The intensity that "this feels like Game 7" has finally begun. Playoff hockey has arrived and everyone can feel it.
In Game 2 of the Devils-Flyers series, the penalties were abounding, goals followed goals for a total of eight tallies, and the Devils finally found a way to score on the Flyers and win 5-3.
The Devils took a lot of penalties as they buckled down and became more aggressive in their second win of the season against the Flyers.
"It seems like every single time we turned around, we were in the box," forward Zach Parise said of the Devils' penalty situation.
Ilya Kovalchuk went after Mike Richards several times in the second period. He really wanted to drop the gloves, but it was not forthcoming. The Flyers were able to draw a few penalties thanks to Richards getting under Kovalchuk's skin.
"I don't mind fighting," Kovalchuk said of his constant face-to-faces with Richards. "It's part of the game."
As the Devils started to finally dump the puck into the Flyers zone, they were able to create chances, because the key to breaking down the Flyers' defense is to dump the puck into their zone. Parise was the first to tally one off of a dump-in (2:45).
Arron Asham was another Flyer who got under a Devils player's skin. David Clarkson was ready duke it out with the former Devil, but instead it was Asham and the Flyers who capitalized on irritating the young Devil.
Asham was the first to tally a goal for the Flyers (9:33). Claude Giroux followed with a power-play goal (15:30) while Clarkson was in the penalty box for tripping.
The Devils were able to find a couple of goals from some unlikely but lucky sources — their defensemen.
Colin White (3:44) and Andy Greene (13:25) both scored for New Jersey to edge the game ahead 3-2. But Chris Pronger (18:48) was able to tie up the game for the Flyers after getting a piece of Kimmo Timonen's shot on Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur.
With so much at stake for both teams in the final period, it was Dainius Zubrus and Parise who were able to inch the Devils ahead at 15:56. Both had the same thing in mind as they sent the puck sailing into the net. They both had their sticks on the puck, but it was Zubrus whose stick was actually touching the puck as it hit the back of the Flyers' net.
"I thought I [had it]," Parise said of the goal. "I celebrated like I did.
"I don't care. At that stage in the game, you don't care. It's a win. It's a great game."
From the Devils bench, it even appeared to the coach that the goal belonged to Parise.
"I thought Zach had that goal," coach Jacques Lemaire said.
As the minutes wound down in the final period with the Devils leading 4-3, Boucher was pulled. Kovalchuk was able to take possession of the puck on a breakaway, let a Flyers defender make his move, before sailing the puck across the ice to score his first goal of the series with 32.9 seconds remaining.
"It was a great opportunity," Kovalchuk said of his goal. "They give me kind of breakaway. I was surprised. It's okay. We'll win the game. I'll save [the goals] for the next games."
Both Patrik Elias (3 assists) and Kovalchuk (1 goal, 2 assists) had a good night with three points a piece.
Lemaire had other things on his mind as far as how Kovalchuk has been performing in the playoffs thus far. The amount of penalties Kovalchuk took in the game and his lack of goals has been weighing in on everyone's minds.
"Kovy might do some weird things for you guys," Lemaire said. "But to me, he lacks experience in the playoffs."
Going into the next game, Kovalchuk is excited now that he's finally netted his first goal of the series.
"It gives you confidence, an exciting experience," he said. "I can't wait to play another game."
