2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs

Closing the book on the 2011-12 Boston Bruins

Last year, I drove from Boston to Rhode Island to watch both the Eastern Conference Final and the Stanley Cup Final Game 7s. I figured that if I had the chance to watch my favorite team growing up win a championship, I would want to witness it with my dad, the person who influenced me to fall in love with this crazy sport. Of course, the Bruins won both games and I watched it all in with my dad and younger brother right beside me. Somewhere amongst the celebrations, the hugs and the complete shock, I recall my dad telling me to take everything in that’s happening, because there will never be another run quite like the one we had just saw.

Think about it: a total of 25 games including three Game 7 victories, two series of coming back from a 0-2 deficit and a first round victory that was clinched without scoring any power play goals. The 2010-11 Boston Bruins weren’t just good, they were lucky and every single fan who watched any of those games could have told you that. It was magic.

On Wednesday night, Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals between the Bruins and the Washington Capitals, that same mentality of thinking that the team was special, perhaps invincible, last year in the postseason ended up becoming the worse possible thing for every Bruins’ fan’s psyche.

Analyzing Ilya Bryzgalov and His Postseason Performance Goal by Goal

Iliya Bryzgalov Flyers
(Charles LeClaire-US PRESSWIRE)

Ilya Bryzgalov has allowed 12 goals on 91 shots through the first three games of the 2012 NHL PLayoffs, good for a save percentage of .869 and a 3.96 goals against average. And yet, the Philadelphia Flyers have one each of those games, taking a 3-0 series lead over the Pittsburgh Penguins.

With the mayhem the first three games have brought, Bryzgalov’s play has been the least of anyone’s worries. But has the $50 million net-minder elevated his game enough to carry this team through the playoffs? Philly may have captured the first three games, but the series is far from over, especially against a team as talented as Pittsburgh.

Bryzgalov has shown flashes of brilliance to go along with uninspiring moments. With that in mind, let’s break down each goal he has allowed in this series and see just how at fault he is for those pedestrian stats.

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