Scouting report: Flyers vs. Sabres

OFFENSE

 Flyers: Top to bottom, the Flyers are the deepest offensive team in the Eastern Conference - and maybe in the NHL. Even with their prolonged slump to end the season, they still finished with seven scorers north of the 20-goal mark. Ville Leino finished just short with 19 goals. Two others, Nik Zherdev and Andreas Nodl, were in double-digit scoring. Claude Giroux gives the Flyers that "big play" ability and a healthy Jeff Carter adds a "finishing" touch.

Sabres: The Sabres enter the playoffs with a reputation that they struggle scoring goals, even though they finished with more goals this season than both Washington and Pittsburgh. The difference is that both of those teams have more than one scoring threat. For Buffalo, all of the weight resides on Thomas Vanek's shoulders - with linemates Tim Connolly and Jason Pominville. Derek Roy posted 35 points in 35 games but hasn't played since Dec. 23 with a knee injury. Even though Brad Boyes, since coming over from St. Louis at the deadline, and Nathan Gerbe have been hot, the Sabres' secondary scoring lacks a serious punch.

EDGE: Flyers

 DEFENSE

Flyers: Much of the focus has been on Chris Pronger, with prognosticators guessing that Pronger will be out for a majority of the series. Though he is unlikely to be ready for Game 1, and Game 2 could even be a stretch, the Flyers' blue line is in fine hands without him. With strong play from Andrej Meszaros and Matt Carle, one of the names least mentioned has been always-steady Kimmo Timonen. And that's a scary thought. Timonen battled through various bumps and bruises all season to play in all 82 games, while Braydon Coburn is poised to chew up big minutes.

Sabres: Tyler Myers is just 21 years old, but he is already the backbone of the Sabres' backend. Myers averages more than 23 minutes per game and Lindy Ruff trusts him in all situations - especially on the power play. He got his feet wet in six playoff games last season but now he is charged with running a defense corps that has two players (Chris Butler, Marc-Andre Gragnani) who have less experience than he does. Jordan Leopold, the man with the most playoff experience, finished the season as a team-worst minus-11. Steve Montador skated in the Stanley Cup finals with Calgary in 2004.

EDGE: Flyers

GOALTENDING

Flyers: When Peter Laviolette named Sergei Bobrovsky his playoff starter during the final week of the regular season, he finally put to rest any lingering questions about who would start the series. But it still didn't solve any of the questions surrounding Bobrovsky's game. "Bob" finished the regular season on an 0-2-2 slide before being yanked from the final game against the Islanders after giving up three goals on 10 shots. But with solid backups Brian Boucher and Michael Leighton behind him, you know Laviolette won't wait long to pull the trigger if Bobrovsky caves under pressure.

Sabres: The leash does not appear to be all that longer for Ryan Miller, though Lindy Ruff also said Miller is unquestionably the Sabres' No. 1 goaltender. Miller missed four of the Sabres' last six games with a collarbone injury, though he played just about one period in each of the two games in which he did play. Either way, Miller doesn't seem to be completely healthy, which could play to the Flyers' advantage. Backup Jhonas Enroth, who has won more in 14 starts this season than previous backup Patrick Lalime won in three seasons, is the only reason for the questions about Miller's health - if there are any about a defending Vezina winner.

EDGE: Sabres

SPECIAL TEAMS

Flyers: Over the 3 days in which the Flyers had to prepare for Buffalo, coach Peter Laviolette has tried to put together a few new looks for the power play - which has desperately needed it. The Flyers have connected on just five of their last 41 chances (12 percent), but if you take out three goals against the putrid Islanders and Senators, they closed the season just 2-for-35 (5.7 percent). Special teams can single-handedly win and lose a series, so the good news is that ace penalty killer Blair Betts is healthy for Game 1 after sitting out to rest a nagging lower-body injury at the end of the year.

Sabres: The Sabres have put together a solid effort over the second half of the season on the power play, climbing up to finish in ninth overall at a 19.4 percent efficiency. The Sabres' power play is almost two percentage points better at HSBC Arena than on the road. And their penalty kill also finished two spots better than the Flyers. If there is one weakness in the Sabres' special teams, though, it is their penchant to allow shorthanded goals. They have allowed 13 shorthanded goals, third worst in the NHL, while the Flyers tied for second most shorthanded goals with 13 scored.

EDGE: Sabres

COACHING

Flyers: Peter Laviolette did not appear to have a very good grasp on his team's mental state during the final month of the regular season. Then again, he chose to bite his tongue publicly more often than not. Still, it's hard to question the resume Laviolette has put together as a "big game" coach - from his timeouts to his lineup decisions to his scheme. Laviolette was 14-9 behind the Flyers' bench last season in the playoffs. And, oh yeah, he does have a Stanley Cup ring for 2006 sitting at home.

Sabres: There are only five coaches in the 90-plus year history of the NHL who have won more games with a single franchise than Lindy Ruff. He has racked up more than 540 wins with Buffalo since 1997. And few coaches have been able to do it in the modern era without losing grasp of the locker room. Ruff has done that. His players believe in him. He has been in some big moments, getting to the Stanley Cup finals once and the conference finals three times. But he has not yet accomplished what Laviolette has - not even with the benefit of nearly double the amount of games.

EDGE: Flyers

INTANGIBLES

Flyers: After closing out the regular season on a 10-10-7 stretch, the Flyers collectively exhaled after topping the Islanders on Saturday to win the Atlantic Division. There appears to be that swagger and confidence back in their locker room that was missing over the final 2 months of the regular season. That can't be understated. That, coupled with the fact that they got within two games of a parade last June against Chicago, makes for a pretty intimidating group.

Sabres: Buffalo enters the playoffs as the hottest team in the Eastern Conference, having collected 62 points since Jan. 1 with a 28-11-6 record. They believe they match up well against any team in the East, particularly the Flyers. The only difference is that this is a young and mostly inexperienced group that is still learning how to win, going up against a team that has already been there before.

EDGE: Pick 'em

KEYS TO THE SERIES

1. Danny Briere. Briere readily admits that there is "a little extra motivation" playing Buffalo - even though he has been with the Flyers since 2007. And he has the stats to prove it. Briere has 19 points in 14 career games against the Sabres, including eight in their four meetings this season. If he can re-establish the magic formed among himself, Scott Hartnell and Ville Leino last spring, the Flyers will roll over the Sabres.

2. Game 1. Since Lindy Ruff took over as the Sabres' coach in 1997, Buffalo is an impeccable 8-2 in Game 1 of a playoff series when played on the road. Overall, whether home or away, the Sabres have lost a series just twice under Ruff when taking the first game. Plus, in an early hole, more chatter about the Sabres' momentum and the Flyers' struggles will not help matters.

3. Make Vanek vanish. More often than not, the Sabres go as Thomas Vanek does. Vanek, who starred at the University of Minnesota, has nine goals in Buffalo's last 15 games. With 18 more points than the next closest Sabres forward, Vanek is the centerpiece to Buffalo's top line with Tim Connolly and Jason Pominville.

DID YOU KNOW?

According to NHL.com, the Flyers rebounded with the best record of any Stanley Cup finalist from the previous season since the 2000 Dallas Stars.