I will say this about the Penguins: they are healthy with the return of Crosby and other players. Their goalie Marc-Andre Fleury is a Stanley Cup champion and can be very difficult to beat, especially in the playoffs. The Penguins depth also creates a lot of match-up problems for the Laviolette and the Flyers.
While the Penguins certainly have depth, the Flyers have a lot of depth as well. Hartnell, Giroux, Simmonds, and Read all scored over 20 goals. The Flyers also feature 8 players with 40 or more points and as a team the Flyers finished second in the NHL behind the Penguins. And while the Penguins are healthy, the Flyers are also working their way back to full health. Danny Briere and Nicklas Grossman both skated today and are expected to be in the Game 1 lineup for the Flyers. Goalie Ilya Bryzgalov should be fully healthy and ready to go for the playoffs as well as he finished out the season nursing a foot injury.
It’s safe to say that Bryzgalov is going to play a huge role in this series. The Flyers are only going to go as far as Bryzgalov wants to take them. If he can return to his form of March in which he went 10-2-1 with 4 shutouts and a 1.43 GAA, the Flyers can very easily go deep into the playoffs.
This series is going to be an extremely physical and heated series. I really like the Flyers chances because of their physical play and swagger. I don’t like to get into regular season results when it comes to playoff predictions, but the Flyers definitely have confidence and some swagger against the Penguins. The Flyers went 4-2 against the Pens during the season and won 2 out of 3 in Pittsburgh. Again one can’t base too much off of the regular season, but winning 2 out of 3 in the other team's building is always good for confidence. With former Penguins Max Talbot and Jaromir Jagr seeking revenge, I really think the Flyers can rally and spark their way into the next round.
One thing the Flyers have to be extremely careful of is falling behind early in games and early in the series. If they come back to Philadelphia down 0-2, obviously this doesn’t bode well for the men in orange and black. They need to pounce early, and if possible, try and steal both games in Pittsburgh which could give them confidence, and help them set the tone for the entire series.
Last year the Flyers got swept out of the playoffs by the eventual champion Boston Bruins. After 2010’s wild run to the Cup, it’s safe to say that last year was a big disappointment. But the Flyers orchestrated a massive roster overhaul over this past offseason, and what they have been able to accomplish this year is simply amazing. Even though this year has been pretty successful thus far, the Flyers still want more and they know that while they may be young, they have the talent to make another run at the cup.
While the Penguins are favorites to go deep into the playoffs with Malkin and Crosby leading the way, a lot of people are counting out the Flyers and not even giving them a chance. Personally, I feel that the role of underdog is a great place for the Flyers to be in as they attempt to knock off the Penguins. A bunch of young guys with a good mix of veterans who all have a lot to prove is a recipe for success if you ask me.
But this series isn’t going to come down to statistics, regular season match-ups, or even who has the better goalie. This series is going to come down to the team that has more heart and whoever wants it more will be the victor in this series. I know that sounds kind of corny, but when you consider the heated rivalry that has been brewing between these two teams in recent years, it's very true. These two teams don't like each other, and whoever plays more physically and with more confidence will win this series.
Prediction: Flyers in 6. Win first two in Pittsburgh, split at home, drop game 5, and win the series at home in game 6.
Tune into my radio program tomorrow as my co-host and I will be doing a special playoff preview show, and giving you our predictions for the entire NHL playoffs. We will start the show at roughly 3 PM.
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