Flyers Notes: Laperriere moved by fans' reaction to video

Flyers right winger Ian Laperriere called the fans' reaction to his appearance Wednesday "unreal" and said he was moved by the long standing ovation he received when he was shown on the scoreboard during a second-period stoppage.

"I still can't believe it," he said after visiting with his teammates after Thursday's practice in Voorhees. "I mean, I've been here for seven months and to show me they appreciate what I do, I don't have the words to describe it."

During the stoppage, the scoreboard showed footage of Laperriere blocking a shot, and it was accompanied by a graphic that read: What if Ian didn't believe in sacrifice?

A camera then panned to a live shot of Laperriere in the Wachovia Center, and the fans stood and applauded - long and loud - and chants of "Lappy" echoed around the arena.

"It was unreal," Laperriere said. "I'll never forget that."

Laperriere said Boston goalie Tuukka Rask was the difference in Game 3. The rookie made 34 saves, including 15 in the second period, as the Bruins won, 4-1, and took a stranglehold lead of three games to none in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinal.

"Our guys played unbelievably well in the second period. It could have easily been 4-2 for us, but unfortunately, they had a hot goalie," Laperriere said.

Rask helped Boston hold a 2-1 lead after two periods.

Laperriere, who is expected to miss the rest of the season because of a brain contusion suffered while blocking a shot in the conference quarterfinals, said he wouldn't deliver any speeches to his teammates before Game 4 on Friday at the Wachovia Center.

"I'm not out there [playing]. I'm really way more of an example of 'you go out there and do it,' " he said. "Trust me, it's hard for me. I want to be out there, but I can't. . . . You play 82 games. This is the fun time. I'm very disappointed."

Laperriere said he feels "better every day," and "hopefully I'll be back to 100 percent" for next season. He will travel to Boston with the team if it forces a Game 5.

Boston left winger Milan Lucic said the Bruins learned a lesson when they lost Game 5 to Buffalo before ending the first-round series in six games. He hopes that lesson carries into Game 4 against the Flyers.

"It was good we had that little test against Buffalo, where we kind of looked past Game 5 and we didn't close them out," Lucic said. "We don't want to make that same mistake."

Boston center Marc Savard, who made a heroic return from a two-month absence by scoring the game-winning goal in overtime of the series opener, said he's felt no effects from the Grade 2 concussion that sidelined him.

"Now that I've played three games, I feel I'm in the thick of things, and I feel good," Savard said. "Hopefully, I'll get better."

The Flyers signed Michigan State forward Andrew Rowe and two goalies: Sergei Bobrovsky, from the Kontinental Hockey League, and Brian Stewart from Northern Michigan University, general manager Paul Holmgren announced.

Bobrovsky, 21, finished the 2009-10 season with Novokuznetsk Metallurg of the KHL, where he posted a 9-22-3 record with a 2.72 goals-against average and a .919 save percentage.

In two seasons, the 6-foot-2, 190-pound goaltender was 15-38-5 with a 2.62 GAA and .923 save percentage.

Stewart, 25, compiled an 18-11-7 record with a 2.43 GAA and .927 save percentage this season. He also appeared in three games with the Flyers' AHL affiliate, the Adirondack Phantoms, posting a 1-2 record with a 3.63 GAA and .882 save percentage. His Northern Michigan career numbers: a 50-42-14 record and a 2.53 GAA in 117 appearances over four years.

Rowe recorded 28 points (17 goals, 11 assists) and 38 penalty minutes in 38 games with Michigan State this season.