Why Philadelphia Flyers lost the Semi-Final series to New Jersey Devils –NHL Playoffs Special
Philadelphia Flyers went into the 2012 National Hockey League (NHL) Stanley Cup Playoffs like there was no tomorrow. They put down a heated Pittsburgh Penguins club in just six games, dominated them in each and every one, but when it came around to the New
Jersey Devils in the semi-finals, Flyers just fell apart from every angle.
What caused the downfall of the Stanley Cup favourites that had an elite squad of players including Jaromir Jagr, Ilya Bryzgalov, Scott Hartnell, Claude Giroux, Danny Briere and a number of more, is still a mystery, which we will try and figure out.
So let’s look at some of the factors that most probably caused Philadelphia Flyers to be eliminated in five games.
Discipline
New Jersey Devils showed extreme discipline while playing against Philadelphia Flyers after coming out a little sloppy from their quarterfinals series against Florida Panthers.
"They didn't give us anything to be emotional about," Hartnell said. "They weren't in scrums and it seemed like they really didn't hit us. … It wasn't there and that was their mindset and game plan."
The defence would not back down and the offensive players would not stop trying to score goals while the Flyers squad would fall apart and fail to actually make a significant run for a win.
"I think we deserved it," Devil’s goalie, Martin Brodeur, said. "We played really hard this series, we survived a few scares in the first series. So it's nice that we finished this off."
Lack of Leadership
Not having a captain on the team to lead them towards winning with Chris Pronger out after playing just 13 games in the regular season and facing severe concussion symptoms, Philadelphia Flyers were just like a lone duck in a pond.
There was not a single player on the Flyers team that really took charge and gave Philadelphia something to look forward to. Each player played individually and not as a team while New Jersey looked towards Zach Parise and Ilya Kovalchuk for answers.
Bryzgalov Choking Up
Signing on Ilya Bryzgalov during the offseason last year, Philadelphia Flyers had big hopes vested in the veteran goalie who left the Phoenix Coyotes for a fresh start. Ultimately, he did not live up to the expectations, which some regard as being too intense,
but is hopeful for a rebound next season.
"It's hard right now," Flyers coach, Peter Laviolette, said. "I can tell you that the group that is in that room right now is a terrific group of men. They play hard and they have a bright future."
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own and in no way represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
Tags: