Coming into the Eastern Conference Finals on the heels of the greatest comeback in team history, most people were anxious to see what the Flyers could bring to the table in Game 1. After all, the Flyers got just a day off in between beating the Bruins and starting the Conference Finals against the Canadiens, and Montreal seemed like destiny's darling, having knocked off the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins in seven games. What the fans at the Wachovia Center got tonight was an effort fitting of a team that had just finished an historic comeback, as the Flyers pounded Montreal, scoring four goals in the first two periods and just piling on after that for a 6-0 win and a 1-0 series lead.
Braydon Coburn got things started in the first period with an early power play goal that gave the Flyers a 1-0 lead, but the rest of the first period played more into the hands of Montreal. The Canadiens outshot the Flyers 13-6 in the first period, but Michael Leighton did more than enough to make sure that Montreal was unable to tie up the game or even take the lead. Ever since the first period of Game 7 against the Bruins, Leighton hasn't given up a goal, and has looked every bit like the goalie that was playing so well before he was injured towards the end of the season. After the first period, the offense made things a lot easier for Leighton.
Even with a 1-0 lead, the Flyers had been outplayed by Montreal for much of the first period, but that quickly changed in the second. James van Riemsdyk, Danny Briere and Simon Gagne all scored within the first ten minutes of the second period, chasing Montreal goalie Jaroslav Halak from the game and putting things out of reach early. For van Riemsdyk, it was his second goal in as many games, and the rookie looks like he's waking back up again after being in a funk for most of the Boston series and the entire New Jersey series. For those of us who wanted Danny Briere off this team, he's making us eat our words tonight. His goal in the second period was his eighth in ten games, and he has really picked things up for the Flyers on the offensive side of the ice. Meanwhile, Gagne has scored five goals in his last five games, and the Flyers have yet to lose since his return from injury. I really don't think that's a total coincidence, because Gagne is one of the heartbeats for this Flyers team.
The third period was more of the same for the Flyers, as they added two more goals against Carey Price. The suddenly hot Scott Hartnell added his third of the playoffs, and Claude Giroux did the honors in finishing the scoring, putting in his sixth goal of the postseason to finish off the Game 1 demolition. This was the exact kind of showing that the Flyers could have dreamed about after the Boston series, and they got it tonight. The offense was on point, even in the first period, and the first two goals were scored right in the crease, taking the skill set of Halak out of play. It looked similar to the Boston series, where the Flyers crashed the net in front of Tuukka Rask. To beat skilled goalies, sometimes you have to get physical with them, and the Flyers are certainly capable of that.
They also played Montreal much more physically than either Washington or Pittsburgh did for much of either of their series against the Canadiens. Philadelphia is a physical team first and foremost, and it showed tonight. Chris Pronger was on Mike Cammalleri from the word go, keeping the hottest player in the playoffs from picking up more than a single shot during the game, and he did his job against the rest of the Canadiens as well, helping to kill four Montreal power plays. The Flyers did their job when they had the man advantage, too, scoring twice on power plays and once right after a power play ended.
Considering everything that the Flyers went through last week, it was good to see them come out and treat this as a completely fresh start. That was exactly what needed to happen, and the Flyers looked like the fresher team tonight against an overworked Montreal team. It's still way too early to be thinking past the next game, but tonight was certainly a message that was sent by the Flyers. They aren't the Capitals or Penguins, and they're going to play Montreal tougher than any other team in the playoffs has yet. Nothing is ever decided in Game 1 of a series, but to have that first win is a big step in the right direction. Now, the Flyers have to put this game behind them and come out for Game 2 on Tuesday night with the same kind of fire and intensity that they had tonight. If they can do that, then they'll go to Montreal with a 2-0 series lead and all the momentum that they should need for this series.
Regardless, I'm not going to celebrate until the Flyers finish this series. The Canadiens are a damn zombie team this year. They should have died twice, but they're still around. Nothing is over yet, not by a long shot.
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