Danny Briere, Flyers Take Game One In OT

Scott Hartnell jams the puck in front of Devils Goalie Brodeur.

The Flyers and Devils finally collided for Game 1 in Philadelphia. 


As soon as the puck dropped, it was very apparent which team went to a Game 7, and which team had a week off.


The Flyers looked very rusty and could not develop a groove in the 1st period. 


The Devils made them pay.


On a Matt Read turnover, Devils Captain Zach Parise scored the first goal of the series, giving the Devils a 1-0 lead just 3:16 in.


That would be all the scoring for either team, as both Brodeur and Bryzgalov both had very solid period.


Brodeur capped off his first period dominance with a sweet save off of a Max Talbot one timer.


I can only imagine Laviolette did a lot of screaming, and a lot of threats involving feet in asses. 


Whatever he did, it worked.


Eight minutes into the 2nd period, Voracek connected with Danny Briere on a breakaway, and Briere scored his 6th of the playoffs.


37 seconds later, the Flyers struck again. 


After Marty Brodeur got sloppy with the puck, it fell on the stick of James Van Riemsdyk, who scored what was basically an empty netter to give the Flyers a 2-1 lead. It was Reimer's first of the playoffs.


But the Devils would answer, thanks to Travis Zajac, as he was able to trickle a puck through Ilya Bryzgalov's legs. 


In the 3rd period, the Flyers got their fourth Power Play opportunity, and finally made it count. Scott Hartnell to Timonen to Giroux who deposited a one timer in the back of the net.


The momentum swung entirely the Flyers way, as they continued to dominate in the Devils zone. Yet the Devils only needed one chance to tie the game, and they did just that.


Petr Sykora beat 184 year old Andreas Lilja down the ice and took a slapshot that went through Bryzgalov's legs, and into the back of the net.


So the Flyers and Devils would go into OT, and everyone in Delaware Valley held their collective breath. 


The Flyers were given a tremendous opportunity to cash in on a Devils penalty, but they would have no such luck.


A Danny Briere goal was disallowed after a replay showed a distinct kicking motion. 


But Danny being Danny, he was not going to let the game be decided like that. Two minutes later, Briere got the puck at the point, and drove it home.


Goal. Game. Danny Briere tallied his second, and helped the Flyers take a 1-0 series lead.


James Van Riemsdyk was put on a line with Danny Briere and Jakub Voracek, and made an immediate impact. In 17:34 minutes on the ice, JVR tallied a goal, and had a +/- of 3. 


The Flyers made sure they stayed out of the box, with only 6 PIM in comparison to New Jersey's 12 PIM.


Once again, Ilya Bryzgalov was bailed out by his offense. He saved 23 shots on 26 attempts, with a save percentage of .885%.


But the Flyers win again, and the Knock Knock total is down to 11.