Eastern Conference Final: Game #1 Preview – Series tied 0-0
Montreal Canadiens (39-33-10; 4th in Northeast Division, 8th seed in the Eastern Conference, 19th overall) vs. Philadelphia Flyers (41-35-6; 3rd in Atlantic Division, 7th seed in the Eastern Conference, 18th overall)

Not many would’ve predicted this match-up for the Eastern Conference Finals, but both teams have been enjoying a wonderful playoff run. The Flyers are coming off a miraculous comeback in the series against the Bruins, overcoming both a 3-0 Game #7 deficit and a 3-0 series deficit. Meanwhile, the Canadiens are also riding high right now, beating the Washington Capitals in seven games (President’s Trophy winners) and the Pittsburgh Penguins also in seven games (2009 Stanley Cup champions). This series is a toss up when comparing the two teams. The Habs have a slight edge in speed, while the Flyers have a solid advantage in size and grit. Both have solid defensive statistics in these playoffs, but the Canadiens have the better goaltending entering the Conference Finals. This should be an entertaining series to watch as it is a throwback to the rivalry of the 70’s.
Philadelphia Flyers
Team Trends:
Despite the loss of veteran netminder Brian Boucher, the Flyers have not skipped a beat in goal, with the strong play of Michael Leighton leading the charge. The Flyers have a solid defense corps and a strong top six, combining size, speed, and skill amongst the elite forwards on the team. Daniel Briere and Mike Richards are the team’s top forwards right now, but the team relies on a balanced attack to prevent being neutralized to one or two lines. Different from the previous match-ups against the Devils and the Bruins, the Canadiens are much quicker and have solid team speed, something that the Flyers must adjust to in order to be successful.
Keys to Victory:
Grit and determination are keys to victory in this series and in Game #1. The Flyers need to get traffic in front of the net and establish an early aggressive forecheck, something that will take its toll as the series progresses. With the Habs defense corps in flux with the injuries to key components, the Flyers need to take advantage of a lack of mobility on the Habs back-end. Although shots on goal were not an issue against the Habs, crease traffic and getting into Halak’s mindset is a key issue to address early on. Playing in the Wachovia Center should help with the latter and staying out of the box while maintaining a strong physical game overall should set the tone for this series.
Key Players:
Michael Leighton – Goaltender
All eyes are on Leighton now. These are the biggest games in his career and he is making a name for himself in the lore of the Flyers fan base. He was a cast off earlier this season as a waiver pick-up from the Carolina Hurricanes and quickly cemented himself as the starter when both Ray Emery and Brian Boucher went down with injuries. Leighton then suffered a high ankle sprain in late March 2010, and was only going to be ready until the second round of the playoffs. In an ironic twist of fate, Boucher went down in the midway point of the series against the Bruins and as luck would have it, Leighton has his job back and is well rested in comparison to Jaroslav Halak. He has played well in the three appearances thus far, with a 3-0 record, 1.54 goals against average, .943 save percentage, and a shared shutout. He doesn’t have to be dominant for the Flyers to have a chance to win, he just needs to remain consistent and not give up early goals or untimely ones. If he can remain stable behind a solid defense corps led by Chris Pronger, Leighton could have a tremendous series.
Mike Richards – Centre
The captain of the Flyers is the key player on this Flyers squad. Next to Pronger, the offense of the Flyers is generated by Richards down the middle, with contributions from Daniel Briere and other secondary scorers. However, Richards sets the tone from the physical side of the puck, with a tremendous puck pursuit, bone-crushing hits, and a relentless penalty kill. If he plays at an elite level in this series as is expected, his leadership alone could motivate others on the Flyers to elevate their level of play. Unlike the series against the Capitals and Penguins, Richards may not be the main offensive threat in this series to neutralize, but the Canadiens cannot let Richards be a factor in these games if they are going to have a chance to win.
Montreal Canadiens
Team Trends:
Probably the next biggest surprise to the Flyers making it this far is the Cinderella playoff run by the Habs. Not only have they been overmatched in both rounds on paper, but they have battled back in both series, facing a 3-1 series deficit against the Capitals and a 3-2 series deficit against the Penguins. The Habs have been playing well as a unit and have relied heavily on the superb play of their goaltender, Jaroslav Halak. They have gotten some timely scoring from 2010 playoff goal scoring leader Mike Cammalleri and have gotten the leadership from the likes of Scott Gomez and Brian Gionta. Despite being the smaller team in this series, the Habs have played with a great deal of determination and heart, something that has been inspiring to the fan base nationwide. With history on their side, the Habs could be on a path to the Cup final, but a solid series against the Flyers is expected.
Keys to Victory:
The Habs need their best players to play at a higher level (if that were possible). On paper, the Habs are yet again overmatched in both size, skill, and grit, but have a few advantages right now. They have team speed, they are slowly getting healthier on the back end, and have Halak, which has been enough on some nights. The Canadiens need the likes of Gomez, Gionta, and Cammalleri to be at the top of their respective games, however, they also need some secondary scoring from Tomas Plekanec and Andrei Kostitsyn, who were very quiet throughout the Penguins series. The x-factor in this series is the overall play of the Habs defense. They have been successful suffocating the centre ice and neutral zone areas and have neutralized some great players: Alexander Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby, and Evgeni Malkin. However, the Flyers have a more balanced attack and have an aggressive forecheck, so the defense must make quick decisions and show more mobility if this series is going to remain competitive.
Key Players:
Jaroslav Halak – Goaltender
An obvious selection for Game #1. Halak has been red hot in his last 10 games, going 7-3, with a 1.96 goals against average, and .946 save percentage. He is 5-0 when facing elimination and seems to thrive when outshot and kept busy. Halak has benefited from the team being able to keep the crease traffic to a minimum, something that might be an issue in this series. If the Habs can allow Halak to see the shots on goal, he will be primed to stop them. He’s been a workhorse thus far and much will be the same in this series. Playing in Philadelphia is not a welcome assignment for most visiting goaltenders, but Halak could feed off of this negative energy if he gains the confidence early on. Look for the Canadiens to play it conservative early, relying on keeping scoring chances on the outside, while collapsing on rebounds. Same old strategy until further notice, with Halak being the main component of the success.
Mike Cammalleri – Winger
Unlike the first two rounds, Cammalleri will now have to face match-ups against top shutdown defensemen like Chris Pronger and Kimmo Timonen. Braydon Coburn is no slouch either, but the Flyers will probably keep Richards on the ice whenever Cammalleri is out there. This much focus will definitely open up opportunities for his linemates, but Cammalleri must continue to score the goals that the anemic Habs offense will rely on. He needs to be the team’s best offensive weapon and find the open areas. He might have a target on his back this evening and will be the main assignments of Pronger and Richards, but Cammalleri is on fire right now and could overcome this adversity. If he does, the Habs could steal Game #1 with a solid team game and timely chances generated by their diminutive forward lines. The Habs will get many power play chances in this series, look for Cammalleri to be a main weapon in these opportunities.
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Tags: Alexander Ovechkin, Andrei Kostitsyn, Braydon Coburn, Brian Boucher, Brian Gionta, Chris Pronger, Daniel Briere, Evgeni Malkin, Jaroslav Halak, Kimmo Timonen, Michael Leighton, Mike Cammalleri, Mike Richards, Ray Emery, Scott Gomez, Sidney Crosby, Tomas Plekanec