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A silent Bryzgalov is a confident Bryzgalov? His teammates think so

Ilya Bryzgalov, Andreas lilja

Philadelphia Flyers goalie Ilya Bryzgalov, left, celebrates with Andreas Lilja (6) during their 5-1 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 6 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series, Sunday, April 22, 2012, in Philadelphia. The Flyers won the series to advance. (AP Photo/Tom Mihalek)

AP

If you’re wondering about why Ilya Bryzgalov has been so quiet lately, that’s for a good reason. Ever since talking about his fear of bears and then being nearly eaten alive early in the first round by the Penguins, Bryzgalov has gone about his business very quietly and that’s by design.

As Randy Miller of the Courier Post Online notes, getting to talk to Bryzgalov is impossible now but his teammates have complete faith that he’ll get the job done against New Jersey in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

“We have a lot of confidence in Bryz,” Flyers center Claude Giroux said. “He’s a veteran and knows what he has to do out there. Defensively, we have to do a better job in front of him, and I think we will.”

Danny Briere also feels strong that Bryzgalov will do well with the Devils and that’s much in part to his stellar numbers against them this season. Bryzgalov is 3-0-0 with a 0.29 goals-against average and a .987 save percentage with two shutouts. With those kinds of numbers, it’s easy to feel confident. If he can continue that sort of play in the postseason, Bryzgalov can go ahead and not talk to as many people as he wants to.