[Phils20]

Now Hatcher can breathe easy tonight!!



Flyers breathe sigh of relief on Timonen

By Tim Panaccio
Inquirer Staff Writer
This is all you need to know about Kimmo Timonen in the Flyers' Eastern Conference quarterfinal playoff series against Washington: He hasn't been on the ice for a single goal-against, not even the winning goal from Alexander Ovechkin in Game 1. No wonder there was a deep sigh of relief by the Flyers yesterday morning with the news that the defenseman suffered merely a bruised right shoulder - not a dislocation - when he was shoved into the net in Tuesday's 6-3 victory in Game 3.
So Timonen, who is assigned to shadow Alexander Ovechkin, will be back on the ice tonight in Game 4. The Flyers lead the series, two games to one.
"It's not that bad," Timonen said. "I'm ready to go."
Timonen was pushed into the back of the net by the Capitals' Brooks Laich during a rush. His right shoulder struck the camera deep in the middle of the net.
"I had pretty good speed," Timonen said, adding that he shot the puck and goalie Cristobal Huet "made a good save. The puck went over the net. I was watching the puck, and the next [thing] I realized, I scored [myself].
"I couldn't do anything. I was in the air, flying into the camera. I knew right away this is probably going to hurt."
Coach John Stevens called it "a little bit of a cheap play."
"It's playoff hockey," Timonen said. "You've got to be ready for everything."
Timonen said he was concerned that the shoulder might have been dislocated.
"It was kind of painful," he said. "I want to play. I want to win. I'm looking forward to it."
Most of the Flyers didn't know yesterday whether Timonen was playing.
"He's in the lineup tomorrow?" center Danny Briere said. "That's good news. If he were missing, that could be a big blow."
Briere said that although he liked the way "we battled in the third period without him, we're a much better team with him in the lineup.
"Kimmo is so smart. He is not the biggest guy out there. I say it all the time: I hate playing against players who don't hurt you physically, but they always make the simple plays.
"It's frustrating. You don't get many chances because they don't make turnovers. They make the good passes out of the zone. It gets frustrating playing against guys like that."
When Timonen went out, Derian Hatcher (plus-three in the game) and Jason Smith handled Ovechkin the rest of the game, and still the Russian sniper got nothing.
"They are playing well and not giving me any space to shoot the puck," Ovechkin said yesterday, adding that the Flyers weren't necessarily physical with him.
"They just skate with me," he said.
Timonen said earlier in the week that his first objective was to stay with Ovechkin.
"He looks like he is not going anywhere, and then all of a sudden he scores a goal," Timonen said. "That is what you have to be aware of. Even if he is not with the puck, he is dangerous. He might be hiding. He's pretty quick, too. That makes him dangerous."
Washington changed its lines yesterday, as Ovechkin got a new center in Sergei Fedorov, who bounced Nick Backstrom down a line. Viktor Kozlov remained on the right wing.
What the Flyers have done so well in this series is not give up the odd-man rushes that often put them in harm's way. They've pressured the puck consistently in the last two games, and when they've sensed vulnerability in the Capitals, they've tried to pile on with more goals.
One thing the Flyers must contend with tonight is a different look by the Capitals on the power play. Coach Bruce Boudreau moved Ovechkin from the half boards to the slot. Fedorov joins Mike Green at the point. Alexander Semin has been moved to the second unit.
So Ovechkin will move closer to Timonen and the net.
"Whoever is out there has to stop him," Timonen said.