NHL Playoffs: 9 Players Who Pose a Threat to the Philadelphia Flyers' Cup Quest

The Philadelphia Flyers are looking to make another appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals, vying for the Cup.

They dominated the East this past season, being just edged out by the Washington Capitals for the top spot in the East.

Now they'll have to get past the Buffalo Sabres to advance and bring themselves closer to the Cup.

There are quite a few obstacles in their way though: some internal and some external.

Here are the players that the will be the biggest threats to the Flyers' repeating in the Stanley Cup Finals.

9. Michal Neuvirth, Washington Capitals

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NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 17: (L-R) Goalie Michal Neuvirth #30 and Alex Ovechkin #8 of the Washington Capitals react after Brandon Dubinsky #17 of the New York Rangers scored the game-winning goal in Game Three of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals during t

If the Philadelphia Flyers can make it past the first two rounds of the playoffs, it could be very likely that they face the Washington Capitals in the Eastern Conference Finals.

In their current series versus the Buffalo Sabres, the Flyers were shutout the first game, but have averaged 4.5 goals in the last two.

If Neuvirth continues with his play however, the Flyers won't get those goals. Neuvirth leads the league with a Goals Against Average of 1.22.

That will be tough to play against.

8. Marc-Andre Fleury, Pittsburgh Penguins

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TAMPA, FL - APRIL 18: Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury #29 of the Pittsburgh Penguins defends the net against the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game Three of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals during the 2011 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the St. Pete Times Forum on

It’s been mentioned so many times before, but it still holds true: Marc-Andre Fleury is the reason the Penguins are still where they are in the standings.

Fleury is at his best lately, with a save percentage of .924 and a GAA of 2.01.

To put it in perspective: those numbers are even better than his numbers the year the Penguins won the Cup, when they were .908 and 2.61, respectively.

7. Carey Price, Montreal Canadiens

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MONTREAL, QC - APRIL 18: Carey Price #31 of the Montreal Canadiens follows the play in the corner during Game Three of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals against the Boston Bruins during the 2011 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Bell Centre on April 18,

Carey Price was hot during the regular season, but he's easily been the best goaltender of the playoffs.

Price and Brian Gionta are the reasons why the Canadiens, somewhat unexpectedly, lead the series versus Tim Thomas and the Boston Bruins.

Price will be another tough goaltender to face, as he leads goalies in the playoffs with a save percentage of .956.

6. Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit Red Wings

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DETROIT, MI- APRIL 13: Pavel Datsyuk #13 the Detroit Red Wings skates against the Phoenix Coyotes in Game One of the Western Conference Quarterfinals during the 2011 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Joe Louis Arena on April 13, 2011 in Detroit, Michigan.(Phot

If the Flyers can make a repeat appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals, it seems a good possibility that they could face the Detroit Red Wings.

In that case, Pavel Datsyuk will be their biggest threat.

Not only does Datsyuk lead the playoffs in plus/minus, but his Datsyukian Dekes are lethal. Plus, as we've seen, even if Datsyuk can't get it in the net, someone else can.

5. Daniel Sedin, Vancouver Canucks

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CHICAGO, IL - APRIL 19: Daniel Sedin #22 of the Vancouver Canucks controls the puck against the Chicago Blackhawks in Game Four of the Western Conference Quarterfinals during the 2011 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the United Center on April 19, 2011 in Chic

If the Flyers make the SCF, the Vancouver Canucks are another likely opponent, in which case Daniel Sedin will be their biggest threat.

Sedin led the league in points during the regular season and he shows no signs of stopping now that it's the playoffs.

Sedin leads in points and goals during the playoffs.

4. Ryan Miller, Buffalo Sabres

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PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 16: Goalie Ryan Miller #30 of the Buffalo Sabres protects his goal against the Philadelphia Flyers in Game Two of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals during the 2011 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Wells Fargo Center on April 16, 20

Before the Flyers can get closer to their goal of winning the Stanley Cup, they'll have to get past the Buffalo Sabres.

Ryan Miller is the biggest obstacle there.

He shutout the Flyers in the first game and has made some amazing saves to try to keep his team in the other games.

If the Sabres best the Flyers, it will be due to Miller.

3. Philadelphia Goaltending

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PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 16: Goalie Brian Boucher #33 of the Philadelphia Flyers skates in a timeout in Game Two of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals against the Buffalo Sabres during the 2011 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Wells Fargo Center on April 16

In order to win the Stanley Cup, the Flyers will need consistency in net.

Brian Boucher has replaced rookie goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky as starter and has been spectacular.

This may mean that the goaltending issue has been solved, however the Flyers have had bad luck with their goaltending in the past.

 If Boucher becomes injured, like last season, it will be back to either Bobrovsky or letting Michael Leighton have a shot.

2. Chris Pronger

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PHILADELPHIA, PA - FEBRUARY 05: Chris Pronger #20 of the Dallas Stars skates against the Philadelphia Flyers on February 5, 2011 at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Flyers defeated the Stars 3-1. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

Chris Pronger is still listed as day-to-day for the Philadelphia Flyers and will be inactive for Game 4.

Hopefully for the Flyers, this means extra rest so that Pronger will be geared up for another long playoff run.

The Flyers should be able to get past the Sabres without Pronger, but it will be tough to get past future rounds without him.

It will be especially difficult to win the SCF without the vast playoff and Western Conference experience that Pronger possesses.

1. Mike Richards

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PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 16: Mike Richards #18 of the Philadelphia Flyers waits for a faceoff in Game Two of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals against the Buffalo Sabres during the 2011 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Wells Fargo Center on April 16, 2011

Last year, Mike Richards was dominant and a big reason that the Flyers achieved the success that they did.

It is still early in the playoffs, but he’s already had two "maintenance" days off from practice. The first was for headaches and the second has not been released.

This could mean that the captain is nursing an injury and would be a good explanation for Richards low-scoring thus far in the playoffs (he only has one point in the series).

For the Flyers' sake, they hope not, as he’s a huge part of that team winning . He was fourth in scoring during the 2009-10 playoffs and second on the Flyers, behind Danny Briere.

Plus, during the regular season, in games that Richards scored a goal, the Flyers only lost twice, once in overtime. That's an indication of what Richards means to the Flyers' success.