Live On Twitter



NEWS BY DIVISION

Like Our Facebook Page

Podcasts

COLUMNS

Flyers-Canadiens an unlikely matchup Print
Headlines
Written by Brett Friedlander   
Sunday, May 16, 2010 01:09
Neither the Philadelphia Flyers nor the Montreal Canadiens were sure they’d even make the playoffs going into the final week of the regular season.

Now here they are going head-to-head for the right to play for the Stanley Cup.

To call the Eastern Conference final matchup between the No. 7-8 seeds unlikely is a little like saying that the ice the Flyers and Canadiens will be skating on is cold.

What makes the series all the more intriguing – not to mention surprising – is the way the teams got to this point.

Riding the hot goaltending of Jaroslav Halak and the goal scoring of Michael Cammalleri, eighth-seeded Montreal dug itself out of a 3-1 first-round hole to upset Presidents Trophy winner Washington. It then rallied from a 3-2 deficit by winning the final two games to oust defending Sidney Crosby and the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins.

As impressive as those comebacks may have been, they pale by comparison to the seventh-seeded Flyers’ route to the conference finals.

Not only did they join the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs and 1975 New York Islanders as the only teams in NHL history to win a series after losing the first three games, but they did it by overcoming a similar 3-0 deficit to stun the Boston Bruins in the decisive Game 7.

And the Flyers did it with a backup goalie, after Michael Leighton came off the bench to replace injured starter Brian Boucher midway through Game 5.
Leighton and Halak figure to be the key players in a series that promises to be as close and hotly contested as any in this postseason.

Not only did the teams both finish the regular season with exactly 88 points (the Flyers got the higher seed because they had more wins), but they also split their four meetings, with each winning once on the other team’s home ice.

Whoever survives this series and advances to the championship round will almost certainly do it with their defense.

While Philadelphia’s strength is a deep blue line anchored by veteran Chris Pronger, Montreal has climbed on Halak’s back to shut down two of the most dangerous offensive teams in the league in this postseason.

The Canadiens’ defense should get even better against the Flyers with the expected return of Andrei Markov to the lineup.

But while Montreal has been offensively challenged for most of the season, Philadelphia coach Peter Laviolette said his team won’t take the Canadiens’ attack lightly.

“Montreal has done an excellent job of defending their end,” Laviolette told NHL.com. “They're a very good offensive team, and I think that flies under the radar – especially when you're playing the Pittsburghs and the Washingtons of the world. Yes, they had to be good defensively, but they were also good offensively.”

Especially with Cammalleri leading all scorers with 12 playoff goals.

Captain Mike Richards leads the Flyers with 12 assists and 17 points. Philadelphia should also get a boost from the return of forward Ian Laperriere, who hasn’t played since taking a puck to the head in his team’s opening round series against New Jersey.

Game 1 is scheduled for Sunday at 7 p.m. in Philadelphia.

Comments (0)

Subscribe to this comment's feed

Show/hide comments

Write comment

smaller | bigger
security image
Write the displayed characters

busy
Last Updated on Sunday, May 16, 2010 03:40