NHL 2008 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Final Four: Expect The Unexpected Edition.

Among the great battles that we will witness is Crosby (14 pts) against Daniel Briere (8-6-14pts), Evgeni Malkin versus the entire hard-hitting Flyer defence and a French Canadien goalie match-up between Fleury and former Buffalo Sabre cast-off Martin Biron...Flyer's red-hot sniper R.J. Umberger and his nine playoff goals is from the Pittsburgh area (he grew up in the Mario Lemieux era) and he will be battling another hometown boy in Ryan Malone, who backs down from no one...The late great Flyer head coach Fred Shero has some roots laid out in this Cup run, his son Ray is now running the show in Pittsburgh as their GM and present day architect of this very young and talented Penguins club...The Flyers are trying to become the first team since the '91 and '92 Pens to go the distance in a first round series and have enough 'mojo' left to win a Cup...Pens veteran Gary Roberts will be called upon to help keep the young Penguins focused and stable in the quest to make it back to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since winning it back to back in the early nineties.

The only major injuries to report are Mark Eaton is out for the Pens. The Flyers are missing LW Simon Gagne (concussion) and D Mike Rathje (hip/back).

Keilty Predicts: Pittsburgh in six.

There it is, we have come to expect the unexpected and that is what the playoffs are all about in any sport. Sometimes the underachiever, underdog, call them what you will, rise to the occasion when their season is on the line. No, we would never have expected the feisty Philadelphia Flyers (unless you are a die-hard Flyers fan) to be in this years Eastern Conference Final, but they are and between them and the gritty Dallas Stars this years Stanley Cup Final may still take an 'unexpected' turn. Either way, the excitement of this years playoffs is only growing, as are the nerves of both fans and players and even those playoff beards still have some growth left in them!

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