Ilya Bryzgalov looks solid in first win for Flyers

Let there be little doubt that Ilya Bryzgalov would like to have the Boston Bruins’ only goal back. Sure, Brad Marchand made a tricky move to beat him on the power play, but the location of that shot indicates that Breezy (arguably) should have had it. (See the bottom of this post for the goal if you don’t feel like clicking the link.)

Considering the rapidly decreasing margin between an average goalie and an exemplary one, it might be reasonable to speculate that it’s crucial for a franchise netminder to bounce back from a rough goal. Bryzgalov could have gotten in his own head after that Marchand tally (some didn’t really like his initial reaction, for one thing), but he shook it off and didn’t allow another tally for the rest of the night.

Breezy wasn’t called upon a ton – he made 22 out of 23 saves, half of them coming in the third period – but one of those stops ranks as possibly the best glove save of the night. Bryzgalov stood strong in some tough moments, even if the Bruins’ efforts tapered off a bit during certain stretches. The following video gives a great example of Bryzgalov and Kimmo Timonen fighting hard to maintain the Flyers’ 2-1 lead (which eventually turned into a 2-1 win).

Sometimes it’s about hitting the sweet spot between skill and luck.

There’s reason to wonder if the Flyers will be a better team after their dramatic makeover, but judging by his resume of work, Bryzgalov is the best Philly netminder in a long time. He’ll face bigger tests in the future, but he came through in Game 1.

Here are more highlights from the Flyers’ 2-1 win in Boston.