It's been that kind of series for the Canadiens.
Montreal has thrown everything at the Flyers, including the kitchen sink, and they continue to come up short. Outshot 72-40 during the two games at home this series, the Flyers have somehow found a way to hang on despite 3rd period collapses to take a commanding 3-1 lead over the top-seeded team in the Eastern Conference. This has left Canadiens players and fans alike scratching their heads wondering, "What will it take?"
Apparently it has left Canadiens coach Guy Carbonneau wondering the same thing. Pulled after the 2nd period in Game 3, goaltender Carey Price also sat out Game 4 and watched Jaroslav Halak meet the same fate Price had in games 2 and 3. For Game 5, Carey Price will once again be in net. With a few extra days to rest and clear his head after a dismal Game 3, Carbonneau hopes to catch lightning in a bottle and see the Carey Price that shut down the Bruins in Game 7 of their quarterfinals series 5-0.
With a chance to close out the series tonight, the Flyers fully intend on making the best of their opportunity tonight rather than repeating Game 5 of the Washington series. Flyers center Danny Briere has even said that this game must be approached as if it were Game 7. This opportunistic Flyers team has been at its best with its collective back against the wall. Faced with the prospect of missing the playoffs altogether during the final games of the regular season, the Flyers played quite possibly their best hockey of the year and won their final two games via two Martin Biron shutouts, not only averting a second consecutive year spending April at the golf course, but leapfrogging Boston and Ottawa to finish the season with the #6 seed. Then, during the overtime of Game 7 against Washington, Joffrey Lupul put the series-winning goal past former Habs goalie Cristobal Huet, sending the Flyers on to the next round.
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And now, how far this team has come from its mid-season 10 game losing streak collapse. Up 3-1 in a series most expected Montreal to easily take in 5 games, the Flyers hope they have learned from their mistakes during the previous series. Martin Biron, a childhood Nordiques fan who hated the Habs as much as an Eagles fan hates the Cowboys, would love to send this team home packing in their own arena. As would Danny Briere, who has been booed mercilessly the entire series by Canadiens fans and expects to again tonight after spurning them in the offseason by taking less money than was offered by the Habs to get the chance to play hockey in Philly with his friends Martin Biron and now-Phantoms defenseman Denis Gauthier.
The Flyers are well aware that Game 5 will be a physically, mentally, and emotionally challenging game for them. This is not a Canadiens team that feels defeated. They continue to be very optimistic due to the large difference in shots between the two. The Habs are hoping that Martin Biron comes back from his three game break looking less like the goalie he has been this entire series and more like...well...Carey Price has this series. With one Vezina candidate already sent packing (Martin Brodeur) and the other two on the verge of the same fate (Evgeni Nabokov and Henrik Lundqvist), Martin Biron has been playing the part of Georges Vezina himself for the Flyers, shutting down everything the Habs have thrown at him and willing his team on to victory.
Tonight, back in Montreal, the Flyers will be looking to finish the series so they can rest up and prepare for the Penguins or the Rangers while the Habs, standing on their last leg, will look to extend their season for at least one more game. They hope that something will finally go right for them, as almost nothing has since Game 1. Maybe, just maybe, one of the many shots they take will be the one to send this series to Game 6, because when you take as many shots as they do, something has got to go right for you eventually, right?
Yes, it's just been that kind of series for the Canadiens.
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8 months ago
One never knows what's going to happen in the playoffs. Montreal was rooting for Philly to beat Washington and now look, they face elimination. I guess it's the old 'be careful what you wish for'.
Good job Chris
from 8 months ago
i think whether or not it was against Philly, the whole situation comes down to the problems inside the team itself. and if the Caps would have made it, the Habs would have faced the rangers, which was not sounding good neither.
the problem was not facing the flyers, it was more not being able to score, not being able to get the power play going, not being able to get the right opportunities and having Carey Price choking at the wrong moment.
the flyers are an amazing team right now with Biron and all that, but at the same time I dont think it would have been better against guys like Shanahan and Lundqvist if they have faced the rangers.
good read Chris :)
8 months ago
The problem was not getting a big, dominant center and some power fowards to crash the nets come playoff time. We missed out on Anse Kopitar, Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf all because Gainey has an infatuation with small, quick EUROPEONS.
8 months ago
Habs inside/out site will commemorate the end of this season with some fun, trivia and just friendly talk.
8 months ago
His small, quick Europeans got him to the top seed in the Eastern Conference. The problem is that, much like last year's Sabres and Predators, they were too small to hold up to bigger, more physical teams. They were just as lucky to escape round 1 with the Bruins as the Flyers were to escape Washington. The Flyers, with a little bit of luck, just outworked the Habs for the entire 5 games despite the shot differential (which was exaggerated by the high number of shots the Habs took from the perimeter which really weren't scoring chances). The Habs just couldn't match their physicality and ended up getting steamrolled.
And truthfully, not to get into a debate about officiating because I'm not one who is interested in that, if it weren't for a phantom call on Richards in Game 1 where he body checked him with his shoulder but somehow got a Kneeing call from it, this series would have been a clean sweep most likely. It took the 6th seeded Flyers a shorter amount of time to finish off the 1st seed than it is taking the 2nd seed Penguins to finish off the 4th seed. I doubt the Flyers will be given much of a chance against the high-powered Penguins in the next round, but that really should say something about this club. Good teams find ways to win, plain and simple.
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