FanNation - The Republic of Sport

What a birthday present. The Flyers winning on May 4th for my birthday, how satisfying. Before you quit of comment however on my bad time keeping skills. I write this from the UK and the game started at midnight, therefore, May 4th, not May 3rd. 

The Flyers are going to the Eastern Confrence Finals. That's a satisfying phrase isn't it? I just can't stop smiling because for once, I'm just glad to be wrong: I predicted Flyers in 6, they did it in 5, defying the odds for a second time.

You couldn't ask for more in a hockey game, the NHL should be using stuff like that for their marketing - the teamwork and effort that players put into these sorts of game, not Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin. That was one of the most dramatic games I've seen in Hockey. 1-1, then 2-1 Habs, then 3-2 Flyers, then 3-3 Habs, finishing 6-4 to the Flyers. I'd like to point out right from the start - The Flyers didn't drop a 2-0 lead!!!! The Canadiens did!!!! The planets have aligned!

Anyway, I've got alot of respect for Carey Price despite what i've said up till now, he had a fantastic start to the game despite it trailing off towards the end. A "Nice Job" to the Habs fans at the game too - I am very impressed. I doesn't forgive you for what happened at the end of the 1st series, but cheering Price while he was down and cheering your team after the game was finished, that's something special.

The Flyers had a slow start to the game, letting the Canadiens dominate for most of the first which ended in a 2-1 lead for the Habs. The beggining of the Second was much the same, with the Habs quickly taking a 3-1 lead. At this point, I was ready to turn my TV off and call it a night. But Lo! Mike Richards slips one in using his glove and the magnificent R.J. Umberger putting one in with a wrister. The Flyers found a new energy and blitzed on, with Scott Hartnell scoring. In the third period, I think I found religion...about 2 seconds after Kostitsyn scored for the Habs. I was in a state of distress throughout this period (as I'm sure was the mood in many bars around Philly). Scottie Upshall, man of the hour, put one in the back to almost seal the deal before Mike Knuble scored an empty netter - Forget Soap Opera's, Game 5 was PURE drama.

Biron again continued to lay down a level of shock-and-awe with magnificent goaltending. Some may say: "4 goals aint magnificent goaltending", but the Habs were doing what they should have done since Game 1 - Getting traffic infront.  I'd praise the rest of the team aswell, but I don't think you wan't 20 paragraphs of love (plus coaching staff), so I'll just focus on what lies ahead.

It's a safe bet to say that the Flyers will play the Penguins in the Eastern Confrence Final (I can't get enough of saying that...) and we know that the Flyers can not only beat them, but demolish them, both home and away. I imagine Steven's will use a similar contaiment tactic on Crosby and Malkin as was used on Ovechkin earlier in the playoffs. However, I think the evil penguins (Oh boy will I be biased in the next series) will have gotten over confident, picking up 7 straight wins, hence why the Rangers suddenly knocked them down for no aparant reason. I still think the Penguins will win, but will be badly bruised from the first two series and will not look forward to a series with the hardcore physical Broad St. Bullies. As we all know, the Penguins dropped the last game of the regular season just to avoid Philly inorder to play Ottawa. They have no choice now, they must play us and suffer the consequences of not playing us earlier. 

Should, by some magical comeback of amazing proportions, the Rangers win, the Flyers would have a harder time, especialy with Jagr and the Rangers goalie Lunquvist (I think that's how it's spelt). But it's so unlikley that I'm not gonna dwell on it further.  It would be good however for either the Sharks or the Rangers to hold on a little longer to give the Flyers a rest, maybe take their series to 6 or 7? If they do, I'll send them a dollar.

Also, if there is bias amongst the Referees and Gary Bettman, it will be revealed in this series, the one Mr. Bettman wanted to avoid at all costs.

I think there was something else, but I can't remember, so the prediction...

My Predition is: Flyers in 5, with Crosby dead in 2.