The Flyers left the Verizon Center on Sunday victorious after a 2-0 win and have now evened the series  1-1. Ultimately the second game of the series looked a lot like the first for the Flyers and the Caps–with the exception of the third period. Although the Flyers looked confused by the quick pace of the first few minutes of the game, they got an early lead when defenseman Braydon Coburn sent a long pass to R.J. Umberger who came in on a breakaway and beat Cristobal Huet up high on the stick side at 5:53 of the first stanza.

Eventually the Fly Guys settled down and got another goal as Mike Knuble took a shot on a 2-on-1 with Jeff Carter. Carter got the rebound off the right leg of Huet and also beat him upstairs at 15:17.

Although through the first 20 minutes the Flyers led by a pair of goals, the Capitals had the majority of possession time and what perhaps should have been a great period was merely good for the orange and black.

The second period, although scoreless, showed more domination by the Flyers than the first. The defense showed up big and only yielded six shots to Washington. Marty Biron was the best defender making key saves in big situations.

The biggest factor in the game however was not the stellar goaltending the Flyers had Sunday afternoon (although it sure helped). The special teams were key for the Flyers and it wasn’t their regular season second best power play. They effectively shut down Alexander Ovechkin once again and all six power plays he was on the ice for. The defense cleared the front of the net for Biron to clearly see shots and, just as importantly, shut down the passing lanes to Ovechkin.

The third period was a far different story than that which we saw on Friday. Instead of sitting on the lead, the Flyers continued the intensity and skated up the ice and continued to put shots on Huet. Their relentless energy eventually took its toll on Washington and wore them down.

Many pundits said this would be one of the greatest series in the first round and hockey fans saw why on Sunday. The physical battles between these two teams are great. Scottie Upshall, Mike Richards and Scott Hartnell effectively got under the skin of the Caps. Richards and Ovechkin have been throwing big hits on each other through both games. Friday’s game yielded over 70 (no that’s not a typo) shots total in the game. Game two was more of the same with 57.

This is exactly the game that the Flyers are best at and coming back home to Philadelphia to a sea of orange in the crowd the Flyers clearly carry the momentum heading into Game 3 in Philadelphia.

Dave’s Three Stars of the Game

1. Marty Biron - 24 saves (first shutout in the playoffs since Robert Esche did it in 2004 against the Devils)
2. Braydon Coburn - 1 assist, 23:34 ice time
3. Jeff Carter - 1 goal, 6 shots, 3 takeaways

Photos courtesy Flyers website