Game 1 is fun for Flyers; now work begins

It's hard to know what to make of a game that, according to all known laws of reason and probability, could not possibly have taken place.

The Flyers pounced all over the Montreal Canadiens, 6-0, Sunday night in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals. Normally, you'd look at a game like this and try to project forward. What did we learn about these teams, about this series?

But these teams are in the NHL's final four only because the Canadiens, the lowest seed in the East, stunned arguably the two best teams in the league, and because the Flyers accomplished the Ultimate Comeback against the Boston Bruins. It's like trying to discuss the law of gravity with someone who is standing on the ceiling.

All we learned for certain is that the Flyers were able to pack their emotional second-round series in an equipment locker and leave it in the dressing room. They looked physically and emotionally fresher than the Canadiens. After four elimination games, they had a clean slate and home-ice advantage.

"You go back to a new series and it's 0-0," Claude Giroux said. "It feels pretty good."

"You have to stay grounded," Danny Briere said. "We're happy about the win, but we have to clear our minds and move on. As our coach said, you only get one crack at Game 1. We made the most of it tonight."

Every long playoff run is a minefield of potential disasters: emotional letdowns, fatigue, increasing pressure, creeping self-doubt. If there was any question about the Flyers' ability to avoid those pitfalls, they erased it last night to the tune of "Ole, ole, ole" - and you can bet Habs fans heard that loud and clear all the way in Montreal.

(One suggestion: The "USA, USA" chant probably isn't all that inspiring to the 13 Canadians and five Europeans in Flyers uniforms, although James van Riemsdyk and Matt Carle are touched.)

Game 1 was a full-blown rout and great fun for the Flyers and their fans. But it will likely be a dim memory by the time this series is over. These Canadiens were down three games to one against Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals, the team with the best regular-season record. And they had to win a Game 7 in Pittsburgh, against Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Sergei Gonchar.

"It's only one game," Giroux said. "You can win 6-0 or 1-0, it's still just a win."

So what can we say about this series? There are some significant differences that work in the Flyers' favor, some of which were factors in Game 1.

Logic says that teams with superstars like Ovechkin and Crosby would have the edge in a long playoff series. But the Canadiens proved that if you frustrate the stars, you can expose the rest of the team as the supporting players they are.

Ovechkin scored five goals and assisted on four more in the first five games of the first-round series. He was pointless in Game 6 and had just one assist in Game 7, both Montreal wins. Defenseman Mike Green, who had 76 points in the regular season, had just three assists in the series.

Crosby had one goal and four assists in seven games against Montreal after scoring five and assisting on nine in a six-game series against Ottawa. Malkin had eight points against Ottawa, just a goal and two assists against Montreal.

See a pattern? Thing is, the Flyers just aren't built that way. They come at teams in waves. Their plan is to wear opponents down, to get stronger as the physical play takes its toll. It's clear they have the physical edge here.

The Flyers had six goals in Game 1. More telling: They had six goal scorers. They got great shots from marksmen Simon Gagne and Briere, plus dirty-work goals by Braydon Coburn and van Riemsdyk.

The other omen - promising for the Flyers and ominous for the Canadiens - was the play of the goaltenders. Jaroslav Halak, so dominant in the deciding games of the opening rounds, was yanked after the Flyers' fourth goal. It was significant that they added a couple against his backup, Carey Price.

The only goalie who planted doubts in the minds of the opponent was Michael Leighton. After looking like he just might be overmatched in that first period of Game 7 in Boston, Leighton has been terrific for five consecutive shutout periods.

"We know they are going to come out better and stronger next game," Gagne said.

That's certainly true. The Flyers' simple goal is to hold on to home advantage by winning Tuesday. If they can win one in Montreal, they'd be in total command of this series.

Just like the Capitals and Penguins were.

The Flyers had a lot of fun playing in Game 1. It's going to be more like work from here on out.