Flyers decide to give Leighton another shot

Philadelphia coach Peter Laviolette promised Sunday afternoon that his Game 2 goalie decision would remain top-secret.

A few hours later, he relented and revealed Game 1 starter Michael Leighton will get another chance.

What inspired his change of heart? Perhaps he realized neither of his alternatives were top-choice.

If he hadn't opted for Leighton, the goalie with the freshly bruised ego, he had to go with former starter Brian Boucher, the goalie with the recently sprained knees.

Leighton, who entered the Stanley Cup Final on a more magnificent run than the Hawks' Antti Niemi, was yanked from Game 1 in the second period after surrendering his fifth goal in 20 shots.

"Obviously, I would be disappointed (not to start)," said Leighton before Laviolette revealed his choice. "I'm not going to sit there and pout on the bench, because we're in the Stanley Cup Final. My goal is to win a Stanley Cup starting on or off the bench."

Boucher, who started the Flyers' first 10 playoff games before spraining both knees on May 10 in the Eastern Conference semifinals against Boston, stopped 11 of 12 shots in relief of Leighton.

The 33-year-old Rhode Island native's only Game 1 miscue? Tomas Kopecky's game-winning goal midway through the third period.

"I was in the butterfly," Boucher said. "When he deked me, my momentum was still kind of going forward. Had I been still, I think I maybe would have been able to get the (right) leg there.

"But then I thought (Kopecky) was going to run out of room, to be quite honest. I didn't think he'd have the angle to shoot it in the net. I was kind of surprised that he put it in with such ease."

Boucher wanted to make his first start in three weeks, but not because everyone prefers to play.

"It's more nerve-wracking being on the bench at times," Boucher said. "Wondering, 'Will I get in? Is it coming?' "

As the score mounted swiftly on both sides in Game 1, Boucher couldn't detect whether that made Laviolette more prone to a change. That ratcheted his anxiety level.

And, unlike a relief pitcher or a second-string quarterback, there's no room for a backup goalie to channel his energy into a warmup before being forced into the fray.

"When it was a tie game or a 1-goal game, you don't know," Boucher said. "I was still a little surprised (Saturday) night."

Leighton worked off his postgame irritation by reviewing videotape with Flyers goalie coach Jeff Reese.

"Well, I didn't let any really bad goals in," Leighton said. "That's the way I look at it. I didn't make some big saves. That's pretty much what it came down to. Every good scoring chance they had, they scored."