Nittymaki gets it done

As the time ticked away in the third period of a scoreless game between the Flyguys and Florida, I was trying to guess who would score if we were to get a goal in this one. I was thinking Briere or Lupul in dramatic fashion, or maybe Richards or Upshall as one of the young guys coming through.

But Derian Hatcher??

Yes, it really happened, a great play by the veteran defenseman gave the Flyers a 1-0win over the Panthers today. Not a conventional goal by any means, but that's exactly what Philly needed in a game where nothing else was getting past Tomas Vokoun. Of course, the real drama happened in the dying seconds of regulation.

With an extra attacker in the last minute, Florida put immense pressure on net. Several scoring chances emerged in the final minute, but everyone of them was turned away by Antero Nittymaki, who made a whopping 38 saves on the afternoon. I was screaming at the TV for a good 60 seconds. The Panthers were relentless in their quest to light the lamp, and they did everything they could right up until the clock read triple zeros. Great job by the backup Nittymaki to come in and get a well-deserved win on Biron's off-day.

So we have a nifty three-game winning streak going here. At 19-14-4, we've crept within three points of the damn Devils (albeit so has Pittsburgh and the Rangers). We're also the 5th seed in the East as of today (though, again, only 4 points ahead of the 13th seed in the East in this absurdly close race). The critical matchup will be after a 4-day rest when the Flyers head hit the road to face New Jersey. The Devils have taken the last three games from Philly, so hopefully the Flyers can get one back on Friday.