Posted: Tuesday, May 25, 2010, 1:18 AM | 78 comments |
 

Laviolette eyes Finals; Pronger-Byfuglien matchup looms

options
 

   After the Flyers won the Eastern Conference title with a rivetting 4-2 victory over Montreal on Monday, winning coach Peter Laviolette looked ahead to his team's ultimate goal _ bringing home its first Stanley Cup since 1975.

   Asked what it would take to defeat the favored Chicago Blackhawks, Laviolette didn't blink.

   "I'm always a believer if your team can play their style and their system and implement their game, you've got a good chance of winning hockey games," he said. "We'll start preparing for the Chicago Blackhawks, and we'll be ready when the puck drops.

   "I know they had a great year," said Laviolette, who directed Carolina to the 2006 Cup, "....But in order for two teams to get this far, I think both teams have to be playing well, so it should be a good series."

    Chicago's massive Dustin Byfuglien, a 6-foot-3, 246-pound winger, had three game-winning goals in the Hawks'  Western Conference sweep of San Jose.

     "He's a big guy. I'll be honest, I haven't looked too much into Chicago yet. That would be a good question for a couple days from now," Laviolette said when asked how the Flyers would contain Byfuglien "But you're right, he's a big man. The goal _ I think the goal he scored to put them in the Finals _ exemplifies what he does best, which is to get to the front of the net."

    Laviolette paused.

   "We've got a big guy out there too, No. 20. He does a pretty good job of tying guys up in front of the net. So I'm sure they'll see a lot of each other."

   Laviolette, of course, was talking about 6-6, 220-pound defenseman Chris Pronger. The Pronger-Byfuglien matchup is just one of the many great storylines of the Finals.

    One of the many others: The series will bring together former Blackhawks goalie Michael Leighton and former Flyers forward Patrick Sharp. Chicago gave up on Leighton, much like the Flyers gave up on Sharp.

    Now they are thriving with different teams.
Posted by Sam Carchidi @ 1:18 AM  Permalink | 78 comments
78
Comments   
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 2:09 AM, 05/25/2010
    I just love that this Flyers team has been able to outwork it's bad luck. Chicago is a team built a lot like the Flyers, so it will be a tough series. Best thing about playing Chicago...Marian Hossa could not win a cup to save his life!
    — Hexy4GM
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 5:13 AM, 05/25/2010
    Laviolette was the key to the Flyers turnaround this season. Stevens was a nice guy, but when you needed discipline, a strong voice, someone who could protect his players, but not take them to task in earshot of reporters, you wanted a pro like Laviolette. It all stayed in the locker room. Now, this former Cup winning coach sounds like Pronger, each steady and assured. They have both been there, the Flyers accept Laviolettes system, and are clicking on all guns. Flyers in six.
    — PhillyboyinNYC
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 7:27 AM, 05/25/2010
    PhillyBoy I agree. Laviolette is the key to our sucess in the Finals. He is a great coach and I hope they keep him around for a long time. Unlike the past few coaches, he understands how to operate a good team and system under the post-lockout rules. And although I don't buy into superstition, the Hossa Black Cloud will give us some help. Split in Chicago, win two at home and take it all in Game 6.
    — Flyersroadtrip
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 8:36 AM, 05/25/2010
    Blackhawks take game 1. The flyers bounce back to take the next two. Then lose game 4 at home. Bounce back again to win it in 7!
    — Murrayag11
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 8:41 AM, 05/25/2010
    Kidding yourselves.......the hawks are the youngest, fastest, most talented team in the NHL.....the flyers haven't faced a team like the Blackhawks, and it will show. All the pundits said that the Sharks series would go 7....look what happened! Hawks in 5. take it to the Philly Federal Reserve.
    — hawksrule
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 9:04 AM, 05/25/2010
    It is true that the Flyers have not yet played a team like the Blackhawks, but they HANDLED a very skilled and fast NJ team in round 1. I am nervous about Chicago, but you never know. Edmonton was an 8 seed and took Carolina to 7 games in 2006. You never know what can happen. Just look at round 2 vs Boston. Win or lose though, Im so proud of this team.
    — Lintltj5
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 9:25 AM, 05/25/2010
    When you really break down this series, it seems pretty close to me. Chicago has the offensive edge, while Laviolette is head & shoulders above Quenneville. Defense and goaltending is a push. Chicago has the better PP and Philly has the better PK. I think depth is going to win this series. Leino, Hartnell, Lappy, JVR vs. Bolland, Madden, Brower, Versteeg. I can't wait for Saturday!!! Flyers in 6!
    — sbg42
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 9:32 AM, 05/25/2010
    Flyers beat the Blackhawks in their one meeting this year, and Chicago is 3-3 against the Atlantic Division this year. Like San Jose, they are not bashing up against Pittsburgh, Washington, and NJ all year long. This isn't a lopsided as the "experts" would have you believe.
    — CiceroSpuriousDeodatus
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 9:44 AM, 05/25/2010
    The Flyers faced a team like the Blackhawks back on March 13th and won. They were so much like the Blackhawks they even wore the same uniforms.
    — denisob
  • Comment removed.
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 9:52 AM, 05/25/2010
    hawksrule: The flyers did face the Hawks and Pronger beat them. Enough said. THE PRONGER EFFECT!
    — MichaelZoe
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 10:10 AM, 05/25/2010
    March 13, 2010: Flyers 3 Chicago 2 GO FLYERS
    — thatbarrettguy
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 10:24 AM, 05/25/2010
    Barry Melrose said the Blackhawks will win . . . he also said New Jersey would win, that Boston would win, that Montreal would win . . .
    — El Tel
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 11:42 AM, 05/25/2010
    Try playing Kimmo vs. Byfuglien Speed on Power. Don't play the body, play the puck. They won't expect it. Use Pronger on Kane & Towes. With them, play the body.
    — flyler
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:57 PM, 05/25/2010
    Flyers D needs to play as well as they did in the last 8 wins and really shut down the quality first shots, and clear the front of the net of players and rebounds. 6 or 7 games. 2010 Flyers have a much better shot than the 97 team. Detroit was unbeatable. Go Flyers.
    — drew138


78 comments | View All Comments | View All By Latest
View comments: 1  |  2  |  3  |  4  |  5  | 
About Sam Carchidi
Sam Carchidi is in his fourth year as the Flyers' beat reporter. He became an Inquirer staff writer in 1984 and covered mostly South Jersey high school sports and the Phillies before taking the Flyers beat.

Carchidi has written three books _ the nationally acclaimed Miracle in the Making: The Adam Taliaferro Story, which he co-authored with Scott Brown; Bill Campbell: The Voice of Philadelphia Sports; and Standing Tall: The Kevin Everett Story, which was featured on the Oprah Winfrey Show. He also contributed to a 1993 Inquirer book on the Phillies.

A lifelong South Jersey resident, Carchidi lives in Wenonah with his wife, JoAnn, and their two children, Sara and Sammy.

Follow on Twitter

Advertise Here
Latest Flyers Videos