One team had all the momentum coming into tonight’s game 5. That team was not the top seed Montreal Canadiens, who trail the Flyers in the series 2-1 and have an official goalie controversy. Despite speculation by some that Montreal is unfairly getting all the calls, it’s the underdog Flyers that have been getting the job done when needed. Also, remember that these are the same Canadiens who were taken to 7 games by Boston in the first round, but there was no time for a sigh of relief. The only mistake the Flyers have made was coughing up game 1 late in the 3rd and overtime. Since then, the Flyers took game 2 in Montreal and held off a late attack to win game 3 in Philadelphia. The result for Montreal? Unrest. Carey Price who started these playoffs so fantastic was out, and backup Jaroslav Halak was in.

The first period started out with the Canadiens flying all over the ice. The fourth line, who started the game for Montreal, was attacking in the Flyers zone and made the first minute and change look like a power play. But Marty Biron, who has played absolutely stellar hockey as of late, stopped the shots that Montreal peppered on goal early on. Those who thought that there was a conspiracy to make Montreal win this series got a strong backing for their case 5 minutes in, as Richards would get called for boarding. However, as the Flyers have done with each Montreal penalty, aside from the 5 minute major, it was a quick kill. Do the conspiracy theorists want more? Kukkonen was called for rouging a few minutes after the first man advantage had been killed off. He certainly gave a good jab to the back of the Canadiens player, but usually in the playoffs, a scrum right in front of the net is just that: a scrum. Philadelphia however killed this power play as well, with some more spectacular saves from Biron.

After a period, the Flyers were being out shot 14 to 7. The best chance of the period for either team may have been Jeff Carter’s shorthanded breakaway on which Halak stood tall and made the save. Philadelphia had little attack time in Montreal’s end the entire period, while the Canadiens spent a majority of the opening frame cycling the puck on the boards deep in the Flyers end. The Flyers penalty kill was fantastic again, and the star of the period was Marty Biron. But Philadelphia needed more sustained offense, more shots to test out Halak, and needed to stay the hell out of the box.

The second period began with a roar from the Philly faithful. No, it wasn’t for a goal, but finally a penalty on Montreal which would lead to the Flyers first man advantage of the game. This was a fantastic opportunity created by the hard work of Danny Briere, but over a minute and a half of attack time did not lead to a goal.

The Flyers, who had played the majority of this series with the lead, was still all even with the Habs. But a penalty on Koivu minutes later proved costly. The result? The fourth straight game with a goal for R.J. Umberger. After floundering the first half minute of the power play, the Flyers charged into the Montreal zone led by Briere. Daniel Briere swung the puck across to Umberger who wristed a shot into the net. Halak was low and ready for the shot, but it still got by him.

Montreal was given a golden opportunity to seize back momentum just seconds later as they were awarded another man advantage. A new power play for the Habs and the same old result, no goal and more spectacular saves from Biron. Marty had been having another sensational game to this point, and this kill was no different as he stopped shots from all over the ice. The Flyers had been having trouble getting shots on net the past few games and the series as a whole, and more than 11 minutes into tonight’s game they had just 10. The Canadiens already had 27 shots on goal as they were the faster team and certainly more aggressive on offense thus far. The Canadiens ended up out shooting the Flyers again this period by a count of 14-10, and led in the game 28-17. But the Flyers had the lead where it counted after 2 periods of play, the difference being Umbergers power play tally. Philadelphia was now just 20 minutes away from a 3-1 series lead.

The Flyers had played sub-par 3rd periods so far this series for the most part, allowing Montreal to dominate play and Marty Biron had bailed them out. This was not the case tonight as the Flyers came out aggresive and closed the gap in the shot differential. Following yet another killed penalty, this time a holding call on Umberger, Philadelphia had another jump in their step. About 7 minutes into the period, Prospal carried the puck into Montreal’s end on a harmless looking 2 on 2. His slapper rang right off the post; sighs from the crowd. The rebound went right to the trailer Scott Hartnell who fired it into the back of the net; the Wachovia Center erupted. With 13 minutes left the Flyers were playing fantastic hockey and had a 2-0 lead. But the Flyers were not sitting back after taking a 2 goal lead, as halfway through this final period the shots were 6-3 in favor of Philadelphia.

Just as Flyers fans were sitting back with a smile, the trend of Montreal crawling back into games returned in a big, big way. With 7 minutes left to play, Josh Gorges scored off a won faceoff. Just 37 seconds later Saku Koivu netted a wrister to tie the game, 2-2. The Wachovia Center was in a silent fear. But after a dumb penalty by Begin, the Flyers made the most of the power play. Daniel Briere, playoff leader in goals, added another one off the rebound. Just like that, the Flyers were back up 3-2 and the crowd was going absolutely insane. With 3 minutes to go, the Flyers would try and cling to that potential game winner. The Canadiens pulled Halak with just over a minute left and this time there were no late game heroics from Montreal. Umberger added his 2nd of the game with 1.4 seconds left on the empty net to seal the deal.

So the Flyers were up 2-0 in this game. They gave it all up fast, and then Briere saved the day. Philadelphia is now up 3-1 in this eastern semi-final match-up, and have pushed the Canadiens to the brink of elimination. Game 5 will be in Montreal on Saturday.

If this is how Montreal fans celebrate a ….FIRST ROUND WIN….

…I’m just not sure how well they’re holding up seeing their team go down 3-1.

Aaron’s 3 Stars of the Game:

1. Marty Biron - 36 saves on 38 shots

2. Daniel Briere - 1G, 1A

3. R.J. Umberger - 2G

photos from flickr: steve trapini, van murph, and flyers.nhl.com

Game 4 in Philadelphia Wednesday night will feature the Flyers first opportunity to push the Canadiens to the brink of elimination. Joining the team will be Mike Knuble, the right winger who has been out since midway through the Washington Capitals series. He tore his hamstring attempting to block a shot and has missed time ever since. His return to the lineup will inevitably force someone out. He will most likely rejoin the line with Jeff Carter and Scottie Upshall. But who will be the odd man out? Some point to R.J. Umberger, but he has the hot hands, scoring goals in each of the past three games. More than likely rookie Steve Downie will be a healthy scratch. 

Downie has had a taste of playoff action ever since game seven of the Washington series. Last game he was responsible for six penalty minutes and was not too effective offensively. Many “analysts” have pointed to Downie as being nothing more than a physical player, but those that have seen Downie know he is definitely capable of putting the puck in the net. Although this series has become more physical as it progresses, Knuble will probably replace the young, fiery Downie. 

The Flyers know for sure that Knuble will return to the lineup, but they do not know who they will face in net. Montreal coach Guy Carbonneau pulled rookie goalie Carey Price after two periods Monday night. Heallowed 3 goals on 12 shots. It is hard to fathom why Carbonneau would pull the young Price. The goalie is already only 20 years of age, responsible for carrying the Eastern Conference’s best team through the post-season. The move surely had to desecrate his confidence. Now, Carbonneau refuses to name his starter for game 4 until game time. Montreal’s backup, Jaroslav Halak, hasn’t started a game in over a month. After the Canadiens invested so much of their future in Carey Price, it would be rather difficult to sit the youngster now. If they do, it would be a great advantage to the Flyers, knowing there was a level of uncertainty in Montreal’s dressing room. 

Look for a great game 4 tonight in Philadelphia. The Flyers have to take their home ice advantage and run with it. They have the chance to put the Habs on the brink of elimination heading back to Canada. If nothing else, they can use this as a motivation. NO ONE TOUCHES ROCKY!  THIS MEANS WAR!

Photos courtesy, Getty Images the Hockey News