Almost all Daily News writers say Flyers all the way

ED BARKOWITZ

 WHILE IT'S dangerous to pick against this gritty group of Flyers, it's also difficult not to wonder when the goalie carousel will catch up to them.

The Sabres made more trouble for the Flyers than they probably should have, given how depleted they were. Boston is in better shape physically, but the big question surrounding the Bruins is how they feel between the ears.

They nearly blew the series against the Canadiens in the last round, but escaped with an overtime goal in Game 7. Starting the conference semifinals in Philadelphia is a dual blessing for the Bruins. It allows them to escape the pressure of the hometown folks, many of whom still can't believe last season's horrendous collapse. And it offers hope to a power play that was a ridiculous 0-for-21 in Round 1. In the two games this season at the Wells Fargo Center, the Bruins were 3-for-5 with the man advantage.

Bruins in 6

THE REST OF THIS ROUND:

Washington vs. Tampa Bay: Washington in 7

Vancouver vs. Nashville: Vancouver in 7

San Jose vs. Detroit: Detroit in 6

*****

SAM DONNELLON

There is a temptation, based on how the Flyers finished their first-round series and how the Boston Bruins survived theirs, to pick Philadelphia to win easily. But the teams' recent pasts inform against this, not only because of what happened in this round last year, but because of how almost every game between these teams plays out.

That said, the Flyers team that showed up for its last three games against Buffalo should handily beat the Boston team that scored one goal in Montreal during Game 6 and coughed up a two-goal lead at home in Game 7 of their series against the Canadiens before winning in overtime.

The Bruins were abysmal on the power play vs. Montreal. The Flyers showed signs of curing their ills once Chris Pronger returned. As Boston was last year, the Flyers were playoff-conditioned by the young and feisty Sabres, and the home team's response seemed to shake them out of their 2-month funk. As for the goalies, well that's why the pick is . . .

Flyers in 7

THE REST OF THIS ROUND

Washington vs. Tampa Bay: Washington in 5

Vancouver vs. Nashville: Vancouver in 6

San Jose vs. Detroit: Detroit in 6

*****

MARCUS HAYES

Chris Pronger returns and the Flyers win twice. Brian Boucher endures repeated insults from the coach and plays great. Danny Briere is in full playoff assassin mode.

Even Ville Leino is playing as if it matters, finally.

Oh, yes. The Bruins collapse like the Mets in September.

Flyers in 5

THE REST OF THIS ROUND

Washington vs. Tampa Bay: Tampa Bay in 6

Vancouver vs. Nashville: Vancouver in 7

San Jose vs. Detroit: San Jose in 6

*****

RICH HOFMANN

People who think the Bruins will somehow be haunted by last year's collapse against the Flyers are dreaming, I think. The Bruins just went through hell and back with the Canadiens. It took seven games and three overtime wins to advance - oh, and they had to overcome a power play so screwed up that the Bruins did not score one goal with the man advantage in the series. They have plenty of mental toughness. They are formidable.

But the Flyers are better. In their last two games against Buffalo, they found the extra gear, the one that raises a team from "good" to "maybe special." Special doesn't come until later, but the possibility is there. With Chris Pronger back, the power play has revived. With Jeff Carter (knee) maybe coming back soon, another weapon potentially joins the arsenal. Balance is their story, and 11 Flyers scored a goal in the first round, and that doesn't even include Mike Richards, who had five assists.

Reasonable goaltending from Brian Boucher will allow this array of talent to show itself - because it was only the goaltending circus in the first round that prevented the Flyers from dominating the Sabres.

Flyers in 6

THE REST OF THIS ROUND

Washington vs. Tampa Bay: Tampa Bay in 7

Vancouver vs. Nashville: Vancouver in 6

San Jose vs. Detroit: San Jose in 7

*****

FRANK SERAVALLI

Last December, before the Flyers' first meeting with Boston in the regular season since one of the most memorable series in Flyers history, Bruins forward Patrice Bergeron succinctly stated why the Flyers will win this series:

"We haven't forgotten," Bergeron told NHL.com on Dec. 1. "It was a tough way to end the season, and they were the team to do it, so the emotion is there for this game. Yeah, we remember what happened last year."

Yes, the Bruins did just complete a similar comeback against Montreal in the first round - after dropping the first two games of the series at home - but the Flyers remain in their heads.

"People keep bringing that up," Bruins coach Claude Julien told NHL.com on April 10. "We've turned the page, and the only time we'll think about it is when we need to use it to our advantage."

What advantage could that possibly provide?

The Bruins, to their credit, have brought in six significant new players to beef up their lineup - who do not carry the same baggage from last year into this series. But the Flyers, thanks to their own comeback against Buffalo, have also cemented their reputation as a team that just will not die.

This has all the makings of another legendary, grind-it-out series that won't have nearly as much smack-talking as the first round, but all of the physicality to make up for it.

With teams so evenly matched, sometimes the mental edge is the difference. The Flyers will head to the Eastern Conference finals for the third time in 4 years, though they might need to go the distance for the second time this spring.

Flyers in 7

THE REST OF THIS ROUND

Washington vs. Tampa Bay: Tampa Bay in 6

Vancouver vs. Nashville: Nashville in 6

San Jose vs. Detroit: Detroit in 7

*****

HOW THE WRITERS DID IN THE FIRST ROUND

Here is how Daily News sports writers picked the Flyers-Sabres series, plus their records for the entire first round:

Barkowitz (5-3): Flyers in 7

Donnellon (3-5): Sabres in 6

Hayes (6-2): Flyers in 6

Hofmann (7-1): Flyers in 6

Seravalli (6-2): Flyers in 6 *