Flyers continue upswing with Boucher in goal

Times wires
Monday, April 18, 2011

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Brian Boucher stopped 35 shots as the Flyers' new starting goalie in helping Philadelphia grab a first-round playoff series lead with a 4-2 win Monday over the Sabres.

Danny Briere and Nikolay Zherdev keyed the victory by scoring second-period goals as Philadelphia bounced back with two straight wins after a 1-0 series-opening loss Thursday. Game 4 is at Buffalo on Wednesday.

Jeff Carter and Kimmo Timonen, with an empty-netter, also scored as the Flyers improved to 6-0-2 in their past eight visits to Buffalo, including the regular season.

Drew Stafford and Nathan Gerbe scored in a game the Sabres never led. Buffalo has lost consecutive games for the first time since ending a three-game skid Feb. 23.

Boucher got the start after he stopped 20 of 21 shots in a 5-4 win Saturday in relief of rookie Sergei Bobrovsky, who struggled by allowing three goals on seven shots. Bobrovsky went from playoff starter to healthy scratch as recently called-up Michael Leighton served as the backup.

Boucher was greeted with mock chants of "Boooo-shey!" from the energized sold-out house in Buffalo from the opening minute. He then proceeded to quiet the crowd with a series of solid saves, including 15 in the first period.

He was at his best in the third period with the Flyers clinging to a 3-2 lead.

Boucher held his ground to stop Brad Boyes, who drove to the front of the net off a face-off 2:30 in. Less than a minute later, Boucher got around in time to foil Tyler Ennis, who got off a one-timer in front after being set up by Boyes.

Flyers	1	2	1	4
Sabres	1	1	0	2

First Period—1, Phi., Carter 1 (Carle), 4:42 (pp). 2, Buffalo, Stafford 1 (Pominville, Gragnani), 11:55 (pp). Penalties—Kaleta, Buf (roughing), 3:40; Coburn, Phi (interference), 11:17; Hartnell, Phi (interference, delay of game), 16:39.

Second Period—3, Phi, Briere 2 (Hartnell), 2:44. 4, Phi, Zherdev 1 (Richards, Versteeg), 16:44. 5, Buffalo, Gerbe 1 (Connolly, Gragnani), 18:12. Penalties—Myers, Buf (cross-checking), 13:32; Hartnell, Phi (roughing), 14:20; Weber, Buf (roughing), 14:20.

Third Period—6, Phi, Timonen 1 (Giroux, Carter), 19:42 (en). Penalties—Gaustad, Buf (interference), :41; Timonen, Phi (holding), 2:24; Zherdev, Phi (slashing), 6:14; Powe, Phi (charging), 6:59; Versteeg, Phi (cross-checking), 19:47; Ennis, Buf (cross-checking), 19:47. Shots on Goal—Phi. 6-15-5—26. Buffalo 16-10-11—37. Power-play opportunities—Phi. 1 of 3; Buffalo 1 of 6. Goalies—Phi., Boucher 2-0-0 (37 shots-35 saves). Buffalo, Miller 1-2-0 (25-22). A—18,690. T—2:36.

Bruins close gap to 2-1

MONTREAL — David Krejci and Nathan Horton scored first-period goals to lead Boston to a 4-2 win over the Canadiens as the Bruins won on the road after dropping the first two games of their first-round series at home.

Tim Thomas stopped 34 shots for Boston, and Rich Peverley scored in the second. Chris Kelly scored into an empty net with 25.6 seconds remaining.

Bruins captain Zdeno Chara returned to the lineup after missing Saturday's 3-2 loss after he was hospitalized for dehydration.

Andrei Kostitsyn scored the Canadiens' first goal with Boston holding a 3-0 lead 7:03 into the middle period. Tomas Plekanec drew Montreal within one early in the third.

Carey Price made 21 saves after stopping 65 of 66 in the Canadiens' two wins at the TD Bank Garden.

Chara, who played his first game in Montreal since his devastating hit on Max Pacioretty, saw his customary boos turn to cheers when the Bruins were called for too many men 1:08 in.

The crowd of 21,273 was silenced moments later when Dennis Seidenberg drew an assist as Krejci beat Price for his first goal at 3:08.

Bruins	2	1	1	4
Canadiens	0	1	1	2

First Period—1, Boston, Krejci 1 (Bergeron, Seidenberg), 3:11. 2, Boston, Horton 1 (Chara, McQuaid), 14:38. Penalties—Boston bench, served by Lucic (too many men), 1:08; Krejci, Bos (hooking), 7:27; Gomez, Mon (interference), 11:21; Bergeron, Bos (interference), 12:12; Ference, Bos, major (fighting), 19:56; Pouliot, Mon, minor-major (charging, fighting), 19:56.

Second Period—3, Boston, Peverley 1 (Recchi), 2:02. 4, Montreal, Kostitsyn 1 (Cammalleri, Hamrlik), 7:03. Penalties—Montreal bench, served by White (too many men), 3:04; Recchi, Bos (holding), 17:55.

Third Period—5, Montreal, Plekanec 1 (Cammalleri, Subban), 4:08. 6, Boston, Kelly 1 (Recchi, Bergeron), 19:34 (en). Penalties—Kostitsyn, Mon (slashing), 4:44; Ryder, Bos (tripping), 19:54. Shots on Goal—Boston 9-10-6—25. Montreal 8-13-15—36. Power-play opportunities—Boston 0 of 4; Montreal 0 of 5. Goalies—Boston, Thomas 1-2-0 (36 shots-34 saves). Montreal, Price 2-1-0 (24-21). A—21,273 (21,273). T—2:21.

Around the league: Chicago defenseman Brent Seabrook says he's okay after a hard hit from Vancouver's Raffi Torres. Seabrook, however, says the initial blow was to his head and believes Torres should have been suspended. "Whether or not he was targeting it or not, he made contact with the head first," Seabrook said. But NHL vice president Colin Campbell said the hit was not illegal, saying Torres did not leave his feet or use an elbow or an extended forearm and that the hit was not late. The Canucks have a 3-0 lead as the series continues tonight.

Source: http://www.tampabay.com/sports/flyers-continue-upswing-with-boucher-in-goal/1164606

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