Brian Boucher stopped just 18 of 23 shots in his 36:37 of action, and Sergei Bobrovsky didn't fare much better, making eight saves on 10 shots. The end result was a 7-3 Bruins victory, and the "goaltending concerns" from last week have become a full-on crisis.
Yet, the Bruins know they won't get spotted a touchdown every time they take the ice this series, and they expect much stiffer competition going forward. This is, after all, the same Flyers team that finished the season second in the East with 106 points.
Still, Flyers head coach Peter Laviolette wouldn't commit to a Game 2 starting goalie on Sunday, only announcing on Monday morning that he'll give Boucher another chance.
The 34-year-old Boucher, a Rhode Island native, is the only Philadelphia netminder to have earned a win this postseason, as he was between the pipes for all four of Philly's first-round victories over the Sabres. His 2.79 goals-against average and .914 save percentage certainly aren't atrocious, but his awful performance in Game 1 could be hard to overcome mentally.
Bobrovsky, just 22, was the Flyers' No. 1 man all year, going 28-13-8 with a 2.59 GAA and .915 save percentage. He fell off in April, though, going 0-1-2 with a 3.95 GAA and .880 save percentage, and those struggles continued into the playoffs, where he's 0-1-0 with a 3.84 GAA and .857 save percentage.
Then, there is Michael Leighton. Bruins fans need not be reminded of his accomplishments last spring, when he replaced an injured Boucher after having missed nearly two months due to injury. All he did was allow four goals in two and a half games to help lead the Flyers to an improbable series win over Boston. He finished last year's playoffs with an 8-3-0 record, 2.46 GAA and .916 save percentage, but, this year, he's only played sparingly, stopping just 86.2 percent of the 29 shots he's seen.
If the Flyers hope to win this series — or if they even plan to compete in this series — they're going to need someone to step up and stop some pucks. From a Bruins standpoint, who would you least like to see?
Which Flyers goalie presents the biggest challenge for the Bruins going forward? Share your thoughts below.
Saturday, April 30: Which Bruins players needs to bounce back most against Flyers?
Which Flyers goalie presents biggest challenge for Bruins for remainder of the series?Market Research
