Lebo
It's been an honor being your BSB Flyers correspondent this season. Take care of yourself & I'lll see ya in October...and over the summer for all the offseason moves....oh yeah, and follow us on Twitter: @BroadStBeat
The lone Flyers goal on the night came courtesy of rookie Jason Akeson, who put his own blocked shot back into the net from the slot. This came at 4:32 into the third period. After committing a four minute major penalty & becoming the scapegoat for the game 1 loss, Akeson regained his confidence very quickly and played great the rest of the series. Even that game he received the penalty in he was one of the best players on the ice and showed great hustle. If the penalty in game 1 was the spark for the loss, his goal tonight was the spark that resurged the Flyers offense. (to no avail though) Going into the offseason, the roster spot is his to lose.
The first Rangers goal of the game was scored in the second period by none other than Daniel Carcillo. Carcillo, who was plugged back into the line up for JT Miller, scored on a tip-in from a Mats Zuccarello pass. The Zucchini Man's pass blew right by Andrew MacDonald and Braydon Coburn to find Carcillo, definitely the last Ranger you wanna see score.
The second Ranger goal came from Benoit Pouliot, who beat Mason on a cross-ice pass from Derick Brassard. This came after the Flyers failed on their only 2 power plays of the game, only having 1 shot on goal to show for the 2. The power plays were tough to watch tonight. The skaters at the top of the zone could hardly handle passes and the ones they did receive cleanly they hesitated with for far too long and usually ended up having their shots or passes broken up. New York went 0 for 1 on the power play. Zac Rinaldo was the recipient of that penalty on a hit in which he sent a Ranger barreling into a referee.
Mason still saved an impressive 31 of 33. The Rangers only registered 5 shots in the third period, but that is more excusable being in defense mode. The Flyers were outshot in the second period 18-5. The second was the period that killed the Flyers.
There are now some questions to address in the offseason, such as if Kimmo Timonen will return, and a draft at the Wells Fargo Center in June to look forward to.
It's hard to want to call this season a success only 1 hour removed from the round one loss, but given how dreadful last season was (even though strike-shortened seasons still don't count, sorry Chicago) and the 1-7 start the team had this year that saw a head coach get fired I would still say this team overachieved. How about you?
Only five months until the 2014-15 season!
-Ben Lebo
It's been an honor being your BSB Flyers correspondent this season. Take care of yourself & I'lll see ya in October...and over the summer for all the offseason moves....oh yeah, and follow us on Twitter: @BroadStBeat
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