Devils' Forecheck Grounds Flyers in Game 4

        Yesterday was a 40th birthday worth celebrating for Devils goalie Martin Brodeur, as the Devils defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 4-2, taking a 3-1 series lead. The Devils were dominant the entire game, especially with their forecheck. The Devils, once notorious for their trap-style defense, were now bombarding the Flyers in their zone. The Flyers could not even break out of their own zone. A good forecheck wears down their opponents throughout a game, and that's exactly what we saw. The Flyers became frustrated because of this, and took undisciplined penalties. This was evident when Claude Giroux, after disputing with a referee, took a an illegal check to the head penalty on Dainius Zubrus, purely out of his own frustration.
        For the Flyers to come back from a 3-1 defect in this series, penalties like the one Giroux took simply cannot be taken. It doesn't matter how the Devils power play is doing; power play goals will be scored by the Devils if the Flyers keep taking bad penalties. It's just not possible to win a hockey game after taking so many undisciplined penalties. The Flyers also need to win battles for loose pucks, especially in their own zone, with New Jersey's forecheck coming at them with full speed. The Flyers lost too many battles last night, which also impacted the outcome of the game.
        The Devils were great last night. They played a full 60 minute game. I'm sure Peter DeBoer and the rest of the Devils coaching staff are telling the Devils one thing: keep doing what you're doing. New Jersey needs to keep hitting the Flyers with their forecheck, keep winning the battles for loose pucks, and keep relying on star players, like Zach Parise, Ilya Kovalchuk, and Martin Brodeur, to keep them in games. The Devils also need to be prepared, as the Flyers will come out desperate for a win in Game 5, in Philadelphia. I don't know about you, but I'm really pumped for Game 5 on Tuesday.