Ilya Bryzgalov struggled all season trying to be the elite goaltender that the Philadelphia Flyers were expecting. Now that the playoffs are underway, it has become clear that Bryzgalov’s struggles have prepared the Flyers for the playoffs.
Bryzgalov had some good moments during the regular season and more than a few bad moments. The Flyers have seen how good he can be, but more importantly, they have adjusted to playing well when he is not at his best.
Teams with top-level goaltenders become accustomed to low-scoring games and rarely have to open up the scoring.
Looking at the Nashville Predators in the second round, it is obvious how much they rely on their goaltender.
Pekka Rinne had a rough start to the Predators' second-round matchup against the Coyotes. Rinne is not the only reason that the Predators have fallen behind, but the Predators situation shows how a team that is used to low-scoring matchups has difficulty finding the ammo for a high-scoring shootout.
The Flyers have rarely had low-scoring games this season. During Bryzgalov’s struggles, it was common for him to give up four goals on any g ...
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Article written by Ian Barry
Ilya Bryzgalov’s Regular Season Struggles Prepared the Flyers for the Playoffs
May 1st, 2012 by Ian Barry Leave a reply »
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