Records…

Penguins-
Overall: 45-28-9
Last 10: 7-2-1

Flyers-
Overall: 44-27-11
Last 10: 4-5-1

Season Series…

4-2 Penguins

Highlights of Last Meeting…

Previous Playoff Meeting…

2008 Eastern Conference Finals (4-1 Penguins)

RLD ‘Playoff Formula’…

Penguins- 50.86

Flyers- 52.54

RLD ‘Playoff Formula’ Predicts…

Flyers in 6 or 7

Tale of the Tape…

Forwards-
Edge: Even… Crosby & Malkin are great, and they’re even better with Guerin & Kunitz; I love the mix and depth of the Flyers’ front line.

Defensemen-
Edge: Even… The Pens’ blue line is a bit more offensive; Philly’s blue line can be rough ‘n tough.

Goaltending-
Edge: Penguins… The edge goes to Marc-Andre Fleury.

Special Teams-
Edge: Flyers… Philly’s #6 PK will give Pittsburgh’s PP some frustration.

Coaching-
Edge: Flyers… This is Dan Bylsma’s first rodeo as the bench boss; John Stevens did well last year in his first trip.

Experience-
Edge: Penguins… I like their playoff veterans – Gonchar, Guerin, and Sykora.

Team X-Factors…

Penguins-
Sergei Gonchar… No one seems to talk about how good (and important) Gonchar has been since he returned from injury; all the publicity goes to Bylsma. Gonchar is so steady with the puck, and makes the Pens’ power play a huge threat if it can get rolling. Look for him to be a big factor for the Pens in this series.

Flyers-
Daniel Briere… Briere has started to find his groove again, which could be scary for Pittsburgh. He’s known for being clutch in the playoffs, and has the stats to prove it. In 57 career playoff games, he has 53 points. Briere was huge for the Flyers in their 1st round series against Washington last year, and they need him to have a similar effort here against the Pens.

Key Injuries…

Penguins-
None

Flyers-
D Ryan Parent (groin, expected to return for series)
LW Riley Cote (finger, out for playoffs)

Keys to the Series…

Penguins-
1. Spread-out contribution… In last year’s playoffs, the Pens did a really good job of spreading the wealth. Their grind lines chipped in at key times, and their big guns came through in the clutch. Pittsburgh needs something similar again.
2. Defend the Igloo… Philly practically gave the Pens home-ice for this series. Now they have to use it. Philly has not had much luck there in recent memory. And since the Pens have had great success on the road against the Flyers, 3 home wins should do it.

Flyers-
1. Rough ‘em up… This Penguins team is a bit different from last year. Yes, they do have Godard and Orpik, but they really don’t have any other enforcers or bruisers. Flyers hockey is historically built on using the rough stuff to wear teams down. I can see Hartnell, Coburn, Carcillo, and Richards being effective in this category.
2. Goaltending… For the Flyers to win this series, they obviously have to have Martin Biron hitting on all cylinders. He was solid in the first couple rounds last year, but failed miserably against Pittsburgh in the conference final (1-4, 3.62 GAA).

Why the Penguins will win…
Along with Carolina, the Penguins have torn through the Eastern Conference like its nothing in the last month or so. Fleury seems to be playoff-ready with his great late-season stretch. The new additions of Kunitz & Guerin have been worked out very well. The team is healthy at this moment, and is determined to win the last game of the season. One thing to keep in mind: out of the last 11 Stanley Cup runners-up, only one has won in the 1st round the following year.

Why the Flyers will win…
This series prediction is a total gut-feeling pick. Yes, they’ve struggled coming into the postseason; but they’re built for the playoffs. They have size and strength up and down the roster. They have very good special teams (4th in the NHL). My heart wants to go with the Pens, but my gut tells me the Flyers will avenge their poor showing in the conference final last year.

PREDICTION… FLYERS IN 7

[Source: RedLightD.Blogspot.com]

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