Flyers Advance to Stanley Cup Finals

The Flyers put down the Canadiens on Monday night to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals. This will be the Flyers first Stanley Cup appearance since 1997, when they were swept by the Red Wings, and the Russian 5. The Flyers haven’t won a Stanley Cup since 1975 when the Broad Street Bullies were around, and have been to the Stanley Cup 5 times since then, and lost all 5.

This version of the Broad Street Bullies enters the Stanley Cup playing their best hockey all season. They defeated the Canadiens, who were playing great hockey coming into the series, 4-2, to eliminate Montreal. The Flyers advanced, and will face the Chicago Blackhawks in the Stanley Cup Finals, who swept the #1 seeded San Jose Sharks.

Eliminating the Canadiens in Game 5 is exactly what the Flyers needed to do. You didn’t want to have to go back to Montreal for a Game 6, or give them any momentum. The game didn’t start out exactly as planned, as Montreal scored 59 seconds into the game. They then went on the power play, and had an opportunity to take a 2-0 lead in the game.

They didn’t, and that particular Canadiens power play was the start of the Mike Richards show for the night. Richards plowed through a Canadiens player at the point setting up a shorthanded odd man rush that resulted in a good scoring chance for Braydon Coburn. About 30 seconds later, Claude Giroux cleared the puck out of the Flyers zone, and Richards chased after it. The puck slid into the Montreal zone, and Richards was in a race with Canadiens defenseman Roman Hamrlik to be the first to the puck. Canadiens goalie Jaroslav Halak then decided he wanted to be first to the puck and skated after it. What resulted was a 3 person sliding collision which sent Richards, the puck, and Halak’s goalie stick towards the net. Richards got up, avoided Halak’s stick, and put the puck into the back of the net.

This was just the beginning of Mike Richards playing the “I’m not going to let this team lose this game” role. That is what a captain should do in a big game like this, and Richards was up to the task. The Flyers added 2 goals in the 2nd, one on a nice pass by Matt Carle, which left Arron Asham in front of the net by himself. He made a nice move, and beat Halak. Just over a minute later, the Flyers showed great puck movement, including an unreal behind the net pass from Richards to Jeff Carter, who put a shot over Halak’s shoulder.

Of course the game had to be nerve racking though, as Montreal scored just 7 minutes into the 3rd period, and the Flyers had to hold off a desperate Canadiens team for most of the rest of the game. They did just that, as the defense played well, and Michael Leighton played well down the stretch, and another fabulous Mike Richards play led to a Jeff Carter empty net goal. Mike Richards played his best game in a while, and it was especially important for him to do this in such a big game. Richards is the captain of the team, and the leader, and he showed why on Monday. He was not going to let the Flyers lose that game, and was a beast on almost every shift of his.

Richards had a solid game, Arron Asham had a number of chances, and the defense and Leighton was solid. The first goal was a little bit of lazy defense, but also a goal that Michael Leighton could have saved. After this point though, Leighton was solid. The fans were amazing as always, as Philadelphia fans always are, and were rewarded with getting to watch the Flyers celebrate a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals. If the Flyers can win this Stanley Cup, it would be one of the more memorable seasons in Philadelphia sports history, and one of the best coaching performances by Peter Laviolette in these playoffs.

This was a great win, but the goal is to win the Stanley Cup, so there is still plenty of work to be done. As good as the Flyers are playing right now, which they are, the Blackhawks have been a great team wire to wire. They were the #2 seed in the Western Conference, which is a stronger conference than the East, and could have easily been the #1 seed. Instead, they took it to the #1 seeded Sharks in the Western Conference Finals. The Blackhawks feature 3 solid lines, come at you in waves, have star players on offense and defense, and also have a hot goaltender, much like the Flyers. It will not be easy, but it should be a very good Stanley Cup Finals.

Flyers Put Away Devils

The Flyers closed our their first round series with a pretty convincing series victory over the New Jersey Devils, who really seemed to have little interest in trying to get back into the series. The Flyers won 3-0 on the Devils home ice to eliminate the #2 seed. The Flyers went 9-2 against the Devils this season, including the playoffs.

If anything last night, the Devils had the puck in the Flyers zone more than the Flyers did in the Devils zone, but the Flyers converted their chances into goals, and the Devils did not. New Jersey went 0-8 on the power play, and I think the Flyers solid penalty killing was the main reason they won this series. This was perfectly exemplified last night when Ian Laperriere went down a blocked a slap shot with his face. It took about 60 or 70 stitches to close up a cut above Laperriere's eye.

With Jeff Carter and Simon Gagne out possibly for the rest of the playoffs, the Flyers needed some guys to step up and score some goals. Guys like Danny Briere and Scott Hartnell need to get going, and guys like Claude Giroux, and JVR, both of whom have played well, need to step up into an even bigger role. Danny Briere did his job, and played a great game. He got the Flyers on the board on the power play just over 3 minutes into the game. Two great passes, one from Richards to Giroux, and then from Giroux to Briere wide open in front of the net set up Briere's tally. Briere also saved a goal that appeared to be rolling into the Flyers net on a Devils power play, and Briere swatted the puck away just before it crossed the line. Giroux ended up scoring 2 goals in the 2nd period to put the game away. The Flyers just kind of sat back and didn't make any mistakes in the 3rd period, and won the game, and advanced to the 2nd round.

Unfortunately, the Flyers probably will have to face off against the best team in hockey in the regular season, the Washington Capitals, and Alexander Ovechkin. The Capitals have one of the most potent offenses the NHL has seen in a while, led by Ovechkin, Backstrom, and Semin. I hope that the Canadiens can win another game at least in that series to extend it and put some pressure on the Capitals. As good as the Capitals offense is, their defense and goaltending aren't great.

Either way, the Flyers played a great series, but need to step it up in the 2nd round if they want to beat whoever they end up playing. Boucher needs to continue his strong performance from this series to help this team advance through the playoffs.

Sixers Lose Game 5 to Magic

The Sixers lost Game 5 in Orlando, as the Magic took a 3-2 series lead. They will have the opportunity to close out the series Thursday night here in Philly. The Sixers really continue to not play all that well, and in every game this series have had an opportunity to take control of a game, if they could just show some consistency on offense.

The first half was fairly close throughout, as most games in this series have been. The Magic were up six at halftime, but it wasn't until early in the 4th quarter when the Magic took a double digit lead. The Sixers would fight back and cut it to six, but couldn't get any closer, as the Magic closed out the game, and won 91-78. It goes without saying that the Sixers need to do better than 78 points. They need to do better than the 81 points they managed in Game 4. Andre Iguodala led the Sixers with 26 points. Andre Miller had 17, and Willie Green 16 for the Sixers. Dwight Howard, who is allowed to stay in the paint for the entire shot clock, had 24 points, and 24 rebounds for the Magic. The Magic out-rebounded the Sixers 45 to 33 in this game. The Sixers never really sustained any offensive threat, scoring 20, 19, 21, and 18 respectively in the 4 quarters. They really need to find a way to jump start the offense in Game 6.

I would also like to state that for a team as good as the Magic, they complain constantly. Led by Stan Van Gundy who never stops crying about the officiating on the bench, and then claims all the Sixers do is complain. Dwight Howard is a beast in the middle, but cries every time there is any physical play around him. He also threw a cheap elbow to the head of Dalembert in the 1st quarter, which really deserved more than a technical. According to the rules of what Howard did, he should have been ejected. Because he wasn't, he could be suspended for Game 6.

The Sixers need to hope to come out and win Game 6 at home, which is a definite possibility. At that point, anything can happen in a Game 7, but the Sixers first need to win Game 6.

Sixers Travel to Orlando for Game 5

The 76ers will resume their series in Orlando tonight in Game 5, with the series locked at 2 games apiece. The Sixers need to shake off the disappointing ending to Game 4, and come out like this is a completely new series.

The Sixers need to pretend this is just another game, and not a game that will turn the tide in this series. The Magic have not been playing their best basketball in this series, and really, neither have the Sixers. If the Sixers had just been able to shoot a little bit better in Game 4, they would be up 3 games to 1. The Sixers know they can play with the Magic, they just need to execute. They need to get out in transition almost every time the Magic miss a shot. If no transition basket is there, be smart enough to pull it back out and run the half court offense instead of forcing something that isn't there.

You have to hope that the Magic are not able to find their offensive touch. Dwight Howard is a beast, and has shown that at times in this series. However, his supporting cast has been average. You have to hope that the game winning shot from Turkoglu does not get him going in this series. If Turkoglu and Rashard Lewis start hitting their outside shots, the Magic are a tough team to beat, especially with Howard inside. Dalembert and Ratliff are doing a respectable job on Howard for the most part, there is just really no one in the league who can cover Howard for an entire game.

For the Sixers, the Andre's need to play well. This Sixers team seems to go as the Andre's do. If both Miller and Iguodala have a good game, the Sixers have a chance to win. They both played well in the Game 3 win, and neither played well in the Game 4 win. For the most part, Miller has been getting the better of Rafer Alston in this series, and the Sixers need to continue to exploit that mismatch.

By losing Game 4, the Sixers put themselves in the position of really needing this win tonight. If the Magic go up 3-2, they will most likely be able to win one of the final two games of the series to close it out. It would be huge for the Sixers to steal this game in Orlando, then go home with a chance to close out the series.

Flyers Avoid Elimination With Win

The Flyers stayed alive for at least two more days, fighting off elimination, and beating the Penguins 3-0 in Pittsburgh. Everyone can grow their playoff beards at least a little longer, and hopefully a lot longer.

The Flyers know they can play with the Penguins, and I think were a little angry at themselves for losing two games (Game 2 & Game 4) which wer every winnable. The Flyers came out and played a very focused, determined, and smart Game 5, while still playing their game. The Flyers victory allows the series to come back to Philadelphia for Game 6, where the most intimidating fans in the NHL are waiting.

After a scoreless first, Arron Asham got the Flyers on the board in the 2nd, with a nasty slap shot that couldn't have been placed any more perfectly in the upper corner of the net. In the 3rd period, the Flyers got goals from Giroux and Knuble to put the game away. The defense played their best game of the series, and Marty Biron obviously was solid, getting the shutout. The game was evenly played, the Flyers just being the team to put the puck in the back of the net. The Flyers did a great job back-checking, and not allowing the Penguins stars to ever get anything going.

This has been a very good series, probably the best first round series in the NHL so far, especially since it is between two rivals. Both teams now have 13 goals in this series. The Flyers need to keep doing what they have been doing the past few games in this series. They need to still play with a lot of focus, and desperation. Even though we held off elimination for one game, we still have to two more. We are still down in the series, and it's not going to be easy. But one game at a time is how the team has to approach it... and they did their job in Game 5. The series comes back to Philadelphia for a day game on Saturday.

Flyers Try To Avoid Elimination Tonight

The Flyers try to avoid elimination tonight against the Penguins in Game 5 of the first round series. The Penguins took a 3-1 series lead with a 3-1 victory in Game 4.

As bad an idea as it seems, there is nothing the Flyers can do other than continue to play the way they have played in the past two games. The Flyers won Game 3, and dominated the action in the Game 4 loss, but they want to keep doing what they have been doing. If that means playing another hard fought game, and losing, then so be it. The Flyers can claim they lost to the more skilled team, which is probably the case.

On offense, we need to see more from the top players. The Flyers had six 25-goal scorers in the regular season, but no one has really stepped up their game on offense, except for Claude Giroux. Danny Briere had a great assist in Game 3; unfortunately we expect more from Briere. Jeff Carter and Mike Richards both have one goal apiece, and we need more from both of them, especially when you get 8 power play opportunities in a game. The star counterparts on the Penguins have been doing their jobs. Malkin and Crosby are the reasons that the Penguins hold a 3-1 series advantage, along with Fleury, who has outplayed Biron in between the pipes.

A loss tonight would mark a disappointing end to the season. We expect more than a first round series loss from this Flyers team and this Flyers organization. The Flyers are an organization that has reached an elite status among NHL teams, yet have no recent Stanley Cups to show for it. We are always one of the better, more competitive teams, and thus first round losses are considered a disappointment. So hopefully we can put away our razors at least for one more game and grow our playoff beards a little longer.

Game 5 to Resume Tonight… Hopefully

The Phillies resume their bid for a World Series championship that was put on hold, and it looks like it will resume tonight at 8:37, in the bottom of the 6th inning, with technically Cole Hamels coming up. The weather in the Philadelphia area is sunny right now, and should be clear, but cold and windy at game time.

Let’s look at some of the scenarios that the Phillies have had to ponder for a couple days. With the pitcher spot due up, the Phillies will obviously use a pinch hitter to lead off the game. The Rays have their right-hander Balfour on the mound, who is a fastball pitcher who throws above 95 on the radar gun regularly. Because the Rays don’t have to make a pitching change until the Phillies announce their pinch hitter, the Phillies have to bring out a lefty, which would be Dobbs, Stairs, or Jenkins. In a tie game, which could go extras, you probably want to keep Dobbs on the bench, which leaves either Jenkins or Stairs as your options. Stairs hits fastball pitchers very well, and might do well against a fastball throwing right-hander. However, this is all assuming the Rays would leave Balfour in, and not bring out a lefty in Howell or Price. The Rays pitcher spot is due up 4th in the top of the 7th, so they probably would want Balfour to finish the bottom of the 6th, so they can use a pinch hitter if need be in the top of the 7th, if the pitcher’s spot in the order does indeed come up.

We also need to look at what the Phillies will do in the top of the 7th. The Phillies will face Navarro, Baldelli, and Bartlett. Navarro is a switch hitter, and then Badelli and Bartlett are right-handers. Normally, this is a role that Durbin would come into. However, Durbin has been shaky so far in the playoffs. You could also bring Madson in, and expect to get more than an inning out of him, but may not want to waste Madson in the 6th or 7th, especially since you may need him if the game is still tied later. The optimal situation is for Durbin to pitch the 7th, and then still have Madson, Romero, Eyre, and Lidge for the later innings. Also, if you go extras, you may need to go to Happ, since Happ can go multiple innings.

Normally, these pinch hitting decisions, and bullpen decisions are made within minutes on the bench in the course of the game, but we have had two days to ponder, analyze, and break down what decisions the Phillies will make. Let’s hope they make the correct ones.

This layoff has been tough on the Philadelphia fans, who have been waiting forever for this game, and hopefully a win to happen. It feels like this type of stuff only happens in Philadelphia. This article from Jayson Stark sums up perfectly the psyche of Philadelphia fans these past couple days.