BOSTON -- The Philadelphia Flyers are beginning to get the secondary scoring every team requires the deeper you get in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
During Monday's 4-0 victory over the Boston Bruins in Game 5 at TD Garden, the line of Ville Leino, Danny Briere and Scott Hartnell combined for 2 goals, 6 points and a plus-6 rating. That's precisely what coach Peter Laviolette drew up on the chalkboard.
"They got the puck in the offensive zone and it was very difficult to get the puck back from them," Laviolette said in praising the group. "Ville was excellent. I think Scott's played two of his best games in a row and Danny has been good for some time now."
Hartnell, who gave the Flyers a 2-0 lead with his first goal of the playoffs at the 11:16 mark of the second, spoke to the media after his team staved off elimination for the second straight game.
Q: How do you feel headed back to Philadelphia, and can you pull this off (winning four straight)?
Hartnell: I don't know what the percentage is (coming back from an 0-3 deficit), and everyone was counting us out. But we have a good group of guys here. Great leader and coach. We're fighting for what we believe in, and showing faith in the system. We're believing in each other, and that's the main thing. We have to keep going.
Q: Do you feel a weight's been lifted off your back by scoring your first goal?
Hartnell: Yeah, it's … I've been thinking about it and it hasn't been the year that I dreamed of, but we are in the second round here. We have a lot of momentum on our side, going back to our home barn. If we get that one, then it can happen in Game 7. So it is an exciting time for us. Guys are feeling loose; guys are feeling good. (Michael) Leighton hasn't played in a couple months, comes in there and plays shutout hockey for a period and a half. Both of them played well. If we keep playing like that, then we can make this thing into a better series.
Q: Was there any concern when Brian Boucher was forced from the game?
Hartnell: No. It is kind of funny. When he came back to the bench, he seemed like, in two minutes he was out there and didn't miss a shift. It was nice to see him on the bench again. So we had a giggle about that but it doesn't matter who is in the pipes for us. We play well in front of them and they're making the big stops they need to make and we are excited and fired up about it.
Q: How has this team been able to step up after a player goes down with an injury?
Hartnell: It's always nice to help the team win and the one goal I got, it seemed like the puck was on his (Ville Leino) stick for the whole 45 seconds. He is a good puck control guy that you can kind of play with and he can find you in those open spots. We have to keep playing well to make this go to a Game 7.
Q: Describe the desperation that the Flyers played with (Monday)?
Hartnell: We obviously wanted to take this game and take it back to Philly. The old cliché, one at a time. We believe that we deserved a better fate in the first three games. But this is what we're dealt with and we have to keep playing the same way. Going back, we have played well in front of our home fans, and we'll have to get it back here for a Game 7. Right now, we're going to enjoy it here for the next little while and focus on Game 6.
Follow Mike Morreale on Twitter at: @mike_morreale
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