NEWARK, N.J. — The Philadelphia Flyers were the last team into the Stanley Cup playoffs but are the first to reach the second round.
Given a second chance to knock out the New Jersey Devils 10 years after squandering their first opportunity, Flyers goalie Brian Boucher was brilliant Thursday night as Philadelphia won 3-0 in Game 5 to finish the series.
Claude Giroux scored twice in the second period after Danny Briere had given the Flyers a 1-0 lead in the first. Boucher made the offense stand up as Philadelphia beat New Jersey for the ninth time in 11 meetings this season.
In the 2000 Eastern Conference finals, Boucher and the Flyers let a 3-1 series lead slip away to the Devils, who went on to win the Stanley Cup.
Boucher finished with 27 saves this time in his second career NHL playoff shutout.
In his second stint with Philadelphia, Boucher has risen from third on the depth chart to top of the heap. The Flyers will have to wait to find out who they will play in the second round. The most likely opponent for the No. 7 seed is Presidents’ Trophy-winning Washington, which leads 3-1 against Montreal.
Philadelphia did its damage despite a relatively low shot total on Martin Brodeur. Giroux, who also assisted on Briere’s second of the series, scored his two goals in the second when the Flyers recorded only four shots. They were outshot 18-14 through 40 minutes, yet led 3-0.
The Devils face a disappointing end to a season that showed promise. New Jersey won the Atlantic Division title for the ninth time, reached 100 points for the 12th time in 15 seasons, and qualified for the playoffs for the 13th straight season.
But they are left with a third straight first-round ouster, despite earning the No. 2 seed in the East and finishing 15 points ahead of the Flyers.
