Phil Sheridan: Flyers can take loss, but manner is worrisome

NEWARK, N.J. - Take the wide view, and the Flyers are in fine shape after splitting the first two games of their first-round playoff series.

They are the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference. They are playing the second-seeded New Jersey Devils. The first two games were on the road. By winning Game 1, the Flyers seized home-ice advantage and planted their flag in the Devils' collective anxiety center.

Nobody expected the Flyers to sweep this series, right? So losing Game 2 Friday night was no big deal, right?

Well, wrong, actually. It isn't so much losing Game 2 that sounds alarm bells as the way the Flyers lost it - or rather, the way the Flyers should have, could have won it.

They wasted a brilliant effort by their goaltender. Brian Boucher really did play well to help the Flyers sneak into the postseason, and he was pretty good in keeping them in Game 1 Wednesday night.

But Boucher was remarkable in Game 2. Not only did he face more and tougher shots - which he did - but he had to overcome some dreadful play and sloppy turnovers by his teammates. Matt Carle, who has been so good lately paired with Chris Pronger, owes Boucher a thank-you note and a decent bottle of Scotch.

The Flyers may get similar performances from Boucher the rest of the way. If so, they will be in every game and have a chance to upset the Devils. But they are unlikely to see a repeat of the Devils' parade to the penalty box.

Remember how this series was supposed to be about one team having a better goalie and the other being undisciplined? That was the case in Game 2, except Boucher was the goalie and the Devils were amassing nine minor penalties to the Flyers' five (two of those were offsetting and didn't result in New Jersey power plays).

The Flyers did score two power-play goals, but they also allowed a shorthanded goal - triggered by a Carle turnover, no less. So the Flyers were plus-one in over 11 minutes of power-play time. That's not awful. It's just a missed opportunity.

"Obviously when they take that many penalties, you want to cash in a little more," Boucher said. "But give them credit. They played hard, they played desperate."

Before the series, Flyers coach Peter Laviolette said he will take the desperate team every time in a playoff game. And this was a must-win for the Devils. Losing two at home wouldn't just allow the Flyers to close it out at the Wachovia Center by Tuesday evening. It would reinforce the idea the Flyers have the Devils' number after beating them six times in seven previous meetings.

"We knew they were going to come out a lot harder," said Pronger, who has become an unlikely force in front of the Devils' net. "They were playing more intense, more emotional, and with that came some penalties."

The Flyers were better overall for much of this game. They endured Zach Parise's shorthanded goal before the game was three minutes old, then scored twice to take a first-period lead. So it's not as if this team is backing down. Quite the opposite, in fact.

"If we keep playing like that, we'll be OK," Flyers captain Mike Richards said.

The Flyers finished with 29 shots against Martin Brodeur, more than twice what they managed in Game 1. Several very good chances ended up being shot wide, as well. Brodeur may not be quite the dominating force he was - ditto the defense in front of him - but he's still plenty good enough to win a series.

So is Boucher. As improbable as that might have sounded a month ago, he really has found some magical connection to his 2000 self. The degree of difficulty on some of his saves was much, much higher than what Brodeur faced.

The flipside of that, of course, is that the Devils are getting some very good chances. Parise is a relentless force, and it isn't likely that Ilya Kovalchuk will keep sending his best chances high or wide of the net.

"Nobody said this was going to be easy," the unflappable Pronger said. "This is playoff hockey. This is why people love to watch."

The trend in the early part of this tournament has been upsets by the lower-seeded road teams. The Flyers got that first win. They still hold home-ice advantage thanks to the Game 1 victory. They are in fine shape. It's just that they had an awfully good chance to be in total command of this thing.

"I don't know if we want to get too frustrated," Boucher said. "We can't get too hung up on one thing. It's a long series. We just have to be ready for the next game."

Especially Boucher.