Ever since Nathan Horton's game-winning OT goal in Game 7 against the Montreal Canadiens crossed the goal line behind Carey Price, the talk has been all about how the Boston Bruins will redeem themselves for their epic, history-making collapse against the Philadelphia Flyers in the Eastern Conference Semifinals a year ago.
Bruins Vs. Flyers, Game 1: Led By Tim Thomas, Boston Begins Shot At Redemption
As we prepare for Game 1 between the two teams in the 2011 NHL playoffs, that’s still where we are. Looking back on a year ago, wondering whether or not we’ll see a repeat or redemption. And that’s all fine and good, of course, because after all, these teams are both very similar from the ones that faced off a year ago.
But there are still big differences. Tuukka Rask was in goal for the Bruins in 2010, while Tim Thomas has jumped ahead and grabbed that starting job with a Vezina-worthy campaign this season. He's perhaps the biggest X-factor in Game 1 and the series. Can he stop the extremely potent Philadelphia offense? It won't be easy, but if anybody can, it's Thomas.
In front of Thomas, the Bruins frankly did not play well in the first round against Montreal. The top line of Nathan Horton, David Krejci and Milan Lucic combined for just four goals and two assists against the Canadiens, and that's just not going to cut it against the Flyers, despite their less-than-stellar goaltending.
The key for the Bruins will be to get the power play going, especially since the Flyers are an extremely strong five-on-five team. They can be prone to take silly penalties, though, so the B’s will get their chances with the man advantage. It’s going to take a conversion rate better than zero percent, though, to make Philly pay.
The puck drops on Game 1 at 3 p.m. ET on Saturday afternoon, broadcast across the U.S. on NBC.
We’re here at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia providing live updates of the game, so be sure to stick with us throughout the afternoon. You can also find fan coverage from our Flyers blog, Broad Street Hockey, and our Bruins blog, Stanley Cup of Chowder.
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