Turnpike Series: Flyers-Devils
The Turnpike Series has been set.
The fifth-seeded Flyers finally learned their second-round opponent early Friday morning. It's sixth-seeded New Jersey, which scored a 3-2 double-overtime win at third-seeded Florida in Game 7.
The Flyers will have home-ice advantage, and they will host Game 1 on Sunday at 3 p.m.
The Flyers went 3-3 against the Devils in the regular season, with Ilya Bryzgalov winning all three of his starts and Sergei Bobrovksy losing his three.
Bryzgalov's numbers were off the charts: a 0.29 GAA and .987 save percentage.
The teams' big guns, Claude Giroux and the Devils' Ilya Kovalchuk, were outstanding in the series. Giroux had four goals and three assists in the six games, and Kovalchuk had two goals and six assists.
The Devils beat the Flyers in the conference finals in 1995 and 2000, winning the Stanley Cup both years. The Flyers defeated the Devils in the first round in 2004 and 2010.
Here is a look at this season's six matchups:
Oct. 8 in Newark - Flyers 3, Devils 0. Bryzgalov ended the Flyers' 85-game, regular-season shutout drought, and rookie Matt Read scored his first goal.
Nov. 3 at the WFC - Devils 4, Flyers 3 (shootout). Max Talbot scored on a penalty shot, but it wasn't enough as Bobrovsky and the Flyers fell in a shootout. Kovalchuk had three points and won a fight with the Flyers' Brayden Schenn.
Jan. 21 in Newark - Flyers 4, Devils 1. Bryzgalov was forced to make just 19 saves and Wayne Simmonds collected three points in the win. On the power play, the Flyers were 2 for 5, and the Devils were 0 for 6. All the news wasn't good: Danny Briere suffered a concussion.
Feb. 4 at the WFC - Devils 6, Flyers 4. Bobrovsky was shelled (six goals on 23 shots) and relieved by Bryzgalov. The Devils built a 6-0 lead and held off a third-period rally.
March 11 in Newark - Devils 4, Flyers 1. Bobrovsky was again the loser as New Jersey went 2 for 5 on the PP. Kovalchuk had a goal and two assists.
March 13 at the WFC - Flyers 3, Devils 0. Bryzgalov, who was in the midst of the second-longest shutout streak in the NHL since 1967-68, notched his second 3-0 win over the Devils this season. Defenseman Braydon Coburn had two assists, seven hits and three blocked shots.
The playoff schedule:
Game 1: Sun. at Phila, 3 p.m.
Game 2: Tue. May 1. at Phila, 7:30 p.m.
Game 3: Thurs. May 3, at NJ, 7:30 p.m.
Game 4: Sun. May 6, at NJ, 7:30 p.m.
*Game 5: Tue. May 8, at Phila, TBA.
*Game 6: Thu. May 10, at NJ, TBA.
*Game 7: Sat. May 12, at Phila., TBA.
(* if necessary)
Follow Sam Carchidi on Twitter @BroadStBull.