Shipping Up To Boston: The Gah-Den Will Be Loud

As the Dropkick Murphys would sing, "We're Shipping Up to Boston".  All thanks to the Philadelphia Flyers, who avoided elimination and the sweep at the Wachovia Center in Game 4 against the Boston Bruins but it was by no means easy.  The game required OT and a story pulled from a returning Marc Savard OT goal in game one was a feeling of plagiarism as a returning Simone Gagne was alone right in from of the Boston net and slipped the puck on a quick redirect just under Tuukka Rask's glove to end the game and drive the Philly fans into a frenzy.

Game 5 is now in Boston and the Bruins faithful will fill the air to electrifying noise in hopes to put their team into the Eastern Conference Final for the first time since 1992.  If the 3-1 Double OT winner against the Sabres was any indication, a win in this game will no doubt be very loud for the Bruins.

The Bruins were down for a good portion of Game 4 and everyone knows that a game 4 sweep is nearly impossible to put away.  Especially when you are the away team with the last change and both teams are equally matched in physical play.

Danny Briere and the Flyers are now saying that all the pressure is on the Bruins.  "I don't think people believe we have a chance at this point", said Danny Briere, "But you win Game 5 in their building and all of a sudden we have to come back here and things start changing a little bit.We are playing to live another day" hes said.  "Why not?  That's what I'm going with.  Why not get it done?  We still have a chance.  As long as they don't tell me to go home, I'm going to believe."

Defenseman Chris Pronger said as much.  "Yeah, they're their building now, you know?"

Actually.  No.  I don't.  So in Game 4, the Flyers are saying they are in their building and got the first change, got the crowd behind them so they like their chances.  The Philadelphia squad are facing elimination again but this time in Boston where they have the last change and they will have their crowd behind them, but the pressure is on them...  To me this is posturing and they hope that their words are going to get to the Bruins.

They are forgetting a few things...there are Stanley Cup winners on the Bruins squad as well and that they will tell the youngsters that although they don't have to win this game or the next one, they still need to keep their head son their shoulders and put this away.  Among these players, Mark Recchi, who is well respected in the locker room.

Flyers GM Paul Holmgren confirmed by suspicions and he seemed to have not forgotten what the current situation is.  Although he told the players to believe the pressure is all on Boston, he conceded.  "We're the ones on the doorstep of elimination, so the pressure is still on us.  They're at home.  They've got a comfortable 3 games to 1 lead.  We've got to come out with more desperation than them."

The Flyers are going to play Desperation Hockey.  This is a double edged sword.  Desperation hockey is a great thing.  It pumps you up, gives you that extra step and that drive to get the puck to the net.  It can also be a bad thing.  With that extra adrenaline, a player can get too jumpy.  Can make mistakes and will pressure you to try to win the game by yourself.  They can try to fore check aggressively like they did in Game 3 and it created odd man rushes for the Bruins and that lead to Miroslav Satan's goal where they over-committed on the hit to David Krejci and hoped to get a jump in the Bruin's end.

To end this series, the Bruins need to do what they have done for most of the playoffs.  Keep it simple and play solid D.  The Bruins have commanded the play in the Flyer's end for most of this series by smart cycling of the puck, creating traffic in front of Boucher, and solid but smart fore checking (not many over committing creating odd man rushes the other way).  The Bruins did allow this to happen last game and if it wasn't for a lucky bounce by Michael Ryder's broken stick carfuffle, the Flyers should have ended this is regulation.  In the playoffs, a W is a W.

Game 5 tonight.  For the B's, it's once again, win, and off to the Eastern Conference Finals.  For the Flyers, it's win, and live to play at home for another shot at pace to being the 3rd team to win a series after being in a 0-3 hole.

See ya after the game.

This is Cory Ducey saying "Hit Hard, But Keep It Clean"