Sunday, March 23, 2008

Martin Biron = Islander Killer

The Flyers look to be turning the corner again at just the right time. They defeated the New York Islanders 4-1, mostly thanks to a tremendous effort by Martin Biron. Biron, who made 32 saves and gave up the lone goal late in the third period, has owned the Islanders this season, going 6-0 against them. He has a chance to earn another win against the Islanders when the teams play again next week.

The win was the third in a row for the Flyers, who have moved into the 7th seed in the Eastern Conference, two points ahead of the Bruins and two points behind the Rangers. Both the Rangers and Bruins have played one less game than Philly. Their final seeding may not matter too much, because they will likely end up playing either the Devils, Canadiens or Penguins, three teams they have had trouble with all season long.

Biron was the main story for the Flyers, but Danny Briere had a goal and two assists and Vaclav Prospal picked up a goal and an assist to lead the offense. Thanks to the great chemistry that is developing between Briere and Prospal, the Flyers played extremely well on the powerplay, scoring 3 times.

But, it was Biron's night. The fans at the Wachovia Center broke into "Marty!" chants several times, including the following after he made a spectacular save:

Next up for the Flyers are three road games in a row against the Rangers, Devils and Islanders. This week could be do or die for the Flyers and their playoff hopes.

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