Flyers, Penguins Playoff Preview

Sit back and relax folks, this matchup shouldn’t be a short one.

Obviously this series will be a great one to watch with stars a plenty, one of the best current rivalries the NHL has to offer. A rematch of last year’s Eastern Conference Final, when the Penguins took the series 4-1; however the Flyers were without Kimmo Timonen and Braydon Coburn for much of the series, and Gagne taking Prospal’s spot in this year’s series. The Flyers will open the series on the road, playing in a very tough environment at Mellon Arena, where they always seem to struggle. This is the beginning of the second season, and now it counts.

Penguins Key’s To Victory
In order for the Penguins to take this series, they will have to attack Marty Biron early and often with as much firepower as possible. Last year Hossa, Malkin, and Crosby took it to the Flyers, who were lacking defensively in the series. This year Crosby and Malkin have been playing extremely well, and Guerin looks to do damage in his first playoff series. Marc-Andre Fleury has been playing well as of late, and he was a rock in net last year for the Penguins during their run, and he’ll need to be that and more to take this series. Finally, the Flyers take a lot of penalties, so the Penguins really need to take advantage of the PP time the Flyers give them.

Flyers Key’s to Victory
If the Flyers want to take this series, they’ll have to step up their performances from the season series, seeing as Pittsburgh dominated them. Richards and Carter will have to raise their levels of play, as both have struggled as of late. Martin Biron will have to find that same goaltender he was during the Flyers run last season if Philadelphia wants to make it out of the first round. Another crucial part of the series for the Flyers is staying out of the penalty box, and protecting their own net. Part of the success Biron had last year was from guys like Hatcher and Coburn clearing the net after any play. The Flyers are the more physical team, and they will have to wear down the Pittsburgh stars to move on to Round 2.

Surprise Player to Watch
Philadelphia fans, don’t be surprised if Joffrey Lupul continues his play of late. He helped Anaheim win a cup, and he’s one of the only players contributing down the stretch for the Flyers, so he’s my surprise player to watch in this first round matchup.

Prediction
I like Philadelphia in a well fought series after 7 physical games. Leading goal scorer being Jeff Carter for the Flyers, and Evgeni Malkin for the Penguins.