Flyers Search for the Cup: Game 1-Bobs was good, but the offense was cold as ice

No, that's not just a bad pun in the title. The Flyers peppered Buffalo's Ryan Miller with 35 shots, but he stopped them all as the Sabres won 1-0 and took a 1-0 lead in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals.

You can say what you want to say about how Sergei Bobrovsky finished the regular season, but last night, the rookie goalie was excellent. Bobs stopped 24 of 25 shots he faced and got the early playoff jitters out of the way as quickly as possible. He looked more like the goalie that had a surprising start to the year and forced Michael Leighton down into the minor leagues than the goalie that scuffled so much throughout most of March and April, and that's a good sign. For the Flyers to get anywhere in the playoffs this year, they're going to need to have good work from both Bobs and Brian Boucher in net.

Of course, they're also going to have to score a few goals along the way as well. Last night was just more of the same from the offense of late, as the Flyers failed to score on five power plays, including a game changing five on three chance that the Sabres were able to kill off. Despite the effort from Mike Richards and James van Riemsdyk, the Flyers just couldn't get anything going for very long in the offensive end. The power play failure might be where the Flyers are missing Chris Pronger the most right now, because Pronger is excellent at getting the man advantage set up and keeping the puck in the offensive end. With him out, the power play has been one of the worst in the NHL and is showing no signs of getting any better any time soon, and that's a big problem for this Flyers team.

Hopefully, the Flyers can get Pronger back for at least part of this series, because that could be a huge momentum shift for this team. They need to get something going on the power play, because those failures were the primary reason that the Flyers lost the first game of this series. They didn't look horrible last night. In fact, they looked a lot better than they had over the past few weeks when they squandered the top seed in the Eastern Conference away. However, just looking better against one of the hottest teams in the NHL coming into the playoffs isn't going to get anything done. All it's going to do is get this team sent home for the summer that much quicker.

Last night's game was a step in the right direction, but it wasn't a win. The Flyers need to come out tomorrow night for Game 2 with more fire, more passion and a game plan that will ensure that this series is tied going up to Buffalo for Games 3 and 4. Bobrovsky was excellent, and it wasn't really his fault that the Sabres were able to score, but he needs to do more of the same as well. Ryan Miller is one of the best goalies in the NHL when he's hot, and right now, he's very hot. This isn't going to be an easy series to win, but the Flyers showed a lot of heart in last year's playoffs. Now, they just need to find it again.

Game 2 is tomorrow night in Philadelphia. Hopefully, the Flyers can break through and get this series tied. If not, it might not even come back to the Wells Fargo Center.

Not a good night for Philly sports

Last night was a full slate of action for Philadelphia sports fans, with the Phillies, Sixers and Flyers all playing at about the same time. However, by the time the night was over, it was one of the worst sports nights of the year as all three teams ended up taking bad looking losses. I've already posted my thoughts about the Phils, but I've got a little bit to write about the other two losing teams from last night.

For the Sixers, a loss against the Celtics isn't really unexpected, since Boston has the second best record in the Eastern Conference, but what the 17 point loss does do is move the Sixers down towards the New York Knicks in the battle for either the sixth or seventh seed in the East. The Knicks have won four in a row, and are starting to gel after the Carmelo Anthony trade, while the Sixers have dropped their last two and five of their last ten games.

Don't get me wrong, the Sixers have surprised a lot of people this year. With two more wins, they'll clinch their first winning season since the 2004-05 season, and that's something that no one thought could happen this year, especially after this team lost 55 games last season. Elton Brand is actually looking like the player the Sixers spent all that money on, and Thad Young is really stepping his game up of late. Jodie Meeks has been a very pleasant surprise, and while Evan Turner is looking a bit like a bust, when he does get extended playing time, he's not too bad. Last night was one of those situations, as Turner led the Sixers in scoring with 21 points off the bench.

The Sixers have already clinched a playoff spot, but can they win an opening round series against the Miami Heat or Boston Celtics? The popular notion is that they can't, and I'm just about to side with that, but that doesn't mean that it's impossible. They might not win their first round matchup, but they'll scare whoever the hell they end up playing. Last night's loss not withstanding, the Sixers usually play very well against the top teams in either conference. Remember, this is the same team that held the San Antonio Spurs, the best team in the NBA, to 71 points not that long ago. While the odds of them beating Boston or Miami in a seven game series are going to be very high, it should at least be fun to watch. Think of this team like the Oklahoma City Thunder from last year. The Thunder scared the hell out of the Lakers in the first round, and they're even better this year. The same thing could happen with the Sixers.

The Flyers are making me slightly more nervous, and with good reason. There seems like there have only been two outcomes for the Flyers of late, and those are to lose in regulation or lose in a shootout. Last night was more of the same, as the Flyers dropped a 5-2 game on the road to the Ottawa Senators. If just losing the game to the 14th ranked team in the East wasn't bad enough, the loss dropped the Flyers out of first place in the Eastern Conference and cut their lead in the Atlantic Division to just a single point over the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Flyers can still clinch the division with a win and a single Pittsburgh loss, but right now, this team is getting dangerously close to the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference, which seemed almost impossible just a month ago.

The Flyers have done little to impress lately, save for a huge 5-2 win over the Penguins in their final matchup of the season. The loss of Chris Pronger is still being felt, and the power play has been almost invisible lately. The Flyers have converted on only 16.6% of their chances throughout the season, and that number is even worse of late. The defense has been non-existant at times, and both Brian Boucher and Sergei Bobrovsky have been struggling as well. Bobrovsky has been the real question mark, losing six of his last ten starts, even though some of those haven't been his fault.

Even with the questions in goal, the Flyers have just as many issues on the offensive side of things. Yes, they have six players with 20 or more goals on the season at the moment, but that doesn't do this team a single bit of good right now. Kris Versteeg was brought in to make the offense even better, but the offense has actually gotten worse since the trade that brought him to Philadelphia. Against teams that they should beat, like Ottawa and Atlanta, the Flyers can't get going on offense. They've missed chance after chance, and with the problems on defense, those missed chances are coming back to hurt them. Whether they come in the form of a poor power play or turnovers in the offensive zone, opposing teams are now doing what the Flyers did for most of the season: they're making the Flyers pay for each mistake.

The season isn't lost though, not by any stretch. The Flyers are still one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference, and with just two games to play in the regular season, can clinch the division with a win and a loss by Pittsburgh. The Penguins play their next game against the Islanders on Friday before closing out their season with one last game against the Atlanta Thrashers on Sunday. The Flyers play a potential playoff opponent in the Buffalo Sabres on Friday night, then finish things with a game against the Islanders on Saturday. If they manage to fall to the fourth seed, expect to see even more panic from the Philadelphia fan bases.

The Top Ten Philadelphia Sports Moments of 2010

It really was a good year for Philadelphia sports, wasn't it? Despite there not being a parade down Broad Street, fans had a lot of reasons to celebrate this past year. There were historic moments left and right, miracle finishes and a nice early Christmas present to close out the year. That being said, with 2011 now here, let's look back at what I thought were the top ten moments in Philadelphia sports this year.

Honorable Mentions:
Donovan McNabb is traded to Washington (April 4), Roy Halladay pitches a complete game to win the NL East for the Phillies (September 27), Roy Oswalt is called upon to play left field (August 24), The 76ers get the second overall pick in the NBA Draft (May 18), Jamie Moyer becomes the oldest pitcher in baseball history to throw a shutout (May 7).

Now, on to the top ten!

#10: The Philadelphia Union are born (March 25)
For those of you that don't actually know me that well, let me make this clear. I do not like soccer. I'm not sure why. It might have something to do with being forced to play it when I was younger and being horrible at it, but the same thing happened with baseball, and I love that. Regardless, when I first heard the news that Philadelphia was getting an MLS franchise, I wasn't that thrilled. Then, the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. Soccer clubs have some of the most passionate fans in the world, and where better to put a team than in Philadelphia?

The Union were founded back in 2008, but didn't play their first game until this season. While they had their ups and downs, just like any expansion team, they showed a lot of promise. Sébastien Le Toux was one of the top goal scorers in MLS, putting 14 shots in the net, and PPL Park is absolutely beautiful. The Union already have the support of Philadelphia fans, who didn't really need another reason to go to a sporting event, but have one now anyway. A seventh place finish in the Eastern Conference wasn't great, but the future is already looking bright for this young franchise. The first season for the Union, and the support that they got from the fans, was certainly one of the better moments of 2010.

#9: The Flyers beat the Rangers in a shootout to make the NHL Playoffs (April 11)
Don't let this current season fool you. The 2009-10 Philadelphia Flyers were, for most of the season, an average hockey team. They fired coach John Stevens 25 games into the regular season, and still only finished the year six games over the .500 mark. Philadelphia picked Michael Leighton up from Nashville, and somehow, Leighton became the starting goalie, only to be injured in March. Brian Boucher took over and led the team to the last two games of the regular season against the New York Rangers. All the Flyers had to do was win one of the two games. If they did that, they would clinch a spot in the playoffs. If they lost both, New York would go to the playoffs, and the Flyers would be sitting at home.

So, what did the Flyers do? They lost the first game of the home and home against the Rangers and then went into a shootout in the last game of the regular season, with the playoffs on the line. Danny Briere and Claude Giroux each scored for the Flyers in the shootout, leaving the pressure on Boucher as he faced Olli Jokinen. Jokinen made a move, but Boucher was ready, keeping the puck out of the net and sending the Flyers back to the playoffs for the third straight season. The regular season wasn't always pretty, but the playoffs were, and without this shootout win, none of it would have happened.

#8: Michael Vick is named the starting quarterback of the Eagles (September 21)
After the trade of Donovan McNabb, Eagles fans were expecting the Kevin Kolb era to begin in Philadelphia. After all, Kolb took the majority of the snaps during the preseason, and when Michael Vick got out onto the field during the preseason games, he still looked like the average player that he was back in 2009. There was no way that Vick was going to take over for Kolb.

Fast forward to the first game of this NFL season. Kevin Kolb lasted all of one half against the Green Bay Packers and was concussed, leaving the Eagles with no choice but to bring Vick into the game. Not only did Vick play well, but he almost led the Eagles to a come from behind win against a preseason Super Bowl pick in the Packers. Vick started for Kolb in Week 2, a 35-32 win against the Detroit Lions, and two days later, Andy Reid named him the starting quarterback for the rest of the season. While Vick did miss two games with a rib injury, his play this year more than justified Reid's starting of him. Yes, I have to eat some crow on this one. Vick has passed for over 3,000 yards with 21 touchdowns and just six interceptions while rushing for 676 yards and nine touchdowns. He was also elected as the starting quarterback for the NFC in the Pro Bowl later this month. Plus, the Eagles won their first NFC East title since the 2006 season. Overall, I'd say it was a good move.

#7: The Monday Night Massacre (November 15)
One week after defeating the Indianapolis Colts, the Eagles were making their first trip to Washington D.C. without Donovan McNabb in over a decade. Instead, McNabb was waiting for them as a member of the Washington Redskins, who, just five weeks before, had defeated the Eagles in Philadelphia and injured Michael Vick. McNabb got his revenge against the Eagles in that game, and the Eagles would get theirs on Monday Night, with the entire country watching.

It didn't take long for the Eagles to strike. In fact, it happened on the first play of the game. Michael Vick rolled out and hit DeSean Jackson for an 88 yard touchdown pass that set the tone. The rest of the first half was more of the same. The Redskins would punt the ball to the Eagles, or McNabb would turn the ball over, and the Eagles would march down the field and score. Philadelphia led 28-0 after the first quarter and 45-14 at the half. It was the most points scored by a road team against the Redskins in the first half in Washington history. The Eagles would score twice more in the second half to finish the game with 59 points. Michael Vick had insane, video game numbers, passing for four touchdowns and 333 yards while rushing for 80 yards and two more touchdowns. The 59 points were the most scored by a single team in Monday Night Football history, and Michael Vick became the first NFL quarterback to throw for over 300 yards and four touchdowns while rushing for over 50 yards and two touchdowns. This game set the stage for the rest of the season for the Eagles, and while it's not over yet, this win sure was fun.

#6: Flyers win the Eastern Conference Finals (May 24)
The 2010 NHL Eastern Conference Finals might have been the most unlikely in NHL history. Not only were the Flyers there as the seven seed, but they had home ice advantage, due to the Montreal Canadiens making it there as the eight seed. In a conference with Washington, Pittsburgh, Boston and Buffalo, the Flyers and Canadiens were going to face off to see who was going to the Stanley Cup Finals. Michael Leighton had returned from injury and was starting in goal again for the Flyers. He didn't waste his chance, recording back to back shutouts in Games 1 and 2 to give the Flyers a 2-0 lead in the series. Montreal took Game 3 back in Canada, but Leighton responded with his third shutout of the series in Game 4, putting the Flyers one win away from their first trip to the Stanley Cup Finals since 1997.

Montreal scored just a minute into Game 5, but Mike Richards would answer back with the goal of his season, getting a shorthanded breakaway three and a half minutes later. Jaroslav Halak came out to play the puck and collided with Richards and Roman Hamrlik. Somehow, Richards got up first with the puck on his stick and put it in the net. You could feel the energy get sucked from the Canadiens at that point. It was an amazing goal that was one of the best moments of the year for the Flyers. Arron Asham and Jeff Carter each scored in the second period, and when Carter added the empty netter at the end of the third period, the dream that had just gotten past the Flyers year after year since 1997 was finally a reality. They were headed back to the Stanley Cup Finals. The end result wasn't what everyone wanted, but let's be honest. It was one hell of a ride.

#5: Cliff Lee returns (December 15)
As the 2010 MLB offseason began, there was one big player that everyone was talking about. It wasn't Carl Crawford or Jayson Werth, but Cliff Lee. While Crawford and Werth were rumored to sign just about everywhere, Cliff Lee was apparently down to two teams. Either the Texas Rangers, who Lee had helped guide to the World Series with victories in the ALDS over Tampa and the ALCS over New York, or the New York Yankees, who Lee always seemed to beat when the spotlight shined brightest. The Philadelphia Phillies weren't given much of a chance at all, since they already had most of their pitching budget spent on Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels. With the winter meetings winding down, and Jayson Werth signing with the Nationals, Phillies fans were just about to resign themselves to having a winter without a major splash in the baseball market.

Then came the news that a third, mystery team was in the running for Lee. The news came fast at that point. The Yankees were out of the running, and it was down to Texas and this other team. Rumors were flying around. Was it the Red Sox? Could the Nationals really make another big free agent move? If it was the Phillies, where did they find the money? It turns out, it was the Phillies, and just hours after the news about the mystery team broke, Cliff Lee had decided to come back to a city where he had spent just one half of one year, but fell in love. It wasn't the Phillies that got in touch with Lee, it was the other way around. Lee had asked his agent to talk to the Phillies and see what it would take for him to come back. Ruben Amaro got clearance from the owners to make the offer, and this time, Cliff Lee is staying for the next five years. The $120 million contract he signed doesn't hurt, either. Now, the Phillies have Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt, Cole Hamels and Cliff Lee. Go ahead, pick a pitcher you want to hit against.

#4: Roy Halladay's playoff no-hitter (October 6)
The Phillies brought in Roy Halladay for the sole reason of winning big games when it mattered the most. As this past season went along, Halladay did that more and more, finishing his regular season with a complete game shutout against the Washington Nationals that gave the Phillies their fourth straight National League East championship. His next start wouldn't be until Game 1 of the NLDS against the Cincinnati Reds, who won the National League Central for the first time in over a decade and boasted an offense that was one of the best in baseball. Halladay had already thrown a perfect game during the regular season, so there was no way that he could top that in the playoffs, right?

He sure came close. In his first ever playoff start, Roy Halladay pitched just the second no-hitter in playoff history. He struck out eight and walked just one batter on a full count in the fifth inning. Aside from that, the Reds couldn't figure out Halladay, and the Phillies scored four runs in the first two innings. That was all Halladay needed. He wasn't quite perfect against the Reds, but he was damn close. Just like the Flyers, the playoff run for the Phillies didn't end how they wanted it to, either. A sweep of the Reds was still nice, and having one of two pitchers in baseball history to throw a playoff no-hitter didn't hurt. There's one more moment from Halladay on this list. I bet you know what it is.

#3: The Miracle at the New Meadowlands (December 19)
The last moment to happen this year came when the Philadelphia Eagles staged that remarkable comeback against the New York Giants just two weeks ago. I really don't have anything new to write about it, so here's part of the recap from the game.

You have to give love to the special teams as well. First came the onside kick with the Eagles down 31-17. The Giants weren't prepared for it, and Riley Cooper did a great job making sure that the ball went ten yards before he touched it. The Eagles would score on that drive, cutting the lead to 31-24. Then came the last play of the game. This one falls more on the Giants than the Eagles, because, thanks to a high snap and a poor kick, the ball came right to DeSean Jackson, which was pretty much the one place that Tom Coughlin didn't want the ball to go. The kick was so bad that Jackson had time to fumble it, pick it up and find a hole to run through before the Giants even made it down the field to try and tackle him. Jason Avant had a huge block at midfield, and that was all Jackson would need. Did he have to start celebrating at the 25 yard line? Of course not, but with the smack that the Giants were talking during the week and for most of the game, I don't blame him. This game was a likely once in a lifetime comeback, so it's fine to showboat a little bit.

What else can be said? It was literally the most improbable ending to a game that I have ever seen in my life, and I'm sure it ranks right up there with just about any ending to any NFL game ever. When you get the first ever walk off punt return for a touchdown in NFL history, it's something amazing.

How can this just be number three on the list? Well, there was a little more history that was made this year in Philadelphia.

#2: Roy Halladay throws a perfect game (May 29)
At the end of May, the Phillies were going through some struggles that they usually reserve for the start of the baseball season. Coming into their series with the Marlins, the Phils had been shut out for an entire series against the New York Mets, and while they had won the first game of the series against Florida, with Josh Johnson going against Roy Halladay in the second game, it was going to take an even bigger effort to make sure the Phillies would win their first series since the middle of the month.

Roy Halladay had come close to pitching a no-hitter before, but he had never been able to get to the end. On this night, he would do just that. Halladay worked just the 20th perfect game in major league history, recording 27 straight outs against the Florida Marlins. Wilson Valdez scored the only run of the game on a Chase Utley fly ball that was misjudged by Cameron Maybin, but it didn't matter. All that mattered was that Roy Halladay was able to pitch the second perfect game in Phillies history, and that all the hype surrounding Halladay when he came to Philadelphia was legit. Halladay was a big game pitcher that could make history on any night, and he would do it again in the playoffs against Cincinnati, as I already discussed. There's a reason Halladay won the Cy Young Award this season, and the perfect game was the cherry on top of one of the best pitching seasons in recent Phillies history.

How can this not be number one? Well, at the same time Halladay was throwing his perfect game, the Flyers were playing Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals against the Chicago Blackhawks. Two weeks before that...this happened.

#1: The Flyers come back from an 0-3 hole to beat the Bruins (May 14)
Being down three games to none in a best of seven series is the worst feeling for any team. Not only does your opponent only have to win one more game to knock you out, but for you to win, you have to do something that's only been done a handful of times in sports history. You have to win four straight games, with at least one or two of them coming on the road. Not only is is next to impossible, it's damn near improbable. Only twice in the NHL before last season had teams come back from an 0-3 hole to win the series, and it hadn't happened in over 30 years. That was the task in front of the Philadelphia Flyers after they lost Game 3 at home to the Boston Bruins by a 4-1 score.

Going into Game 4, they had two things going for them. First, they were still playing at home, and the fans were behind them every step of the way. Second, Simon Gagne was able to return from injury. Gagne's return proved to have the biggest impact in the series, as he scored the game winner in overtime to force a Game 5 back in Boston. The Flyers had a tiny flicker of hope still there. Game 5 went even better for the Flyers as they won 4-0, but lost Brian Boucher to injury, meaning that Michael Leighton would find himself back in goal for the Flyers almost two months after his injury. Leighton made the most of his chance, stopping 30 shots in Game 6 as the Flyers won 2-1 to force a Game 7 back in Boston with the chance of an historic comeback.

Things didn't start out that well in Game 7 for the Flyers. By the time most fans were getting comfortable to watch the game, Boston had already built a three goal lead. Flyers fans had seen this before and figured that their nice little run was about to end, but not with this team. James van Riemsdyk scored his first playoff goal late in the first period to give the Flyers life again, and then came the second period. Scott Hartnell scored two and a half minutes in, and Danny Briere scored on a wraparound goal six minutes later. Just like that, the game was tied heading into the third, where Simon Gagne would strike one more time. Boston was called for having too many men on the ice, and on the ensuing power play, Gagne managed to fire a shot into the back of the net. The Flyers had a 4-3 lead that they would hold onto, making them just the third NHL team to come back from being down three games to none and win the series, and they were the first team to ever complete the feat after being down 3-0 in Game 7.

These type of moments don't normally happen to Philadelphia sports teams. That's why this was the best moment of 2010 in Philadelphia sports. Hopefully, 2011 can provide us with just as many good memories, as well as a parade or two.

By the way...hockey's back!!

So, the Philadelphia Flyers had the first game of the season last night, as they opened up their defense of the Eastern Conference Championship against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Everything was set to go Pittsburgh's way. The Penguins were one of the best teams in the regular season last year, they were opening up their new arena and the Flyers were starting an untested rookie in goal in place of Michael Leighton.

Well, things didn't exactly go the way that the Penguins wanted them to, did they? Despite getting 15 shots on goal against rookie Sergei Bobrovski, Pittsburgh couldn't find the back of the net, and three minutes into the second period, Danny Briere showed a bit of his playoff glory from last year with the first goal in Consol Energy Center history. That's right. A Philadelphia Flyer, not a Pittsburgh Penguin, has the first goal in the new Pittsburgh arena's history. Pittsburgh has to live with that forever, and that's so worth it even right there. However, the Flyers weren't done yet, and they even got away with a win.

It wasn't perfect last night, but it was a good win for the Flyers. Claude Giroux left the game late with an ankle injury, but he also had an excellent short handed goal that turned out to be the game winner. As long as Giroux is healthy, plays like the one he had last night should start to become even more common, which is just something more that Flyers fans have to look forward to in the next few years. The first line of Mike Richards, Jeff Carter and Dan Carcillo didn't do much, but when the next two lines can pick up their game like they did tonight, it's not always necessary for the first line to do everything. Besides, it was only the first game of the season and the Flyers won, so there's nothing to complain about on that end. Things well improve with them as the season goes along.

You also really have to like how well Sergei Bobrovski played last night. He shut down the Penguins for two periods and kept Sidney Crosby off the board for the entire game, and only gave up two tough goals in the third period. There's still room for improvement for the rookie, but for his first start against a rival, you can't get much better than how he played last night. Things are going to improve for him as he gets more experience and when Chris Pronger gets back, so that's something else to look forward too. He and Brian Boucher will more than likely split time in net as Michael Leighton recovers from his back surgery over the next two months. If Bobrovski gets more time in net than Boucher, hopefully he can show that he deserves it, but only time is going to tell about that. For now, at least, he's looking like a decent option in net. Things certainly aren't perfect in terms of the goalie position, but when have they ever been in Philadelphia?

All in all, you can't complain about how the Flyers started the season. They went to Pittsburgh and faced the Penguins in their home opener in a brand new arena. They started a rookie goalie, were missing their best defenseman and have the expectations of winning the Eastern Conference Championship last season. Instead of playing doormat for the Penguins, they came out and beat Pittsburgh, making them the first ever winners at their new arena. That's around forever, and that's what's going to stick with the Pittsburgh fans. Just like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers opened Lincoln Financial Field against the Eagles, the Flyers are always going to have that first win against the Penguins at their new arena. It feels so good.

Oh, did I mention that Michael Leighton is going to be out for almost two months? He is, by the way. I hope you're ready to see a lot of Sergei Bobrovski in goal. As long as he plays close to how he did last night, though, it's not going to be a bad thing.

Flyers start to shake things up a bit

Not even two weeks after their season ended at the hands of the Chicago Blackhawks, the Philadelphia Flyers are already making moves to improve their team heading into next season. Yesterday, they took the first step in improving their defense, trading Ryan Parent to Nashville for Dan Hamhuis and a conditional pick in the 2011 NHL Draft.

This was almost a necessary move, as Parent was seen as more of a burden during the later rounds of the playoffs, especially the Stanley Cup Final against Chicago. He only saw the ice once against the Blackhawks, and that was onyl for 41 seconds, as the Flyers didn't see him as someone that could skate with the stronger faster Blackhawks. Now, they have Hamhuis, who is a great step in the right direction, but it comes with a price as well.

Rather than having Hamhuis already under contract, the Flyers have the rights to negotiate with him before he becomes a free agent this summer. I doubt that Paul Holmgren would have traded for him if he didn't think that they could work out a deal, but the fact remains that he could never see the ice as a member of the Flyers. Any Philadelphia fan worth his salt wants to see Hamhuis with this team for quite a few years, as a grouping of Chris Pronger, Kimo Timmonen and Hamhuis would make one of the better defensive units in the Eastern Conference. They still have to get him signed, though, and make room under the salary cap in order to do that.

Regardless, this is a step in the right direction for a team that needs to make a few more. Let's be honest now: that run to the Stanley Cup Finals was one of the most improbable of all time. To have Washington and Pittsburgh both knocked out before the Conference Finals played directly into the hands of the Flyers being able to make it as far as they did. Next year, they likely won't be as lucky, and are going to have to face at least one of them in the postseason. In order to get past them, they're going to need players like Hamhuis to be on this team. It's not that the Flyers are a bad team, it's far from that. It's just that they need to keep making adjustments, like this one, in order to ensure that they can remain near or at the top of the Eastern Conference for the next few seasons.

This isn't going to be the last move the Flyers make this offseason. I expect a few more deals to free up some more cap room so that they can make a run at a solid goalie, which is one of, if not the biggest weakness that this team has right now. If they can do that, and continue to tinker with what they have, this is going to be an even better team next season. It's shaping up to be a fun offseason.

ESPN.com: Flyers trade Parent to Nashville

That's how it ends....

I've written about the end of the NFL Playoffs, the NBA season and the World Series, but nothing is like writing about the end of the Stanley Cup Finals when your team is involved. Tonight, the Flyers tried as hard as they could to stay alive and force a Game 7, but that just wasn't in the cards, at least not this time. Chicago seemed to outpace them at key moments, and Patrick Kane finished off the season, and the series with a goal to give the Blackhawks their first Stanley Cup in 49 years.

For the Flyers, it's a tough pill to swallow, especially after everything that they've been through this season. After John Stevens was fired in November, the Flyers were expected to pull right through, but instead suffered a 2-8 stretch that made people think if they had made the right choice. Peter Laviolette brought this team together and made them think that they were something else. Despite Ray Emery being lost for the season, the Flyers worked around that, instead forming around Michael Leighton and former starter Brian Boucher. When Leighton got hurt in March, Boucher stepped in, and while he didn't do much, he did enough when it mattered, including a season extending save against the Rangers in a shootout to put the Flyers into the playoffs. That's where the fun really began.

The one team that the Flyers wanted to play in the first round was the New Jersey Devils. They had dominated them during the regular season, but the playoffs were supposed to be different. It didn't matter, as Philadelphia took care of New Jersey in five games. Then came the Eastern Conference Semifinals, and the Flyers wasted little time in getting knocked down in three straight games against the Boston Bruins. Somehow, against all odds, the Flyers came back. An overtime win in Game 4 allowed Game 5 to happen, and when Brian Boucher got hurt, Michael Leighton stepped back in and kept Boston from winning that night. After a Game 6 win, the Flyers came back from a 3-0 hole in Game 7 to win the series and become the first team since 1975 to come back from a 3-0 hole in the NHL playoffs.

Right then, you knew something was happening, you just weren't sure what it was. The Flyers took on the Montreal Canadiens in the Eastern Conference Finals, and despite having home ice, Philadelphia was the underdog. Montreal had come back from 3-1 and 3-2 holes against the top team in the Eastern Conference and the defending Stanley Cup Champions, so something had to give against the Flyers. What gave was Montreal's defense, which couldn't take the Philadelphia attack. The Flyers won in five games, and somehow, this team, which had 88 points for the entire season, was headed to the Stanley Cup Finals.

That's where this dream ends. After winning two games in a row to force a Game 5, the Flyers ran into a desperate Chicago team. The Blackhawks looked like the better team in each of the last two games, winning 7-4 in Game 5 and then 4-3 in overtime in Game 6. To be honest, the Blackhawks looked like they had fresher legs in the last two games, which may be a testament to how many games the Flyers had to play just to get to the Finals. I'm not taking anything away from the Blackhawks. I wouldn't do that. I'm just saying that the Flyers played a lot of games to get to where they did this year.

Now, the season is over. The Flyers are out of games to play, and the Blackhawks are raising the Stanley Cup. That's not to say that this season was a waste. How many people thought that the Flyers would even make it to the Stanley Cup Finals? While the site Whatifsports.com picked the winner of the Stanley Cup once it got that far, they had the Flyers with a .15% chance to make it to the Conference Finals. That's a 15 in 1,000 chance to get as far as they did, and they didn't even have a percentage to make it to the Stanley Cup Finals. That tells you how unlikely this run was, and I'll love this team forever because of it.

With everything in mind, this Flyers team is the most memorable that I've ever seen. This group is better that the 1997 team, the 2000 team or the 2004 team. This team had something that none of those groups did, and that was the willingness to continue through anything. Chris Pronger brought that to this group, as did Ian Laperriere, who was willing to take a puck to the face for the sake of the team. That is what the Flyers have been missing over the past few years. They've been missing the heart in the key moments. Tonight, they didn't quite have it, but if they can get a goalie that can start every night, then this team is going to compete for a Stanley Cup next year.

Michael Leighton, as good as he was during the regular and post-season, wasn't good enough when he had to be. He let in soft goals and couldn't keep Chicago from scoring in the clutch. Leighton makes a great backup, but nothing else. With Emery possibly out for his career, the Flyers need someone that can mind the net for a full season without giving in. They don't have that goalie yet, and Leighton's play during the Finals let's me know that the Flyers are missing that one piece. Everything else seems like it's there, but the goalie is missing. They have to do something about that. The fact of the matter is that the Flyers made it to Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals without a number one goalie, and, if they can work on that during the offseason, then they should be fine for next year.

Until then, at least this beats losing to the Penguins.

No Phillies game tonight, but at least there's something else to watch

In case you didn't notice, the Phillies game against the Marlins tonight has been postponed due to rain. I'm guessing that Roy Halladay is going to get the nod to pitch tomorrow night, and everyone else will be moved back a day. There's no full recap of last night's game, save for the fact that it actually felt like I was watching the Phillies from 2008 again last night. They came through with clutch hits, and even though Brad Lidge got into some trouble in the ninth, he pitched his way out of it, just like he did two years ago.

It's progress, but nothing else. Not yet anyway. Let's see the Phils put a few more of these games together before everyone says that their offense is back. Nothing is set in stone yet.

Speaking of which, there's something else to watch tonight in Philadelphia. The season is on the line as the Flyers take on the Blackhawks in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals. The Flyers can't let Chicago take the Stanley Cup on home ice...it just can't happen. So, everyone get on their orange and black, and LET'S GO FLYERS!!!

Ok, that was ugly.

Wow, did anyone expect Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Finals to be like that? After pushing Chicago around for two games in Philadelphia, the Flyers went back to the United Center with a chance to take a series lead before Game 6 in the Wachovia Center...and promptly laid an egg. Poor goaltending, awful defense and just a general lack of solid play doomed the Flyers last night, and now they face the possibility of the Blackhawks winning the Stanley Cup in Philadelphia.

Michael Leighton played possibly his best game of the Finals in Game 4, and followed it up with his worst showing yet. Despite being the only reason why the Flyers weren't down by maybe six goals at the end of the first, he did let three pucks past him, and he should have been able to stop the first two. He was pulled after the first period, and Brian Boucher came in. The only problem was that he didn't fare that much better, allowing three goals of his own before the Blackhawks scored an empty net goal for the final 7-4 score. The goalies have had more trouble in this series than they did against any team in the Eastern Conference, but that was to be expected. Chicago is a much better team than any the Flyers faced on their way here. Through the Eastern Conference Playoffs, the Flyers were able to mask the fact that their goalie position is still a spot of weakness, but now it's being exposed again. Leighton has been pulled from two games, and Boucher hasn't been that effective when he's come in.

It wasn't all Leighton or Boucher's fault last night, though. The defense in front of them was totally horrible. After keeping Chicago's top line from doing much during the entire series, Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville mixed up his lines, and the result was something that the Flyers couldn't stop. Chris Pronger, who had been so effective during the series so far, was a minus-5 last night on the ice, and was bowled over by Dustin Byfuglien on a huge hit. The Chicago big man finally looked like the player people were raving about during the Western Conference Playoffs, putting in two goals and helping out with two assists as well. Patrick Kane also added his second goal of the Finals, and while Jonathan Toews was kept out of the net, he chipped in with an assist on Byfuglien's first goal of the game.

Meanwhile, the Philadelphia top line was still unable to get anything going. Simon Gagne added a late goal, but Mike Richards and Jeff Carter could do nothing the entire game. Something has to change with that going into Game 6 on Wednesday, because the Flyers can't afford to put all the pressure on the Ville Leino-Danny Briere-Claude Giroux line. That line's been solid as a rock during the Finals, but the Blackhawks are working to stop them and put the pressure on the rest of the team to get the job done. If they can do that in Game 6, the Flyers had better hope that their top line can come through in a big way.

The entire story of the game was that first period. The Blackhawks came out and looked like a different team last night. They were faster, played better and looked like the best team in the NHL. Michael Leighton did all he could, but in a six minute span, Chicago scored three times. The Flyers kept trying to crawl back into the game, but each time they got close, the Blackhawks had another goal waiting. It was the mirror image of Games 3 and 4, when Philadelphia was able to keep the Blackhawks back with answers each time they threatened.

Now, it comes down to this. The Flyers are a loss away from having their season over, and the Blackhawks are a win away from clinching their first Stanley Cup since JFK was in office. To stop them, the Flyers have to win Game 6 in Philadelphia, and then take Game 7 back in Chicago. It's a tall order, especially for a team that's given it their all so far during these playoffs. After laying such a big egg last night, the Flyers have to come out with a fire inside of them for Game 6. If they don't, then there's no need to worry about a Game 7. Wednesday night, we find out if this team has one more back from the dead moment in them.

Now, it's a three game series

At the beginning of this week, who would have thought that Stanley Cup Finals would be coming down to a best of three series? The Blackhawks had gotten past the Flyers in two one goal games in Chicago, and were headed to Philadelphia with a 2-0 lead in the Finals. Plus, the Blackhawks had that lead despite getting little production from their top line. It seemed like only a matter of time before the Flyers just got out of the way, and Chicago won their first Stanley Cup in 49 years.

What a difference a few days makes. After two games in Philadelphia, the Stanley Cup Finals are now tied at two games a piece, with the Flyers now having all the momentum after a 5-3 win last night. The two goal difference marks the first time in this series that either team has won by more than a single goal, and honestly, it shouldn't had been as close as the final score shows. Chicago scored twice in the final eight minutes, but Jeff Carter finished things off with an empty net goal to let the fans in the Wachovia Center breathe easy, knowing that the potential Stanley Cup clinching game would be back in Philadelphia next week.

After struggling in the first three games of this series, Mike Richards got things going last night early in the first period. His steal and power play goal just five minutes in set the entire tone for the night and let the Blackhawks know that this team wasn't going to go away. For much of the first period, the game went back and forth, with each team having chances. Michael Leighton was solid in goal throughout the game, having perhaps his best effort in the Stanley Cup Finals. Later in the first, Matt Carle would score his first goal of the playoffs, and despite Chicago scoring just four minutes later, the Flyers had yet another answer. Claude Giroux snuck through the Blackhawk defense and when Kimmo Timonen took a great pass from Scott Hartnell, he fould Giroux open right next to the net. Fifty seconds after Chicago had cut the lead to one, the Flyers had a 3-1 lead at the end of the first period.

It was a quiet second period, but the Flyers did what they had to do to maintain their lead. Chris Pronger continued to stone Dustin Byfuglien, while Leighton made some key saves to keep the Orange and Black up by two goals. After taking a punishing hit earlier in the game, Ville Leino came back in the third period and scored just six minutes into the third to put the Flyers up 4-1. From there, Chicago would dominate the period, scoring first on a five on three power play, and then again just three and a half minutes later to cut the score to 4-3. Luckily, the Flyers showed the same determination that they've had all playoffs long and buckled down. The Blackhawks had their chances, but once Jeff Carter found the back of an open net in the last minute, this game was decided. The Flyers had ensured that there would be one last home game for them this season, and it might be for the Stanley Cup.

Once the dust had settled on the first two games of this series, I said that all the pressure was with the Flyers. They had dropped back to back one goal games, and looked like they couldn't keep up with the Blackhawks at key times during the games. Both Games 3 and 4 were considered must win, and the way things were going, I wasn't sure that the Flyers would be able to win both games. Sometimes it feels very good to eat crow. The Flyers looked like a different team in Game 4, moving past the Blackhawks with fresher legs and putting more pressure on Antti Niemi than he's seen during the entire postseason. Chicago lost back to back playoff games for the first time this season, and now the pressure is back on the Blackhawks. Their first line has been next to useless in this series, combining for one goal and four assists in four games. A lot of the credit has to be given to Chris Pronger and the Flyers defense, which has played with the same speed that Chicago has shown in the last two games. As long as the Flyers can keep up the pace that they've had in the last two games, then Game 5 is going to be another close, physical game that could certainly go either way.

For all the talk about Antti Niemi before this series, the Chicago goalie has certainly looked a bit normal during the Finals. Some of that might be due to the fact that he is a young goalie playing in his first Stanley Cup Finals, but a lot of credit has to be given to the Philadelphia offense as well. The Flyers have scored four or more goals in three of the four games so far, and their lines are moving with speed and skill, which is great to see this late into the season. Add to that the fact that Mike Richards scored his first goal of the series last night, and Claude Giroux and Danny Briere are playing on another level right now, and the Flyers just look like the hotter team right now. I can't say enough about Ville Leino and how he's picked himself off the scrap heap during the playoffs. The same can be said for Scott Hartnell, who's looked nothing but impressive over the last two games especially.

During this entire postseason run, I've compared the Philadelphia Flyers to Jason Voorhees. Every time you think that the Flyers are dead, whether it's at the end of the regular season, being down 0-3 against Boston or this series against Chicago, they've come back. Each time you think that you've lost them, you turn around, and they're standing there, waiting to finish you off. This team has been through more pressure situations than any other Flyer team that I can remember, and for the first time in my lifetime, it seems like this team has a real chance to win the Stanley Cup. This series is a best of three now, with Game 5 in Chicago tomorrow night. You know that Chicago is going to come out playing their best hockey of the series, and they're going to have to. The Blackhawks don't want to come to Philadelphia down 3-2 in the series.

There might only be two or three games left in the NHL season, but this has been one hell of a run for the Flyers. Let's see how it ends now.

We've got a series now: Flyers win Game 3 in OT

Even if the Philadelphia Flyers weren't actually participating in the Stanley Cup Finals this year, I would consider this one of the most entertaining final series in quite some time. For the third straight game, both Chicago and Philadelphia played each other very close, with neither team able to get more than a one goal lead. In the end, it was another one goal win, but this one came in overtime and was in favor of the Flyers. Claude Giroux found the back of the net just six minutes into the overtime period to give the Flyers the win and ensure that this series, at the very least, will not be a repeat of 1997.

For the second time in the series, the Flyers would come out in the first period and take the lead. Last night, it was Danny Briere who did the honors, scoring on the power play off of a great pass from Scott Hartnell. After the power play scored twice in the first two games of this series, the Flyers kept up the pressure on the man advantage last night, as Hartnell would do the honors in the second period, scoring off a re-direct on a long shot by Chris Pronger. The officials would need to go to replay to make sure that the goal counted, and even though the puck only made it about 2 inches past the line, it still counted as a goal, and the Flyers were back on top in the second period. For Scott Hartnell, who had a down season this year after scoring 30 goals last year, to have two goals and three assists in three games against Chicago is great to see. Everyone in Philadelphia knows that he can play well, but his season this year just didn't go the way that anyone wanted it to. However, since the Stanley Cup Finals started, Hartnell has been in another world, and it's good to see.

As has been the case throughout this series, the Blackhawks did not go away after the Flyers struck. Chicago was kept off the scoreboard in the first period, but struck twice in the second. Duncan Keith scored three minutes into the second to tie the game, and after Philadelphia took the lead again on Hartnell's power play goal, the Blackhawks came back late in the second period on a slap shot goal from Brent Sopel. Sopel's goal came right after Chicago won a faceoff in the Philadelphia zone, which can never happen late in a period. Players are looking for shots right off of a draw, especially if the goalie isn't set, and that's exactly what happened here. Michael Leighton never ever saw the shot, and by the time he knew where it was, the puck was behind him. The bad luck continued early in the third period, as Patrick Kane finally got on the board with a breakaway goal that came just three minutes in. It was Kane's first goal of the series, and it seemed like the Flyers were about to go down again.

This team just did what they've done all season when their backs have been against the wall: they came out swinging. On their first offensive possession after the Kane goal, Ville Leino put the puck past Antti Niemi for another tie. From that point on, as was the case in Game 2, the Flyers started an all out assault on the Chicago goalie. For the second game in a row, Philadelphia won the shot battle in the third period by double digits, and Niemi was up to the task once again. This time, though, the game was tied, so the Flyers were headed to overtime with their season on the line. In the overtime, it looked like Chicago had fresher legs, but the Flyers kept coming. Simon Gagne looked to have the game winner five minutes into overtime, but the play was whistled dead before the puck crossed the goal line, so the goal was not allowed. Just 60 seconds later, Claude Giroux would make sure that replay wouldn't be needed for a third time, as he took a pass from Matt Carle and re-directed it past Niemi for the overtime winner. Just like that, the Flyers had life once again, and their first win in the Stanley Cup Finals since May 28, 1987. To put that in comparison, my 23 year old brother was exactly four months old when that game too place.

This Flyers team has more heart and determination than any other Flyers team that I can ever remember watching. They could has easily given up after losing two one goal games on the road and allowing Patrick Kane to score his first goal of the series early in the third period last night. Instead, Ville Leino, who this team got for spare parts, continued his amazing playoff run with a goal just 20 seconds later. That's what this team has done since the playoffs started. Even with Kane's goal last night, Chicago's first line still just has that one goal so far in three games, and Chris Pronger has effectively shown that the hype around Dustin Byfuglien was just that. Byfuglien was called for two penalties last night, and has been completely ineffective against Philadelphia's number one defenseman. Sure, Mike Richards and Jeff Carter haven't been that effective either, but considering the play from Danny Briere, Ville Leino and Claude Giroux, they haven't always been needed. Carter didn't have the best game last night, but one poor showing after coming back from a broken foot just a month ago isn't enough for me to want him gone. Instead, this team needs to focus on the positives, which are the fact that this is now a series that is going back to Chicago for at least one game, and that they've played on the same level with the Blackhawks for three straight games. This series isn't even close to being decided yet.

It is really, really hard to believe that the Flyers were the last team to make it into the Stanley Cup Playoffs this year, because the way that they've been playing since they got in is at another level. They rolled through the Eastern Conference, albeit with some good breaks, and have played the Blackhawks tight in all three games of the Stanley Cup Finals. With a break here or there, it could easily be the Flyers up 2-1 or even 3-0 in this series. However, it's not, and the team has to realize that as well. Game 3 was a must win, and the Flyers did just that. Now, they have to come out with the same fire in Game 4 to make sure that this series comes back to Philadelphia for one more game this year. Game 4 is Friday night, and if you thought the Wachovia Center was loud last night, wait until tomorrow.

Not as much offense, but the same result: Flyers down 0-2.

After the scoring frenzy of Saturday night's Game 1, just about everyone expected a much more defensive game for Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals. Well, they were right. The Flyers and Blackhawks played with the same speed as they had on Saturday, but both goalies and defenses looked much, much better. The only problem was that the Blackhawks had Antti Niemi in net, and after Michael Leighton allowed two goals within 30 seconds of each other, Niemi did the rest. The Chicago goalie stopped 32 of 33 Philadelphia shots, including 14 of 15 in a very quick third period to put the Flyers down two games to none in the Stanley Cup Finals.

The first period showed the phsyical play that both teams wanted to unleash last night. Both teams had some heavy hits, and though the Flyers were outshot 9-3, it seemed like they had taken the best punch that Chicago could throw, but they hadn't seen anything yet. The second period was more of the same until very late in the period. The Blackhawks crowded the net in front of Michael Leighton, and Marian Hossa put back a rebound to give Chicago the first goal of the game. As had been the case in Game 1, the Flyers were unable to gain control of a puck in front of their own net, and the Blackhawks took advantage, scooping up the trash and putting it back in for the lead. On the ensuing faceoff, Dustin Byfuglien stole a pass away from Philadelphia and found Ben Eager, who then fired a shot over Leighton's glove for another goal. In just 30 seconds, a 0-0 tie had become a 2-0 lead for the Blackhawks, and they had all the momentum.

The third period belonged to the Flyers, but Antti Niemi was up to the task. Simon Gagne put Philadelphia on the board with a power play goal with 14 and a half minutes to play, and from there, it seemed like most of the game was played in the Chicago zone. The Flyers got chance after chance at Niemi, but they couldn't put another puck past him. You have to give Niemi credit, because a lesser goalie would have folded under that pressure, especially after giving up five goals in Game 1. However, Niemi took control of the game and kept Philadelphia from scoring again. His effort and a solid defensive showing by the Blackhawks, who blocked several Flyer shots and kept Niemi from facing even more pressure.

Now comes the big question: Can the Flyers come back from an 0-2 hole in the Stanley Cup Finals? What this loss last night did was turn both Games 3 and 4 into must wins now for Philadelphia. If they drop either game, they give Chicago a chance to close the series out in five games back in Chicago, and I don't even want to talk about what could happen if the Blackhawks win Game 3. The Flyers have shown that they can in fact play with Chicago, as they did in Game 1, but the Blackhawks are a different creature than any team the Flyers faced in the Eastern Conference Playoffs. Against the Devils, the Flyers shut down Zach Parise and Ilya Kovalchuk, and did the same to Marc Savard of the Bruins and Mike Cammalleri of Montreal. In each series, the Flyers were able to shut down the top scorers of their opponents. The funny thing is, they're doing it against Chicago as well. Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews still don't have a point in the series, but the Blackhawks are doing something no other team had been able to do to the Flyers so far, and that's find someone else to pick up the slack. The role players for Chicago have done a good job in scoring so far, but you have to think that it's only a matter of time until the Flyers break through with a big game.

The Blackhawks are a good team, no doubt about that. They're the first team the Flyers have faced in the playoffs that are as fast as them, play as physical as them and can execute on offense as well as they've been doing in the playoffs. Not only that, but Chicago has the hottest goalie in the postseason, and he's coming off of possibly the game of his life last night. All the momentum seems to be pointing towards Chicago, but there's no reason to give up hope yet. This Flyers team has more heart than the 1997 team, so you don't have to worry about a repeat of that Finals performance again. However, Game 3 has to be the best effort that the Flyers can give, because if they lose that, then they'll be down 0-3 for the second time in these playoffs. While they were able to come back once, coming back from a second 0-3 hole is something no team has done, and against a team like Chicago, it seems very, very unlikely.

For now, the Flyers just have to take it one game at a time. Game 3 is tomorrow night back in Philadelphia, and you know that crowd is going to be crazy.

Keep those beards going: The Flyers are in the Stanley Cup Finals

Somehow, this improbable run for the Philadelphia Flyers is going to continue. Tonight, the Flyers punched their ticket to Chicago for the Stanley Cup Finals with a 4-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens, earning their first Finals appearance in 13 seasons.. Just as it has been through the entire playoffs, the Flyers played with a grit and toughness that allowed them to overcome a shaky start and and keep going in the playoffs.

Things didn't start out that well for the Flyers tonight. Chris Pronger had a pass intercepted by Montreal in the first minute of the game that turned into a goal by Brian Gionta that put the Canadiens up 1-0 just 59 seconds in. It wouldn't take long for the Flyers to answer back, though. With Montreal on the power play, Claude Giroux's pass sent Mike Richards loose on a breakaway, and he plowed through Jaroslav Halak, who decided to skate up to play the puck. Richards fell down, but got back up, found the puck and put it in the back of the net to tie the game. Even though it was just five minutes into the game, that was the turning point for the Flyers. Throughout their series with Montreal, the Flyers had to withstand the first ten minutes of every game. If they could survive, or even take the lead against the Canadiens, then they were fine. Tonight was no exception. With Richards making plays like he did in the first period, the Flyers took control of the game.

They would put the Canadiens on the ropes with a flurry early in the second period. First, Arron Asham showed some great puck handling and got the puck past Halak to give the Flyers their first lead of the game just three and a half minutes into the second. Less than 90 seconds later, Jeff Carter scored his first goal after returning from injury, getting a nice feed from Mike Richards, and Philadelphia had a 3-1 lead. From there, it was just a matter of keeping Montreal from scoring twice, and the Flyers were able to do that. Chris Pronger and Kimo Timonen were excellent once again, shutting down Montreal's attack after the first 60 seconds, and Michael Leighton was on top of his game again. Even though the Canadiens would score midway through the third period to cut the lead to one, they wouldn't find the net again. The defense and Leighton did everything that had to be done, keeping Montreal from mounting much of an offensive attack for the rest of the game. When Mike Richards was able to find Jeff Carter for an empty net goal with 22 seconds to play, the celebration was on. For the first time in 13 years, the Philadelphia Flyers are headed to the Stanley Cup Finals.

This entire series against Montreal was built upon the fact that the Flyers are a physical team that can also play the quicker style of the higher level NHL teams. That was never more clear that against the Canadiens. The Flyers skated right past Montreal, and then were able to out-muscle them when they had to. With Chris Pronger and Kimo Timonen on defense, the Flyers have two excellent defenders to help protect Michael Leighton, and both can also help spring odd man rushes with their passing skills. Coming into the Eastern Conference Finals, Mike Cammalleri was the hottest player in the playoffs. He left the series against the Flyers with one goal and no assists. For a man that came into the series with 18 points, having one in five games is a telling sign of how well the Flyers played on defense the entire five games that the Eastern Conference Finals went on.

There's also the play of Michael Leighton, who pitched three shutouts against a Montreal team that had been shut out once in their previous 14 playoff games. Ever since he came in for an injured Brian Boucher, Leighton is 6-1 and has looked every bit like the goalie that helped save Philadelphia's season while he played during the regular season. While Brian Boucher was excellent against New Jersey, Leighton has been even better against Boston and Montreal, and one can argue that the Flyers wouldn't have made this run to the Stanley Cup Finals without him in net. Aside for one bad game against the Canadiens, Leighton has been a brick wall for the Flyers, stopping most chances that the Canadiens and Bruins have had against him. For a goalie that Philadelphia picked up as a castaway from Nashville, did anyone expect this from Leighton this year? I have no idea how he's playing this well, but I'm not going to complain.

There's not enough to say about Mike Richards right now. The captain was on top of his game tonight, scoring the first goal on a shorthanded breakaway and assisting on both of Jeff Carter's tallies tonight. For this entire run, Richards has shown why he should be the captain of this team. He brings skill and leadership to the Flyers, and he's the heartbeat of this team. Without him, I don't want to know where these guys would be, but that doesn't matter right now. He's playing on a different level, as is Danny Briere, Claude Giroux, Simon Gagne and even Jeff Carter, who looks great, considering he just came back from a broken foot. For the first time in a long time, the Flyers are about as healthy as they were when the season started, and that's a good thing.

Now, it comes down to this. On Saturday, the Flyers will play their first Stanley Cup Final game in 13 years against the Chicago Blackhawks. I'm not going to lie; the Blackhawks are a great, great team that have a lot of things going for them right now. Chicago hasn't made it to the Stanley Cup Finals since 1992, and they haven't won a Cup since 1961. However, it's been 35 years since the Flyers won the Stanley Cup, and they haven't even won a Stanley Cup Finals game since 1987. Things seem to be falling into position for both teams at the moment, and there's going to be calls for both sides to win, but I'm not going there yet. A preview will be up later on this week, but for the time being, I'm just going to sit back and enjoy this.

The Philadelphia Flyers are in the Stanley Cup Finals...after everything that this team went through, would you believe it?

Well, Game 3 could have gone better...

No one really expected the Flyers to sweep Montreal right out of the way in the Eastern Conference Finals, did they? Even after the Flyers took care of business against the Canadiens in the first two games in Philadelphia, they still had to go to Montreal for the next two games, and you know that Canadien fans had their sights set on this game since Game 7 of the second round came to a close. Tonight, Montreal was the better team as they finally figured out how to get a puck past Michael Leighton and stop the Philadelphia attack at Jaroslav Halak, as they cruised to a 5-1 victory that cut the Flyer lead in the series to 2-1.

Over the past two games, the Canadiens have said that they need to get more people in front of the net to create chances while they're on offense. Tonight, they were able to work that plan with extreme precision from their very first goal on. Mike Cammalleri finally got his first goal of the series in the first period to start things off for Montreal, and it was all downhill for the Flyers after that. Tom Pyatt added a second goal in traffic later in the first to put Montreal up 2-0, and the Canadiens weren't done yet, scoring twice more to put the game out of reach by early in the third period and then adding one final goal as the final period came to a close.

This game wasn't all on Michael Leighton, though. To be honest, he played well and never gave up. He made several good saves, but when there's traffic in front of the net, and bounces are going the wrong way after going the right way for the first two games, there's not much you can do about that. It also didn't help that Chris Pronger's turnover in the first period allowed Montreal to take a 2-0 lead into the first intermission and gave them even more momentum heading into the second period. All in all, it was just a poor game from the Flyers, who have shown much more than what they did tonight in the playoffs.

In the long run, this game didn't really prove anything. Most people knew that the Canadiens weren't going to go down without a fight, because they've done just that in the first two rounds of the playoffs. They came back from a 3-1 hole against the top team in the Eastern Conference and a 3-2 hole against the defending Stanley Cup Champions. Montreal is a tough team to finish off, and they showed that again tonight. This series isn't going to be an easy one to finish for either team.

On the opposite side of the coin, the Flyers clearly aren't as poor of a team as they were tonight. They didn't get the bounces tonight, and they allowed Montreal to create traffic in front of Michael Leighton, which were two things that they had going their way in the first two games of this series. However, just as most people knew that Montreal wasn't going to go away, those same people knew that the Flyers weren't going to win every game in the Eastern Conference Finals by shutout and they would have to play with their backs against the wall at some point and time. Tonight wasn't pretty for Philadelphia, but I think they needed it. The Canadiens came out at home for the first time in ten days and hit the Flyers right in the mouth. Now, the ball is back in Philadelphia's court. Game 4 is Saturday afternoon, and a win by the Flyers gives them a chance to close out the series in Philadelphia in Game 5.

I think the Flyers would love a chance to close things out that way, and I certainly wouldn't mind seeing it, either.

Leights out for Montreal: Flyers up 2-0

When you try and put a dominant Game 1 victory behind you, coming out and being outshot 16-6 in the first period of Game 2 normally isn't the way to get that done. However, Michael Leighton stopped all 30 shots the Canadiens threw at him tonight, and the Flyers did their job on the power play as they took a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference Finals, moving them to within two games of their first Stanley Cup Finals in 13 years.

The story of the game tonight begins and ends with Michael Leighton. Ever since he was forced back into the starting goalie postion, thanks to Brian Boucher's injury, he's been nothing but clutch. After giving up three goals in the first period of Game 7 against Boston, Leighton has been lights out, shutting out the Bruins in the last two periods of Game 7 and becoming the first Flyers goalie to record back to back playoff shutouts since Bernie Parent back in 1975. That's pretty good company right there. He did his best work tonight, keeping Montreal off the board in a period that they completely dominated. The Canadiens worked the Flyers over in the first period, but Leighton was able to keep them from scoring a single time, and the Flyers were able to strike first on a power play goal by Danny Briere just four minutes into the game. From there, it became a battle of Leighton against the Montreal offense, and Leighton was more than up to the challenge. I don't know why the Flyers were able to claim him off of waivers from Nashville, but I'm not going to complain. Ever since he came to Philadelphia, he's been lights out, and now he has the Flyers just two wins away from the Stanley Cup Finals.

The offense was on point once again tonight, even with the reduced number of shots. Danny Briere is simply on fire right now, and he scored his ninth goal in 11 playoff games. For all of those people that thought Briere was overpaid on his way out of Philadelphia, I want to apologize. Without him playing right now, the Flyers wouldn't have made it this far, and he isn't showing any signs of stopping at the moment, either. He's the hottest player in the playoffs at the moment, and he's just been on point since the mid-way point of the New Jersey series. Right now, I wouldn't want to play for Montreal, because then I would have to try and stop him. The same can be said for Simon Gagne, who scored his sixth goal of the playoffs tonight. Ever since he came back into the lineup, the Flyers have been on a different level, and Gagne just might be why. He scored again tonight, giving him a point in every game that he's played in since he returned, and six goals since his return as well. At this point, I want every Flyer to break their foot and come back quickly, since it worked so well for Gagne.

The power play was on point again tonight, as the Flyers scored twice while keeping Montreal from picking up a goal on the man advantage. The Canadiens went 0-4 on the power play, which is one of the big reasons why the Flyers have 2-0 lead in the series right now. So far, everything is going the way of the Flyers, and that includes trips on the man advantage. Briere and Gagne scored with Philadelphia on the power play, and the goal by Gagne seemed to take Montreal completely out of the game. The power play by the Flyers had been the biggest reason why they are up 2-0 right now, and Montreal is going to have to try and stop that if they want to even get back in the series.

I don't think this series is over yet, not by a longshot. The Canadiens have been the team in the playoffs that have been impossible to write off, having come back from 3-1 and 3-2 holes against Washington and Pittsburgh. Until the Flyers have the lead in the final game and the horn is sounding, I'm going to believe that Montreal can come back. Right now, though, things are going Philadelphia's way. Michael Leighton is playing even better than he did before his injury, and the offense is on fire right now with Danny Briere and Simon Gagne playing as well as they are. Even with all of that, this team has to put the last two games behind them and try to focus only on Game 3 in Montreal. The Canadien fans are going to be crazy with their team down two games, and it's only going to get worse if the Flyers let them take the lead. The Flyers have Montreal against the ropes, and they have to finish them off before they can come back. I think they can do that.