Flyers at Bruins, Game 7

Here is a look ahead to Game 7 Friday night as the seventh-seeded Flyers try to complete their Miracle March against the sixth-seeded Bruins in Boston.

The Boston Boo-ins

The last time the Bruins played at TD Garden, their adoring fans were booing them and throwing things onto the ice seconds after their 4-0 loss to the Flyers in Game 5.

Welcome back, guys.

Friday night, the Bruins will return to Boston for Game 7 of the wildly entertaining Eastern Conference semifinals.

Boston won the first three games. The Flyers won the last three games.

The Bruins are 9-9 in Game 7s; the Flyers are 7-6.

The Bruins have lost their last three Game 7s, including a 3-2 overtime decision to Carolina in last year's conference semifinals.

Coincidentally, the Flyers' Michael Leighton was the backup goalie when Carolina overcame a deficit of two games to none and jolted the Bruins in last year's Game 7 in Boston.

"It was pretty crazy there, and we won in overtime and it was definitely a kick-down to their fans," Leighton said. "We had stuff thrown at us on the ice - hot dogs and pop and stuff."

Leighton is hoping the same thing happens Friday.

"I'll have hot dogs thrown at me all day," he said with a smile. "I have a helmet on, so I'm all right."

Karma, anyone?

The Flyers have been united by Broad Street Bullies, the recent HBO documentary on the Stanley Cup champs of 1974 and 1975. It can still be seen on HBO on demand.

Late in the season, club chairman Ed Snider rented out a local movie theater, and the Flyers and their coaches watched the film together.

"It was enlightening to me and the players as well," coach Peter Laviolette said. "It was a good team-building event."

A lot of the documentary centers on the Flyers' 1-0 win over Boston in 1974, clinching the franchise's first Cup.

Perhaps a bit of karma?

Carryover effect?

Even though they dropped a 2-1 decision Wednesday in Game 6, the Bruins are hoping the late developments - goalie Tuukka Rask stopped Ville Leino on a penalty shot, and Milan Lucic scored with a minute left to end Boston's scoreless streak at 134 minutes, 12 seconds - will carry into Game 7.

"We're going to try to build off the ending," Lucic said.

Key numbers

How important is it to get a lead Friday?

Very.

Make that very.

The Bruins have trailed less than one percent of the time in their victories (1:39 out of 193:52 in Games 1-3), while the Flyers have trailed just under two percent of the time in their wins (3:29 out of 194:40 in Games 4-6).

Hard to believe, Harry

The towering players who have won the Norris Trophy as the NHL's best defenseman - the Flyers' 6-foot-6, 220-pound Chris Pronger and Boston's 6-9, 255-pound Zdeno Chara - are a combined 1-9 in Game 7s. Pronger's teams are 1-5, Chara's are 0-4.

Odds dropping

Forget any of those Internet betting lines.

Based simply on history, Boston's chances of winning the series have gone from 100 percent to 50/50.

When the Bruins won the first three games, history told us they were a lock to take the series. Boston was 16-0 in series in which it won the first three games.

The B's are 9-9 when a series reaches Game 7.

"It's pretty cool to be back in the series, but if we don't win [Friday], it doesn't mean much," Flyers forward Danny Briere said. "We haven't accomplished anything other than climbing back in the series."

- Sam Carchidi

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