The Flyers outlasted the Capitals to advance into the 2nd round of the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs. The potentially bad news? This game was their 3rd game in 4 nights. Enter the top seed Montreal Canadiens, the Flyers next opponent. The Habs are the top seed in the conference and there was no rest for the weary, as game 1 got underway tonight from Montreal. Were the Flyers ready? Wie!

Fatigue was not a factor in the slightest bit from the orange and black to begin this game. They came out with a hop in their step, clearly motivated from an emotional victory days earlier. It’s been noted that against Washington, the Flyers had to focus on one player, and Montreal would pose a problem in their depth. The first period was a breath of fresh air for the Flyers, and a bit of a shock for the overly confident Montreal fans and their team.

The Flyers came out firing and while the game stayed scoreless for much of the period due to outstanding goaltending, the Flyers caught the first break. Just over 13 minutes into the opening period, R.J. Umberger backhanded the puck into the middle which was deflected off a Montreal stick and into the net. A lucky bounce resulted in a 1-0 Flyers lead. But the luck would even out later.

The boys from Philadelphia didnt waste much time adding to their lead. Just over 3 minutes later, Jim Dowd sent a nice shot past Price and put the orange and black up 2-0. No offense from Briere and Richards? No problem; the Flyers were getting effective play from all 4 lines and goals from all over. The shots were close, 10-9 in favor of Philadelphia, at the end of one period of play.

Somehow, someway, the Flyers kept their legs churning in the 2nd period as they continued to mount offensive attacks. After a penalty shot was stopped for Biron, the Flyers had all the momentum in the world. But back came the Habs. Right around the midway point of the period, Kostitsyn put the puck in the net past Biron to cut the lead in half. But it was the next goal in the game that was truly heartbreaking with the Flyers playing such a good game. On a power play for the Flyers, Montreal took it down the ice on an innocent 2 on 2. A shot was put on net and Biron got a piece, but it trickled over his head and as it was heading towards the net, Alexei Kovalev swatted the puck in to tie the game at 2. Almost immediately, Biron, Briere, and other Flyers on the ice were screaming for a high stick, and for good reason. As the puck was coming down, multiple angles showed Kovalev’s stick hit the puck while the blade was coming down above the crossbar. His stick actually ended up hitting the crossbar after contact with the puck. It was a tough call for the men in Toronto to make, sure, but it was later noted that when asked after their ruling they claimed it was absolutely certain it was a goal. Absolutely none of the angles showed anything representing a legal goal. So, the Flyers got some luck on Umberger’s goal, and Montreal got some here.

The third period was just as entertaining, and the Flyers started the period fast and on the power play. They wasted no time in capitalizing as a shot from Coburn at the point went in and out of Price’s glove and Lupul swatted it into the net. Yet again the Flyers regained momentum and the lead, 3-2. The minutes kept ticking by, and despite poor play in the neutral zone at times, the Flyers held their lead as 1:30 remained on the clock. Biron was fantastic all game, and stopped the first 8 shots in the 3rd period. But then the luck card game into play again, and yet again it went in favor of Montreal.

With just 1:19 left in the game, the Habs were trying to get the puck into the offensive zone. Mike Richards put his body into the puck carrier and was called for kneeing Alexei Kovalev. There is no Philadelphia bias in saying this was a terrible call. Replay showed that Richards made a play on the man with the puck. Nothing dirty, no knee to knee, and no elbow. The Montreal faithful had been given a gift and a chance to tie this game. With an offensive zone draw, Price was pulled for a 6 on 4 situation. The Habs passed it around and with just 29 seconds left from the Flyers taking game 1 on the road, Kovalev fired a bullet shot from the circle to tie the game, 3-3. You want some bad luck? Right off the face off, Jeff Carter’s stick broke right in half and he was unable to take his man off the draw. His man? You guessed it, Kovalev.

So for their second playoff game in a row, the Flyers would be headed for overtime. The score was tied 3-3 and the shots were 32-31 in favor of the Flyers. Both goaltenders had played terrific games for the most part, especially Marty Biron. The Flyers had caught some bad breaks down the stretch, from broken sticks to bad calls. But they had to march on.

Ferocious skating and unreal play from Marty Biron had the Flyers lined up for the win. But it was not to be, as Montreal ended it just 48 seconds into OT on a goal from Kostopoulus. This goal, like the one Kovalev used to tie the game in the 3rd, had no chance of being stopped by Biron.

This is a heartbreaking loss for the Flyers; they played the better game. They had great goaltending, they were physical, and they scored on their hot power play. They had the lead for most of the game and played like a team that was rested for a week, not one that had just come off a 7 game series. Montreal played a good game as well, but the Flyers certainly deserved a better outcome than this loss. Bad calls and unfortunate breaks cost them the game. But as they’ve done all year, regular season and against Washington, the Flyers wont back down. They showed guts in this game. Biron certainly came to play big time. They got terrific contributions from players like Upshall who drew a few penalties, and strong defense from Hatcher. This game hurts, and they’ll take it on the chin. But trust me when I say: they will be more than ready for game 2 on Saturday.

Aaron’s 3 Stars:

1. Alexei Kovalev - 2 G
2. Tom Kostopoulus - 1 G, game winner
3. Marty Biron - 30 saves on 34 shots

EASTERN CONFERENCE

1. Montreal Canadiens versus 6. Philadelphia Flyers

Dave: Yes, Montreal is going to be a tougher task for the orange and black than the Washington Capitals were, but they play a very similar style of offense. I think the Flyers breathe a sigh of relief that they no longer have to shadow one excellent player but now they have to deal with a team with more depth. The Habs won the season series 4-0 between the two teams but hey, Boston lost the season series to Montreal 8-0 and pushed the series to game 7. I think the Flyers will be able to do the same and win the extra game. PHILADELPHIA in 7

Jeff: Both of these teams survived Game 7 to get to this point. This should be a great series, as both arenas have great atmospheres. Carey Price has proven his worth in the first round, showing why he is and will be the starting goaltender for the Habs for years to come. I see this series coming down to depth, and Montreal has that. Philadelphia does not have to try and shut down one player this time around. Instead, they get to try to shut down Alexei Kovalev, Andrei Kostitsyn, Tomas Plekanec, and you cant forget about Saku Koivu. Too much balance all around for Philadelphia to handle. MONTREAL in 6

Aaron: This series is surprising in 2 different ways. First, I was shocked it took Montreal 7 games to finish off Boston; I thought the Habs would be dominant..sweep style. Also, I am shocked, slightly less this time, that the Flyers are rolling into the second round here. Just one year removed from a 56 point season, that’s an incredible turnaround. The Flyers are so deep and can get scoring from so many places. Losing Knubs hurts a lot, and Biron has to be really good each game, which he hasn’t proven yet. I like Montreal, they’ll prove a bit too much as they march towards the Cup. French and Canadian…I don’t hate many things more. Still a success of a season for the Flyers though, big things next year. MONTREAL IN 6

2. Pittsburgh Penguins versus 5. New York Rangers

Dave: The Penguins have proven they can win in the playoffs after sweeping a poor Ottawa Senators team. On the other side Henrick Lundqvist was stellar for the Blueshirts, getting the better of future hall-of-famer Martin Brodeur. Neither of these teams are known for their defense, so it will be interesting to see how two high powered offenses mesh with two great goal tending performances in the first round. All in all I think Pittsburgh has more depth, so I give the series to them. PITTSBURGH in 6

Jeff: This series will have great match-ups all around. Sidney Crosby/Chris Drury, Evgeni Malkin/Jaromir Jagr, Marc-Andre Fleury/Henrik Lundqvist. This will probably be the marquee match-up of the second round. Both of these teams are very hot coming into this series; Pittsburgh sweeping the Ottawa Senators and the Rangers beating the Devils 4-1. Just like the Montreal/Philadelphia series, it will come down to depth, and Pittsburgh has that AND MORE. Look for Evgeni Malkin to continue his great play and for others to step up their game (like Ryan Malone and Marian Hossa).PITTSBURGH in 6

Aaron: The reason the Rangers are doing so well, even while knocking off Brodeur and Co., is Henrick Lundqvist. Goaltending is the most important part of playoff hockey and they have it going right now in net. Obviously he’ll have a lot to deal with against captain cry baby and Malkin, but the Rangers got hot at exactly the right time. They finished the season strong and I like them to keep rolling. Should be an entertaining series. RANGERS IN 7

WESTERN CONFERENCE
1. Detroit Red Wings versus 6. Colorado Avalanche

Dave: Classic series. The mid to late ’90s match-ups between these two teams were epic and I think more of the same will come here, but in the end Detroit is the stronger team. They got a great performance from Chris Osgood. He was around for those old school battles, and it seems Colorado just rebuilt that team with the same players so advantage Detroit there. DETROIT in 7

Jeff: These two bitter rivals from the 90’s are back at it in the second round. The problem is that Colorado is playing with all of those players from the 90’s. If Detroit can keep Chelios from dying on the ice, they should be able to handle Avs pretty easily. I look for Detroit’s Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk to have a great series against an over-matched Colorado team. DETROIT in 6

Aaron: What ever happened to the good old days when these teams had bench clearing brawls every game? Oh well, but this should still be a pretty good match up. Colorado played great against Minnesota, they got contributions from all over, a very steady and balanced team. Detroit did what great teams do, they faced a tough challenge when the Preds took a few games, bounced back and won the series. If they start Osgood, this could be over fast. DETROIT IN 5

2. San Jose Sharks versus 6. Dallas Stars

Dave: The Sharks had a long series against the Flames, sure, but I still think this is the year of the Shark. They have so much depth, and with the acquisition of Brian Campbell, this team is scary. My sincerest of apologies to the Stars for underestimating them. Great series with awesome play between the pipes from Marty Turco. Sergei Zubov rejoins the Stars in practice this week but it’s still not enough. I don’t think it will be easy, but look for the Sharks to play physical and outlast the Stars. SAN JOSE in 6

Jeff: So, I should’ve stuck with my original pick of the Stars beating the Ducks in 6. Ugh! Thanks Dave for getting me to change during our little chat. But, this round, I will not be switching. San Jose just got done with a 7 game series that probably took a lot more energy than anyone could have planned for. Behind veteran leader Mike Modano, and with the addition of Brad Richards, Dallas will come out well prepared to play this goal-scoring Sharks team. If Dallas is going to win, they will have to match the Sharks’ physical play and they will need Marty Turco to play great. I think it could and will happen in a hard fought battle going the distance. DALLAS in 7

Aaron: This is my favorite match up of the conference semi finals. These are 2 of the hottest teams down the stretch in the entire NHL. So many parallels too. Both teams are getting fantastic goaltending. Both teams have veteran centers who have been here before. Either of these teams is capable of winning the Stanley Cup in my opinion. In the playoffs it’s usually about who’s hot. San Jose showed their muscle in game 7 against Calgary, but Dallas really flexed early and often swatting away the defending champs. I really like how they’re playing. Turco always gets beaten up late in the playoffs, and hasn’t been able to put together a Cup run yet, I think this is his coming out series. DALLAS IN 6