Caps Lose, Flyers to Face Bruins in Round 2

Well the verdict is in. The Flyers will play the Boston Bruins in the Eastern Conference semifinals starting on Saturday. The Capitals collapse of a 3-1 series lead against the Montreal Canadiens is the reason the Flyers are in this position.

This series sets up well for the Flyers. Both teams play physical and have made an outstanding commitment to defense so far in the playoffs. Both goaltenders (Brian Boucher and Tuukka Rask) have elevated their play.

Here are the keys to the Flyers winning the series:

-Special teams are going to be crucial. The loss of Ian Laperriere is devastating to the Flyers' penalty killing unit that stifled the Devils so younger players will have to fill the void. Notable names mentioned have been Jon Kalinski and Andreas Nodl.

-Goaltending. Boucher and Rask have been surprisingly superb (remember in Sports Illustrated when Boucher was picked as number 16 out of 16 best playoff goalies). What it will come down to is which goalie can steal a game for his team not just make the routine saves.

Marc Savard. Savard has been cleared to play for the first time since getting annihilated by Pittsburgh's Matt Cooke and suffering a grade two concussion on March 7. Savard will most likely be rusty despite being able to practice the last couple of weeks just like when Jeff Carter came back from his first broken foot. If Savard resembles his old self though and ignites this offense, it could be a long series.

On paper and systematically, the Flyers got the match-up they wanted. As daunting as the injury list looks, the Flyers have not only overcome that adversity so far, they have done so with authority. There is no reason to doubt that now.

Prediction: Flyers in 6.

Finally I have loved all the different "History Will Be Made" fan videos that have been posted and I wanted to put one up here of my idol growing up and trying to play the game the right way.

Giroux Erupts, Flyers Advance in Five

The picture says it all.

Claude Giroux, at just 21, is already a playoff star and performer. Giroux contributed on all three Flyers goals last night with two goals and an assist, as the seventh seeded Flyers eliminated the second seed New Jersey Devils last night.

The Flyers set the tone early into the game, on a spectacular goal by Danny Briere with Giroux making an unbelievable spin move pass.

The Devils, who seemed to lack the urgency and sacrifice the Flyers showed at home in Game 3 and 4, sent a barrage of shots at the net, but Brian Boucher was up to the task, as his fantastic postseason play continues.

The second period belonged to Giroux. A blocked Mike Richards shot came right into the slot to a trailing Giroux. He teed it up and put the puck in the back of the net so quickly, the goal had to be reviewed. About three minutes later, he buried another goal on the doorstep after Scott Hartnell won a puck battle in front of the net.

The Flyers preserved the lead and now wait for their next opponent. By winning last night, the Flyers have gained some much needed rest for their walking wounded. Blair Betts and Ian Laperriere, Laperriere especially, suffered injuries from the great amount of sacrifices they gave blocking shots. Also, this gives more time for Simon Gagne and Jeff Carter to recover from their surgeries.

The most likely opponent is the Washington Capitals, but it won't hurt if the Canadiens can extend the series.

Wednesday Game 1 Wrap Up's

What a great opening night to the NHL playoffs. For Flyers fans, it could not have gone any better.

The Flyers pulled out a 2-1 victory Wednesday night. The team relied on great defense, goaltending, and capitalized on the few mistakes the Devils made. Mike Richards and Chris Pronger, the man they brought in to elevate the Flyers level of play in the playoffs, tallied for the Flyers. Travis Zajac was the Devils' lone scorer.

Despite a great team effort, the Flyers still have a lot to improve on going into Game 2. The Devils dominated a majority of the game and despite Martin Brodeur's recent playoff collapses, 14 shots is simply not enough. It all starts with the breakout and better defensive zone play. If the Flyers make a good first pass and then can start the forecheck, they will be in much better shape.

In the other three contests last night, the Ottawa Senators sent a shock wave through the league and made a statement by beating the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins last night. If goalie Marc-Andre Fleury does not get it together, the Penguins title defense will swiftly lead to the first tee.

Also, the Phoenix Coyotes did not go quietly into the night against the juggernaut that is the Detroit Red Wings. The Wings looked primed for another playoff run the way they ended the season and started the game, jumping out to a 2-1 lead. However, Phoenix kept coming at Detroit and rookie goalie Jimmy Howard. By using the points and working from the top of the offensive zone, Phoenix scored two unanswered goals and secured the win.

Finally, in the biggest upset of the night, the eighth seeded Colorado Avalanche went into the Shark Tank and beat the top seed in the West, the San Jose Sharks. The young uprising Avalanche scored with less than a minute left to continue a trend that Sharks fans are fed up with, early playoff letdowns.

Tonight, three other series are set to begin. The heavily favored Washington Capitals are ready to try and take the first step toward the Cup by taking on the always underachieving Montreal Canadiens.

In Buffalo, the Sabres will take on division rival Boston. The Bruins won some critical games down the stretch including a nice win in Washington while sitting key players Zdeno Chara and Mark Recchi. Both teams have trouble scoring, but the Sabres have a man by the name of Ryan Miller, who I believe will be the difference in this series.

Finally, another surprise team, the Los Angeles Kings travel to Vancouver to take on the Canucks. The Kings are not to be taken lightly in this series. They have a good combination of skill and grit and goaltender Jonathan Quick has shown he can be brilliant through stretches during the year. The Canucks are going to need more of a supporting cast to help the Sedin twins and a return to normalcy in elite goaltender Roberto Luongo not the inconsistent one they had this year. Let the madness begin!

Flyers Clinch! Devils Series Preview

I said in my last post that Brian Boucher would have to play like Ron Hextall did in his rookie year to get this Flyers team anywhere. He did what he needed to and the Flyers are going to the playoffs on a 2-1 victory in the shootout.

Henrik Lundqvist, who played just as well if not better for the Rangers, looked exhausted and overwhelmed in the shootout.

The Flyers were all but packing their golf bags until early in the third period when Matt Carle scored the biggest goal of his young career on a rebound in the slot. That tied the game and forced overtime and a shootout. Danny Briere may have earned all of his $6.5 million annual salary by making Lundqvist look foolish on the first shootout attempt. Mike Richards then missed for the Flyers and it was tied at one going into the final round.

Claude Giroux came down on Lundqvist like a wrecking ball and beat him five-hole like it was nobody's business.

Olli Jokinen, the final hope for the Rangers, came flying down the ice all the way from his defensive zone, only to be denied by Boucher.

With a win today as well, the New Jersey Devils clinched the second overall seed in the conference and are the opponent all Flyers fans have been hoping for. The Flyers are 5-1 against New Jersey this year and the return of Jeff Carter has clearly sparked the offense. The playoff schedule has not been released yet, but the playoffs overall start on Wednesday. Prediction: Flyers in 6.

Final Regular Season Game

Well, it has all come down to this. One game. For a team predicted to win the Stanley Cup in the preseason, the 2009-2010 Flyers may go down as one of the most disappointing teams in team history with a loss Sunday.

Thanks to another emotionless performance on Friday night and without the help they have received for a month from other teams to keep them in it, the Flyers' playoff run starts now if at all.

I have been reading the other online blogs and I understand why fans want the team to lose tomorrow. Maybe a reality check by missing the playoffs will make the Flyers' brass (Ed Snider) come to the realization that the Broad Street Bully days are over. Gary Bettman, Colin Campbell, and a majority of the players in the league have led to this post-lockout culture.

Barry Melrose put it best, he does not want to see the game of hockey become a game that can be played by cowards. I hate to say it, but it is almost if not already at that point.

The fact of the matter is the Flyers honestly have a line and a half of skill and two and a half lines of grit and tough guys. That is not going to cut it in the post-lockout NHL.

Despite the return of Jeff Carter, the Flyers continue to be bewildered by the fact it takes a full 60 minutes of all out effort to win a hockey game. Not 54, where they take a six minute nap and think they have enough skill to make up for it. Because quite frankly, that skill is overrated or past its prime. Regardless of the result, it will mark the beginning of an intriguing playoff series or offseason.

Maple Leafs Tonight

It's the final week of the season and I'm back after a month off from a lot of school work. My how the Flyers' situation has changed. Two goalies shut down, seven have dressed as Flyers this season. It is a mess.

However, despite all this the Flyers miraculously are still as of today in the playoffs. The problems have been everything from an inefficient offense, poor goaltending, and now even the New York newspapers are setting the tone for this weekend's home and home with the Rangers by claiming the Flyers have locker room issues.



The way I see it, it all comes down to the following going on from here:

-The players earning the big bucks (Danny Briere, Scott Hartnell, to some extent Mike Richards) need to start earning the paycheck.

-Brian Boucher is going to have to play like Ron Hextall did in 1987.

-The forecheck must be relentless all 60 minutes of every game, players cannot be taking shifts off.

It all starts tonight, Toronto has an impressive 9-3-2 record since the Olympic break so the Flyers cannot take this game lightly.