The Philadelphia Flyers have had an abysmal power play all season long, but in Game 7 against the Buffalo Sabres, it came up big when they needed it most.
Chris Pronger, Power Play Key To Flyers Game 7 Victory Over Sabres
Power play goals from Danny Briere and James van Riemsdyk in the second period lifted the Flyers 1-0 lead to a commanding 3-0 lead, and essentially put the game and season in severe doubt for the Sabres.
A big part of the power play success has been on the back of Chris Pronger. He still isn't up to par in terms of his hand injury and you can tell he's tentative when it comes to shooting the puck, but there's no underestimating his calming influence.
“I think he helped us settle down,” Danny Briere said after Game 7. “It was also something that we started talking about after Game 5. We realized that we were forcing too many plays instead of controlling the puck and taking the shots.”
“I think early in the series you start pressing. You miss four, five, six, seven, it keeps building and you start pressing, then the crowd gets on us and you start taking bad shots. After Game 5 we started talking about just controlling the play a little more. Chris was coming back and obviously that’s what he does so well. He’s good at holding on to the puck and making the right play, the right decision, so he definitely helped us settle down in Games 6 and 7.”
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