Eastern Conference Showdown: Penguins vs. Flyers

Western Conference

1. Detroit Red Wings  vs.  5. Dallas Stars       (Det in 6)

Eastern Conference

2. Pittsburgh Penguins  vs.  6. Philadelphia Flyers

Can anyone stand in the Penguins way? They have seen very little opposition thus far and as a result, they are the most rested team in the playoffs.

So, do their in-state rivals stand a chance? The Flyers would like to think so, but it will be a long road, and a lot of things have to go their way.

If you have read any of my articles on the playoffs so far, you will realize that I haven't picked the Flyers to win a series yet. Why you may ask? They had to go through the #3 (Capitals) and #1 (Canadiens) seeds to get here and i never thought Martin Biron would play nearly as well as he has.

If the Flyers are going to stand a chance, Biron has to continue to prove me wrong. The Penguins have as much offensive power as any team in the league, if not more, and it will take a great showing by Biron and Philadelphia's defense every night to hold the Penguins' offense in check. Even that may not be enough.

The Flyers are still missing forward Simon Gagne, which won't help in standing up to the Penguins offensively; but they have made it this far without him.

The Penguins, on the other hand, have had plenty of rest and shouldn't be missing anyone (except Maxime Talbot who is out with a broken foot).

So, as one-sided as this match-up looks, I can't help but feel that the Flyers will make it closer than it should be. They upset the Canadiens without too much trouble, so they obviously know how to win.

Look for this in-state rivalry to get pretty heated in the coming games. It won't stay heated for very long though, mostly because it's hard to play intensely when you are sitting at home after losing four games.

Bottom Line: Penguins in 5