Philly Flys Out of Playoffs After Game 5 loss to Devils

            The Philadelphia Flyers were eliminated yesterday from the Stanley Cup Playoffs at Wells Fargo Center in Philly. The Flyers struggled throughout the series to find strong goaltending from Ilya Bryzgalov. The Flyers were strong scorers, however when it came to stopping the puck at vital times, Bryzgalov was unable to be solid to lead the Flyers to victory. Yes, Bryzgalov was able to make some huge saves, however, he wasn't able to stop them when the Flyers needed him to the most."I wanted to put the puck in the corner for Kimmo (Timonen) to start back up," Bryzgalov said about the numbing pass he attempted that ended up behind him, "and the puck, I don't know, hit him in his stick and going in the net. A bad bounce, unfortunately. It could go anywhere — in the corner, higher, lower, but it goes straight between the legs." Bryzgalov was very disappointed in his play. The Flyers signed Bryzgalov to a 9-year, $51 million contract this past summer and fans now are starting to question "Was he worth the money?"

               Even with the key additions of Bryzgalov, Jaromir Jagr, Max Talbot, and Brayden Schenn, they still suffered many key losses. They traded Richards and Carter away during last off-season. Also, the Flyers were hit by the injury bug through out the entire season. The list included key players such as Danny Briere, James van Riemsdyk, and the long term injury to Chris Pronger. During the 2011/12 season, the Flyers suited up 14 different rookies. 

               Veteran forward Jaromir Jagr stated after the lose, "From the organization to the last player on the team, and the fans, they were so nice to me, I hate to finish it right now. That's the worst feeling. You finish the whole story, the whole year, that's a sad day.I want to cry right now."

            The Future of Jagr with the Flyers is uncertain. The 40 year old veteran has been in this league for many years and felt similar results in the past. The former 2-time Stanley Cup Champion, hopes he can win another cup sometime. However, does he have enough in him? He was third on the team with 54 points, but faded in the playoffs and was a non-factor against the Devils. Most teams would still be interested in Jagr, although the question is, where will he decide to play?

             Head Coach Peter Laviolette stated after the lose, "We could never seem to get down that road." Laviolette knew his team was struggling to get past the Devils, but was unsure how to shake up the struggling Flyers. Some fans may ask "Why didn't you give Sergei Bobrovsky a chance?" The Flyers had to much faith in Bryzgalov, that they didn't want to give up on him. Bobrovsky may have been the starter for most of last season and the playoffs, but if you remember, the Flyers had goalie trouble last season as well. The Flyers continually would switch between Bobrovsky and current Hurricanes back-up Brian Boucher. Is it a goalie problem in Philly or is it just poor defense? The answer is both. The Flyers have put a lot of effort in finding great goalies as they also have Michael Leighton playing for their minor league team the Adirondack Phantoms. The Flyers should look more into strengthen their defense and not as much their goaltending. They already have plenty of talent in the net even if it didn't show in the playoffs.

             Even though the Flyers played poorly, you can't  say that the Devils didn't have a strong series.They had a lot of success from veteran goalie Martin Brodeur. They also had strong scoring from players like Ilya Kovalchuk, Zach Parise, and David Clarkson. Clarkson stated following the Game Five 3-1 victory, “I’ll take ’em any way I can get ’em,” referring to the goal he scored that was the go ahead winning goal after a bad play by Flyers goalie Bryzgalov. “I’ve never been this far,” said Zach Parise, the first-year captain. “It’s a good feeling. But we’re only halfway there. It’s only going to get harder.” The Devils know they have a long road ahead of them in the Eastern Conference Finals. Now, they need to get ready to face off against the winner of the Capitals-Rangers Series. They know it'll not be an easy road ahead as the continue their battle for the Cup. When asked if  he was excited for a break as they wait for the end of the Capitals-Rangers series, Kovalchuk responded, “I want to play as soon as I can.”

             No one on this Devils team wants to wait long as they are ready to make a run for the cup. The Devils have not won a Stanley Cup since 2003 and would love to add another banner to the rafters of the Prudential Center. "It seems forever for a lot of guys," Future hall of famer goaltender Marty Brodeur said following the win. "It's tough to do that. We're fortunate to have made it there so far." Brodeur is another veteran that many fans are unsure how many years he's got left. The Future Hall of Famer has been part of all 3 Devils Stanley Cup Championship teams and has been the solid backstop for the Devils since 1993. The Devils have a huge task in front of them and will have to play even better if they want to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals.