Flyers still believe they can win

Associated Press

VOORHEES, N.J.

Goalie Michael Leighton presumed his Flyers teammates had one thought when he was pressed into emergency service for Game 5.

“Am I allowed to swear?” a laughing Leighton said.

His guess: Something like the phrase, Oh no!

By the end of Philadelphia’s 4-0 win, it was the Boston Bruins whose thoughts shifted more toward the profane. Once holding a dominating 3-0 series lead, the Bruins have lost two straight games and allowed the Flyers to seize momentum and send their confidence skyrocketing heading into tonight’s Game 6.

“Things can change in a hurry,” Flyers forward Danny Briere said Tuesday.

Briere meant in the win column, but he may as well have been talking about Philadelphia’s goalie carousel this season. Ray Emery, Brian Boucher, Johan Backlund, Jeremy Duchesne, Carter Hutton, Sebastien Caron and Leighton all were on Philadelphia’s roster at one point.

Boucher was riding a hot streak into the postseason and had played well until he was injured in Game 5. The Flyers said Boucher has a sprained MCL in his left knee and could miss up to a month.

Boucher’s injury gave Leighton another shot at the No. 1 job.

Leighton, though, hadn’t played in two months because of a sprained ankle and was forced to watch games from the press box. He had not played since March 16 when he was put on the active roster before Game 5.

Great timing.

Leighton was needed in a pinch, but the lengthy layoff was exactly why he couldn’t blame his teammates if they quietly doubted his ability to hold the lead.

“My legs were shaking a little bit, I was nervous,” Leighton said. “Once I made a few saves, you kind of forget about that and just get focused. It kind of goes away.”

If the Flyers complete this improbable comeback, Leighton will have to play big.

The 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs and the 1975 New York Islanders are the only NHL teams to come back from a 3-0 deficit to win a best-of-seven series.

“We could be in a better spot, but we’re playing hard right now,” Flyers captain Mike Richards said. “We’re slowly pecking away.”