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Can the surprising Flyers continue their playoff run or will Pittsburgh star Sidney Crosby reach hockey's ultimate stage by advancing to the Stanley Cup finals? (Wanna guess which way the TV networks are rooting?)
The Flyers are eight wins from breaking the 25-year headlock Philadelphia has been in since its last major championship. The next four figure to be the toughest thus far. Here's a look at the Eastern Conference championship contenders:
Think Roger Clemens-Brian McNamee on skates. These teams share a genuine dislike for one another, going back to when they came into the NHL in 1967-68. The Flyers have won all three postseason meetings and were 5-3 against Pittsburgh this season. The record is a little deceptive, though. Philadelphia dominated the early part of the season series, while Pittsburgh won three of the last four.
When Sidney Crosby was a rookie, he took an inadvertent Derian Hatcher stick to the face, necessitating a trip to the dentist. The incident escalated into Pittsburgh coach Eddie Olczyk and Flyers coach Ken Hitchcock sniping at one another amid the Flyers' contentions that Crosby was a diver (someone who flops to the ice to embellish penalties).
Flyers: With all the firepower the Flyers have, it was R.J. Umberger who had eight goals in the previous series to lead Philadelphia over the top-seeded Canadiens ... Umberger grew up just outside of Pittsburgh and was in the stands when the Flyers beat the Penguins in the five-overtime game in 2000 ... Umberger, Mike Richards and Joffrey Lupul, who now occupy the same line, were 1-2-3 in scoring against the Penguins this season. Umberger led the way with six goals and 11 points.
Penguins: A big reason Evgeni Malkin is an MVP finalist is due to his performance in the two extended stints when the Penguins were without Crosby. Instead of nose-diving in the standings, Pittsburgh went a very respectable 16-8-4 and Malkin registered 46 points in those 28 games ... Crosby is still nagged by the high ankle sprain that cost him all that time, though the extended rest between series helped ... Malkin and Crosby are superior playmakers, unlike Washington star Alex Ovechkin, who is more of a pure scorer.
EDGE: PENGUINS. The Flyers are a little better defensively, but there's no Crosby or Malkin on the Philadelphia roster.
Flyers: The loss of Kimmo Timonen (blood clot) for the playoffs changes the dynamic of the blue line. Timonen is the Flyers' best defenseman and the quarterback on the power play.
Penguins: Sergei Gonchar is the best offensive defenseman in the series. Brooks Orpik and Hal Gill are physical, but limited offensively. Ryan Whitney took a step back from last year when he had 59 points and was a plus-9, compared with 40 points and a minus-2 this year.
EDGE: PENGUINS. The loss of Timonen is critical and tips the scales in Pittsburgh's favor.
Flyers: Marty Biron has looked so much like Bernie Parent in these playoffs he oughta start doing hair plug commercials for Dr. Pistone. What Biron is doing best is limiting rebounds, an obvious key to any goaltender's success.
Penguins: Marc-Andre Fleury has played just as well as Biron, though under a lot less pressure. The Penguins have been in control both series and needed only nine games to get to the conference finals (compared with 12 for the Flyers).
EDGE: FLYERS. Fleury's been good. Biron's been better.
Flyers: Under the current playoff format, the Flyers are only the second team to advance to the conference finals a season after finishing last. Yes, they have upgraded the talent. And yes, they had bouts of inconsistency during the regular season. But the Flyers are playing their best hockey and John Stevens is a big reason why. Just look at how relaxed they are. These guys are really having fun. Hard to believe they almost didn't even make the postseason.
Penguins: Pittsburgh endured long-term injuries to Crosby and Fleury and still finished with the second-best record in the conference. Coach Michel Therrien also had to blend in trade-deadline acquisitions Marian Hossa and Pascal Dupuis and seems to have found chemistry in his forwards.
EDGE: FLYERS. The game plans Stevens and his staff developed to combat the massive Capitals and the fluid Canadiens are commendable. Now what does the second-year coach have in mind for Crosby and Malkin?
Flyers: Vegas has Pittsburgh as a 2-1 favorite to win the series, but the Flyers have a solid chance with the way Biron is playing. There's a lot of confidence in that locker room and beating the Capitals and getting in front of the Canadiens while Mike Knuble was hurt has a lot to do with it.
Penguins: One thing the Penguins have learned about the Flyers is that they do not protect leads well. Pittsburgh has led about 90 percent of the time this postseason, but if the Penguins do fall behind, they know they aren't out of it.
EDGE: EVEN. Both teams are peaking.
Eight of the Flyers' 12 playoff games have gone over the over/under line. Same deal for six of Philadelphia's eight regular-season meetings. Tonight's line is 5 1/2.
1. Breaking serve. Pittsburgh has won its five home playoff games by a combined score of 19-9 and hasn't lost at Mellon Arena in the 13 home games since goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury returned from an ankle injury on March 2.
2. Don't be stupid. The Penguins' speed will force the Flyers into some penalties, that's inevitable. It's the infractions away from the play - the slashes at center ice, the smearing of a defenseless Penguins player against the glass - that the Flyers need to stay away from.
3. Stay aggressive. The Flyers' inability to turn two-goal leads into coasting victories during the first two series is a red flag.
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