Leighton back, but Flyers say Bobrovsky will be playoff goalie

The man who carried the Philadelphia Flyers into the Stanley Cup Final is back with the team after three months in the minors.

By Stephen Dunn, Getty Images

Goaltender Michael Leighton lifted the Flyers into the Stanley Cup Final last season but spent most of this season injured or in the minors.

By Stephen Dunn, Getty Images

Goaltender Michael Leighton lifted the Flyers into the Stanley Cup Final last season but spent most of this season injured or in the minors.

But even though the Flyers recalled goalie Michael Leighton Wednesday after he cleared re-entry waivers, coach Peter Laviolette said that rookie Sergei Bobrovsky will be the starter when the playoffs open next week.

"Our playoff starters are set," Laviolette told the (Cherry Hill, N.J.) Courier-Post. "In Game One, Bob's going to start and Boosh (Brian Boucher) will back up. They've been great all year. They've been terrific."

Leighton had replaced an injured Boucher in the second round last season and helped the Flyers rebound from a 3-0 deficit against the Boston Bruins and reach the championship round for the first time since 1997. They lost to the Chicago Blackhawks in six games.

But his 2010-11 season was derailed by a back injury, during which time Bobrovsky emerged as a rookie of the year candidate. When Leighton returned from surgery in December, he played one game and was sent to the Adirondack Phantoms in January.

Leighton went 14-12-1 there with five shutouts, including during in his last two appearances. He'll join a team that has two wins in its last nine games and hasn't won two in a row since March 8 and 10.

"I think our goaltending, in terms of depth, is better today than it was yesterday at this time," Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren said in a conference call.

Bobrovsky, who has has played most of the games during the recent slide and has played well, expect for being pulled against the Washington Capitals on March 22 and giving up four goals to the Ottawa Senators Tuesday night. Boucher lost both of his starts.

"We're lucky to have three good goalies," Flyers forward Claude Giroux said. "Leights was good for us last year. Without (Bobrovsky or Boucher), we wouldn't be in the position we're in now."

That position isn't as strong as it was. The Flyers have fallen out of first in the Eastern Conference, two points behind the Capitals, and the Pittsburgh Penguins are one point back in the Atlantic Division race.

The Flyers close with games Friday and Saturday against the Buffalo Sabres, a team they could face in the first round, and the New York Islanders. Giroux said the Flyers have to get back to the way they were playing early in the season.

"Maybe, it's a good thing that we're not playing well," he said. "Maybe it's going to be a wakeup call and guys are going to play better."

Giroux said finishing first overall in the East, gaining home-ice advantage in the first three rounds, remains the Flyers' goal.

"Any time you start a series at home, you feel more confident in front of your fans and they get you a little more motivated," he said. "I think the next few games are going to be huge for us."

Contributing: Chuck Gormley, (Cherry Hill, N.J.) Courier-Post

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