Statistics Show That Game 2 Is Huge For Flyers
On Friday following the Flyers’ afternoon practice, the players all equally shrugged off the shutout home loss to the visiting Buffalo Sabres in Game 1. The mantra followed by the still-confident group was one of ‘we played well enough to win’ and ‘we’ll get them on Saturday’.
And while the lack of concern for their Game 1 defeat may seem counterproductive, the Flyers are focusing squarely on the crux of the entire series — Game 2.
“Tomorrow night has to be a big effort,” said Scott Hartnell on Friday. “We’ve got to come out strong, come out hitting, use our speed and give these Flyers fans something to cheer about.”
According to the NHL, Game 2 is the most important contest of the series. The winner of the second game moves on the win the series a whopping 71.8% of the time. Teams that lost Game 1 and come back to win Game 2, have a 52.9% chance to take the series, while the squad who took Game 1 but lost Game 2 saw the inverse, winning at a 47.1% pace.
“That was Game 1, you take from whatever you can and then you move on,” said Kimmo Timonen. “Tomorrow is a totally new game. Doesn’t matter if your won or lost Game 1, we need even more of a desperation level.”
Maybe it’s that home-ice advantage isn’t what it used to be or that the team that responds the best from the Game 1 result fares better in the long run. Either way, the Flyers need a victory tonight at the Wells Fargo Center if they want to stay alive in the tournament. Teams that lose both Game 1 and 2, come back to win the series just 12.8% of the time.
“It’s important just to win a game,” said Peter Laviolette, whose team was shutout on 35 shots. “Nobody likes being behind in a series, it’s not the plan and not what you prepare for. We have our work cut out for us now.”
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