Flyers share the blame for Leighton's struggles

When he recorded 3 shutouts in the Eastern Conference finals, Philadelphia goalie Michael Leighton didn't accept much credit.

So when Leighton surrendered 5 goals in Saturday night's Stanley Cup Finals opener before being pulled with 4:42 left in the second period, his teammates didn't allow him to take much heat.

"That's the first thing that (coach) Peter (Laviolette) said: 'Don't look at the goaltending. Blame yourself first,' " Flyers center Danny Briere said. "We're not blaming goaltending. I hope you (media) guys are not blaming goaltending.

"Because the shots he had to face, not too many guys are going to stop."

If Flyers fans feel obligated to apportion blame for the Hawks' playoff-high 6 goals, there are multiple ways to go.

On two occasions in the second period, Hawks forwards swooped into the slot undetected and turned passes from behind the net into easy goals.

"We've got to do a better job of shutting down the slot and in front of the net," said future Hall of Fame defenseman Chris Pronger, who witnessed so many Hawks goals he lost track. "The 4 that they got are probably the 4 that they could've had."

On the other hand, the Hawks' Patrick Sharp fired home a second-period goal over Leighton's flailing glove hand and Troy Brouwer's game-opening goal beat him on the stick side.

"I've got to make a few of those saves: That's the bottom line," Leighton said. "I'm not totally disappointed with the way I played. Every time they had a good chance, they scored."

Nonetheless, Leighton wasn't close to the same guy who surrendered just 1 goal every 41 minutes in his seven previous playoff games.

Midway through the second period, Leighton had just 9 saves to go with 4 goals allowed. He finished with 15 saves before getting pulled for Brian Boucher, who saw his first work since getting hurt May 10.

Laviolette didn't divulge who might be in net for Game 2 on Monday. He didn't discuss the issue with Leighton before measuring his words with the media.

So, how did Boucher look in Game 1?

"I thought 'Bouch' came off the bench," Laviolette said. "He looked good in practice and he did a good job."

Meanwhile, the feisty Pronger played the postgame like a pro as he alternately joked and scolded the media for their repetitive concerns about Philly's lack of defense.

"I think both teams are confident offensively," Pronger said. "Like I said earlier, defense wins championships. We need to tighten it up in our own end and play with a little more gusto in our own end."