1. Worth every penny.
Ilya Bryzgalov, the $51 million man made a triumphant debut for the Flyers Thursday. Bryzgalov, the league’s highest-paid goaltender, denied the Bruins at nearly every turn.?He made 22 saves, including some clutch denials in the third period when the Bruins, trailing 2-1, strung together a pair of power plays. The goaltender turnstile may finally be a thing of the past.
2. Welcome back, Prongs.
Chris Pronger’s absence from the semifinal series against the Bruins in May was profoundly felt, but so was his presence Thursday night. Pronger, who turns 37 Monday, played a team-high 24 minutes, 34 seconds and anchored a defense that limited the Bruins to 23 shots on goal. Pronger even contributed an assist on Claude Giroux’s game-tying goal in the first period.
3 Just like old times.
Three years away from the NHL, Jaromir Jagr looked like his old, future Hall-of-Fame self vs. the Bruins, assisting on Giroux’s goal and drawing a key penalty against Johnny Boychuk late to help seal the victory.
