Playoff Preview-Round 3 Flyers

So who would have guessed it. The Montreal Canadiens, picked to win no games in the playoffs by most, have advanced to the Eastern Conference final. Their road to get to this point couldn't have been much tougher. Not only did they knock off the President's Cup champion Washington Capitals after falling behind 3-1 in the series, but they followed it up with a victory over the defending champion Pittsburgh Penguins after trailing 3-2 in the series. After a thrilling comeback against the Boston Bruins, the Philadelphia Flyers will be the Canadiens next opponent. The Flyers finished 7th in the East with 88 points, tied with Montreal. They dispatched the New Jersey Devils in round 1 4 games to 1 followed by the 7 game win over the Bruins.

The Flyers, like the Bruins, are a physical team. They rely primarily on 4 defenceman, with the big two being Pronger and Timonen. Up front, the Flyers have solid depth despite missing Jeff Carter. The question mark for them is probably in goal. Ray Emery, the starter at the beginning of the season suffered an injury and is out. Brian Boucher started the playoffs in goal, but he too suffered an injury making Michael Leighton the starter. Leighton actually played most of the games down the stretch and was solid before suffering an ankle injury. More than likely their game plan will be to take the body and try to wear the Habs down. The Canadiens will need to continue to play like they are and take advantage of the Flyers discipline, which could potentially be a problem for them.

Schedule

Game 1 Sunday May 16 @ Phil. 6:00 pm

Game 2 Tuesday May 18 @ Phil. 6:00 pm

Game 3 Thursday May 20 @ Montreal 6:00 pm

Game 4 Saturday May 22 @ Montreal 2:00 pm
Game 5 Monday May 24 @ Phil. 6:00 pm (if necessary)

Game 6 Wednesday May 26 @ Montreal 6:00 pm (if necessary)

Game 7 Friday May 28 @ Phil. 6:00 pm (if necessary)