Phil Sheridan: Playing desperate, Flyers could make a deep run

The Flyers are about to become a great story or just another chapter in the same old tired tale.

Because the Flyers underachieved their way to a seventh seed, this talented team is an underdog against the New Jersey Devils. But they can redeem their season and themselves by playing now as they should have been playing all along.

The Flyers needed a fresh sheet of ice as much as any of the 16 teams in pursuit of the Cup.

"It's the hardest trophy in pro sports to win," Flyers defenseman Chris Pronger said after Tuesday's practice. "With the physical attrition, the mental attrition that happens in the playoffs, you've got to be prepared to do whatever it takes for what essentially boils down to two months."

This franchise has made three deep playoffs runs in the last decade. Each time, the Flyers had a different goaltender. Each time, the Flyers had a different head coach. Each time, the Flyers fell short of the finals.

In 2000 (Brian Boucher in goal, Roger Neilson behind the bench), Eric Lindros' return in Game 6 of the conference final tripped a string of dominos that ended with a Game 7 loss to the New Jersey Devils.

In 2004 (Robert Esche and Ken Hitchcock), a veteran team simply hit its ceiling in a classic seven-game series against a younger, quicker Tampa Bay Lightning team.

In 2008 (Marty Biron and John Stevens), the Flyers won a gut-check Game 7 in overtime at Washington and stunned the Montreal Canadiens to set up a showdown with the rival Pittsburgh Penguins. But injuries to defensemen Kimmo Timonen and Braydon Coburn - remember what Pronger said about "attrition" - left the Flyers helpless against the Pens' powerful offense.

This year, against all odds, Boucher is back in goal. Stevens has been replaced by Peter Laviolette, who, like Hitchcock, came to town with a Stanley Cup title already on his resumé.

"He's very intense, he's very aggressive as a coach," forward Danny Briere said. "He doesn't hold back. He's won in the American League and he's won in the NHL. He's definitely a guy we know we can follow. When he talks, you have to respect what he's saying. You know that he's been through it. You know he knows what it takes to get all the way."

Those things were true of Hitchcock, but qualities like "intense" and "aggressive" give a coach an expiration date. Hitch was replaced by the taciturn Stevens, who marked the beginning of each playoff series with a custom-made sheet cake. Laviolette doesn't seem that interested in baked goods.

So what is Laviolette's recipe for playoff success? It's hard to know until you see him up close, but he offered a glimpse or two as the team finished preparations.

When he deduced that reporters were focusing on the veteran Pronger as a leader going into this postseason, Laviolette was quick to shift the focus.

"Let me just say that Mike Richards always has ratcheted it up every time there's been an opportunity," Laviolette said, "whether it's been Olympics or world championships or playoffs or big games. He's a guy that we look to. . . . When the chips are down, he's played hard. He's been good for us in big games. We've got a lot of them coming up."

That may seem like nothing much, but Laviolette is keenly aware of the perception that Pronger is more of a captain, by nature and by accomplishment, than Richards. He volunteered his thoughts on Richards for a reason. And it is true, by the way. Richards was terrific for Team Canada in the Olympics, and he was one of the few Flyers who showed up Friday night at Madison Square Garden.

Laviolette needs both men, Richards and Pronger, to make a deep playoff run. He also went out of his way to praise Timonen, who was unquestionably the Flyers' best defenseman the last few years. Pronger is a presence, but he can't play both sides for 60 minutes. Timonen is a vital piece of this puzzle.

Mostly, this team needs a coach who can reframe the situation as it evolves and who can adjust his lines and matchups as needed. Laviolette sounded the right notes after Friday's bad showing in New York and was rewarded with Sunday's playoff-qualifying effort.

"It seems to me the teams that are the most desperate, those are the toughest ones," Laviolette said. "You lose a game and you wonder why. It's because you played a desperate hockey team. You took a quick breath and they ratcheted up their game. Desperation usually wins for me."

It is a quality these Flyers lack most of the time. It is a quality they're going to need against the Devils. If Laviolette or Pronger or Richards can help them find it, the Flyers could be a great story. If not, well, we've seen that before.