Will Flyers get more offensive at home?
Shots on goal do not tell the whole story, but…
The Flyers need more shots, need to be more offensive against the New York Rangers Tuesday at the Wells Fargo Center. The first-round series is tied at one game apiece.
The Rangers had the puck down the Flyers' end for most of Game 1 and held a 36-15 shots advantage in their 4-1 victory Thursday.
In Game 2 on Sunday, the Flyers overcame a terrible start and had more attack time than in the opener. They were outshot, 33-25, but they took advantage of their opportunities, erased a 2-0 deficit, and defeated the Rangers, 4-2.
"That's one thing about the playoffs _ you can't get too high or too low," center Claude Giroux said to a group of reporters who surrounded his locker after Monday's practice in Voorhees. "After the first game, you guys were talking like we're gonna lose the series in four. After last game, we're back to 1-1 here, and coming back home here, so it's positive."
In the two games, the Flyers have been outshot, 69-40, and have had an inordinate amount of faceoffs in the Rangers' offensive end.
Getting the last line change and more favorable matchups should help the Flyers in Game 3. They were 2-0 against the Rangers at the Wells Fargo Center during the regular season, and they have three straight home wins against New York at home.
The Flyers had just four power plays _ eight fewer than the Rangers _ in the first two games of the playoffs, both in New York. During the two regular-season meetings at the Wells Fargo Center, the Flyers had an 8-5 edge over the Rangers in power-play attempts.
Are we insinuating that NHL referees are influenced by the crowd?
Well, yes.
If the Flyers do get more power plays Tuesday, they hope to improve on their regular season PP success at home. They clicked at just 15.1 percent at home (25th in the league), and 25.1 percent _ best in the NHL _ on the road.
"The fans get on us pretty hard here on the power play and we get impatient,' Giroux said. "We forget to stick with what we do." On the road, "we're a patient power play and we wait for our opportunities."
Follow Sam Carchidi on Twitter @BroadStBull.