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What's done is done Flyers shrug off history versus Devils
Posted: Monday May 15, 2000 07:33 PM
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- The New Jersey Devils returned to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time in five years and picked up where they left off -- beating the Philadelphia Flyers. Philadelphia has beaten the Devils just twice in 16 games and is in danger of falling behind 2-0 for the second straight series. But the Flyers insist their history against New Jersey is irrelevant. "We don't sit in the locker room and look at numbers and say, 'Oh, they've got our number,'" rookie goalie Brian Boucher said Monday. "When the playoffs start, everything is new. To sit there and put yourself down before the series even starts is ridiculous. "I don't think that was a factor going into that game and I don't think it will be a factor going into the rest of the series. It really means nothing. If you're determined and stick to your game plan, those numbers really aren't a factor." The Devils beat Philadelphia in the Eastern Conference finals in 1995 and went on to win their only Stanley Cup. The dominance continued into the regular season where New Jersey is 12-2-2 in the series since 1997. But Flyers interim coach Craig Ramsay has only been around for two years. Sunday's 4-1 loss was his first game as a head coach against New Jersey. "Personally I didn't know what the record was nor do I care what the record is. I only care about my team," Ramsay said. "There's no question in the minds of the coaching staff that this hockey team can beat anybody when we play our game." Philadelphia has a chance to even the series in Game 2 on Tuesday. Ramsay wouldn't call it a "must-win." Boucher did. "Game 4 is a must-win," he said. "Other than that, I want our team to play well. We focus on how we play as a team." The Flyers rallied to win four straight against Pittsburgh after losing the first two at home last series. Boucher doesn't want to be in that position again. "We have to treat this game with desperation," Boucher said. "We went down 0-2 to Pittsburgh and came back. But I don't think you can expect that in a lot of series, especially games at home. Tomorrow night is desperation for us, a must-win for us." To beat the Devils, the Flyers must take advantage of the few power play opportunities they get. In Game 1, they were 0-for-2. They scored 13 goals with a man-advantage in the first two rounds. "They're as good as any team going to the net," New Jersey coach Larry Robinson said. "But what makes them ever-so dangerous is their power play." Ramsay, however, thinks the Flyers can without it. "At the end of the season, our power play didn't get the job done and we managed to win a bunch of hockey games down the stretch to finish first and I don't see why we can can't do that again." he said. "The style of our game usually draws penalties and we hope that maybe we'll get a few extra power plays than they might give up. We have every confidence that we can score even strength." Flyers forward John LeClair said the team won't do anything extra to get more penalty calls. "We're not the kind of team that's going to go diving all over the ice," he said. "Penalties will arise with us working hard and creating opportunities. The Devils aren't a team that gets out of position, so they don't have to take penalties."
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