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Sens exploit mismatches Martin's attention to detail paid off in favorable matchupsPosted: Friday April 25, 2003 11:08 PM
Opening the game, Philadelphia continued on as if it was business as usual. With little time to regroup after the long, arduous seven-game affair with the Maple Leafs, the Flyers simply went back to work. Conversely, the Senators had eight days off and are notoriously slow starters in the playoffs, never having won a Game 1 on home ice. Predictably, Philadelphia scored on its first two shots and carried that cushion into the first intermission. Even better for the Flyers, Tony Amonte broke through for his first goal of the playoffs, and the first goal in his past 13 postseason games. On the other hand, the Sens managed only two shots on goal in the first period and looked out of sync. Not so in the second. The skilled right wingers of the Senators took over: Martin Havlat, Marian Hossa and Daniel Alfredsson netted three goals in 6:58, and just that quickly, Ottawa led 3-2. Collectively, the Senators began skating better. Their spacing, both offensively and defensively, was much improved. And goaltender Patrick Lalime overcame his shaky start and likewise found his form from the second period on. All year, though, the Senators have gotten stronger as games unfold, which, given the physical toll taken on the Flyers in winning their first-round matchup, was a bad sign for Philadelphia. Especially after squandering the 2-0 lead. But it wasn't just fatigue that undermined the Flyers' final 40 minutes. Head coach Ken Hitchcock used his fourth line more often, trying to conserve the energy of his top players who played so many minutes against the Leafs. He was also looking for a spark from that fourth unit. Instead, the Senators exploited that unit, which ended up a minus-2 in less than 10 minutes of ice time. On astute line changes, the Sens got the first-line/fourth-line mismatch they desired, and that strategy led to their first two goals. That's when it was obvious that the Sens were back in business. That attention to detail is at the heart of their success. And with it, they finally had success in a first game on home ice and, a 1-0 series lead. Three StarsFirst Star: Hossa gave his team energy by making one of the best individual efforts you'll ever see on the game-tying goal. Second Star: Lalime played a sturdy game after giving up goals on the first two shots he faced. He exuded personal confidence and brought that trait to his team. Third Star: Chris Neil did a nice job establishing the forecheck with aggressive body checking. The Flyers proved with their lack of response to Neil's physical play just how tired they really were. Darren Eliot, a former NHL goaltender, is a hockey analyst for SI.com. Eliot will provide Stanley Cup Playoffs commentary throughout the postseason and is also broadcasting games for NHL Radio. |
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