Here is a recap from Center Ice Philadelphia detailing last night's OT thriller.
http://centericephilly.com/game-5-sabres-outlast-flyers-4-3-in-ot
I did have some thoughts on the series so far:
What will the Flyers do?
1) Not sure if Michael Leighton will get the start on Sunday, he probably will, but this one is a real head scratcher and coach Peter Laviolette has a lot of thinking to do.
2) Chris Pronger is close, if nothing else he should dress as a 7th defenseman and if he doesn't play his veteran presence on the bench could help. Zac Rinaldo played less than two minutes so it won't upset the team.
3) Could Jeff Carter play with a brace? I bet that option will be explored whether it happens or not is another story.
What will the Sabres do?
1) They will try and get the early lead and sit on it. They will play that 3-man defensive system and if they do that they will hope that Ryan Miller can get his 3rd shutout of the 2011 Stanley Cup playoffs.
2) What happened to Brad Boyes? He’s played five playoff games for the Sabres and he has no points. He needs to step up if the Sabres hope to beat Philadelphia.
3) Thomas Vanek has three goals because he isn’t afraid to put the puck on the net from anywhere on the ice. This has really opened things up for the Sabres and he has to continue it.
Best Flyers forward in the series so far? Claude Giroux but JVR has been impressive, that pick-n-roll goal showed off his great reach. Ville Leino has to step up so far he has just one assist.
Best Sabres forward so far? Tyler Ennis. The game-winner was terrific but he had been buzzing around for a while now and he’s a +3.
That’s all for now.
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