Flyers bring back Michael Leighton

NHL free agency kicks off today and the Flyers started things off by re-signing a familiar name: Michael Leighton, who signed a one year deal worth $900,000 to be the backup goaltender.  Yep, that's the same Michael Leighton who took the Flyers to the Stanley Cup Finals and then spent the last two seasons in the AHL.

While the move is perplexing initially, there aren't a lot of other backup goaltending options out there in free agency, especially at that price.  The Flyers are likely trying to go cheap at backup goaltender so they have some extra money to go after a big name, whether it's Ryan Suter or Zach Parise.  If Leighton only has to play a few games behind Ilya Bryzgalov, then the signing looks fine.  If Bryz struggles or gets injured, handing the reigns over to Leighton could prove disastrous.

Look for the Flyers to stay plenty busy today, just like they always do on July 1st.  While this first signing isn't exciting or impressive, it allows the Flyers to now concentrate on making a big splash.

Flyers overcome shaky goaltending to force Game 7

Well that was on hell of an Easter. After wins earlier in the day by the Sixers and Phillies, the Flyers followed suit by overcoming a terrible start in Game 6 to beat the Sabres, 5-4, in overtime. The win keeps the Flyers alive and brings the series back to Philadelphia for a do-or-die Game 7.

The Flyers went with Michael Leighton in goal for Game 6 and it quickly proved to be the wrong decision as he allowed 3 goals on just 8 shots in the first period. While the Flyers did manage one goal in the first period, they still found themselves in a 3-1 hole and forced to turn to Brian Boucher, the goat of their Game 5 loss.

Luckily, Boucher was up to the task, bouncing back nicely as he stopped 24 of the 25 shots he saw, including several huge saves that would have given the Sabres a two goal lead in the third period. With Boucher locking things down, the Flyers offense proceeded to peck away at the Sabres lead until Scott Hartnell tied the game halfway through the 3rd period.

The hero in overtime for the Flyers was Ville Leino, who punched a rebound past Ryan Miller for the game winner. Thankfully, Leino's goal was early on in the period and it spared us from the heart attacks that come from a prolonged overtime game when elimination is on the line.

The Flyers proved, once again, that they are a resilient hockey team. No goaltending is too terrible and no deficit is too great for this team to overcome. Why they have to keep making things so difficult for themselves is beyond me but at least they have the ability to find another gear when the chips are down. With the series shifting back to Philly for Game 7, the Flyers have a chance to prove that they really are the better team in the series. With Peter Laviolette already announcing that Boucher will be the starter in Game 7, hopefully the Flyers get the goaltending that allows them to prove it.

Could you have asked for a better Easter, Philly Sports fans? Last year, Donovan McNabb was shipped out of town on Easter. This year, every team in the city won. I'd call it an Easter miracle.

Flyers comeback for naught as Sabres win Game 5 in OT

Talk about a rollercoaster of emotions. From the pain of the the ridiculously terrible start to the joy of a thrilling comeback to the depression of an overtime loss, Game 5 was all over the place for the Flyers. Unfortunately, as the ride came to an end, the Flyers find themselves trailing in the series to the Sabres, 3-2.

Simply getting to overtime was quite a task for the Flyers, who had to overcome an atrocious start in net by Brian Boucher. Boosh was not himself tonight, giving up 3 weak goals on 11 shots before getting pulled in the first period. Enter Michael Leighton (yes, really), who found some of that playoff magic and didn't give up a goal for the rest of regulation.

Facing a 3-0 deficit is nothing new to the Flyers and the offense starting working their way out of it in the second period, beginning with a goal by James van Riemsdyk. While JVR hasn't put up a ton of points in the playoffs, an argument can still be made that he is playing the best out of all the Flyers forwards. Andrej Meszaros added another goal just over a minute later and they Flyers were well on their way to another comeback.

After several close calls, the Flyers finally tied the game early in the third period after Kris Versteeg, while on his backside, made a pass to Mike Richards who fed Danny Briere in front. After the obligatory Briere fist-pump, the Flyers had all of the momentum and controlled the play for the rest of regulation, even getting a powerplay with just over two minutes left. When they couldn't capitalize, the writing seemed to be on the wall, and the Sabres took advantage in overtime when Tyler Ennis put a big Leighton rebound in the back of the net.

Now trailing 3 games to 2, the Flyers find themselves in a difficult, but hardly impossible, situation. Anyone who followed this team last year knows that you can't count the Flyers out until the final buzzer sounds in their 4th loss in the series. With plenty of questions also surrounding who will start in goal for the Flyers in Game 6, the team finds themselves in an almost familiar situation. Now is the time where we find out whether this Flyers team still has some of that magic leftover from last year. If they get another terrible goaltending performance, though, all of the magic in the world isn't going to help them.
(AP PHOTO)

Boucher to start Game 3 for Flyers, Leighton the backup

The Flyers goaltending carousel continues to turn. After his poor performance in Game 2, Sergei Bobrovsky has lost the starting gig to Brian Boucher, who looked solid after taking over for Bob. Even more surprising is that the Flyers appear to be turning to Michael Leighton to be the backup.

Word out of Flyers-land from the beat reporters is that Bobrovsky doesn't even have a locker stall for all of his equipment in Buffalo while Leighton does, implying that Bob isn't even the backup tonight. I'm not sure what the Flyers are thinking dropping him to third goalie but it does make sense to have a veteran backup you can trust. The Flyers must feel that Bobrovsky is too inconsistent to be a reliable backup goaltender.

In other Flyers news, Andreas Nodl is out of the lineup tonight, and Nikolay Zherdev will get his first playoff action.

Michael Leighton clears waivers, returns to Flyers

Well, now he's officially back with the Flyers: Michael Leighton has cleared waivers. With every team in the NHL passing on the former Stanley Cup Playoff standout, despite being able to have him for half his salary, Leighton will now return to the Flyers and could be with the team as early as Friday.

GM Paul Holmgren made it clear that Leighton will be starting one of the final few games of the season but that doesn't mean he will be a starter in the playoffs. The move to bring back Leighton was strictly for depth, a move that gives them insurance should Sergei Bobrovsky not be able to shoulder the load in the playoffs.

Of course, you just know that Leighton is going to backstop the Flyers to their first shutout of the season.

Flyers place Michael Leighton on re-entry waivers

He's baaack! Just maybe not with the Flyers.

According to Bob McKenzie of TSN, the Flyers have placed Michael Leighton on re-entry waivers. Leighton, who played just one game for the Flyers this season, has been in the minors for a couple of months now and has been playing pretty well for the Phantoms. It's a somewhat curious move for the Flyers, considering they don't need a third goaltender this season and they could keep Leighton in the minors until next season, where he could be the backup to Sergei Bobrovsky.

It's very likely that another team will claim Leighton, considering they would only be on the hook for half of his 1.6 million dollar salary next season. While he isn't eligible to play for another team this season, he would be a bargain next year for a team in need of a goaltender. We will find out tomorrow the fate of the Flyers former playoff hero, but my guess is that another team takes a chance on him.

Leighton clears waivers, gets shipped to Phantoms

You have probably seen the last of Michael Leighton in a Flyers uniform. After clearing waivers today, the Flyers have sent Leighton down to the Phantoms, where he will play the remainder of the season unless the Flyers try to put him on re-entry waivers. Since any team can claim him for half the cost if the Flyers put Leighton on re-entry waivers, there is little chance he will be in the Flyers crease ever again.

For a journeyman goaltender like Leighton, he's back in a familiar position of NHL-limbo. He is likely extremely frustrated after he established himself as a starting goaltender in the playoffs last year but he is unfortunately caught up in a numbers game with the Flyers. Hopefully, at some point, Leighton gets another shot at being a starting goaltender in the NHL, just not with the Flyers.

Flyers place Michael Leighton on waivers

Here's how quickly someone can go from Stanley Cup goaltender to not having a job in the NHL: the Flyers have placed Michael Leighton on waivers. Leighton, who looked less than stellar in his first NHL start in months, has proven to be the odd man out in the Flyers crowded goaltending situation. Clearly, no other teams were interested in acquiring a goaltender who hasn't proven that he is healthy yet.

There are a few things that can happen next, from Leighton being claimed by another team to joining the Phantoms. Clearly, the Flyers are content with having Brian Boucher and Sergei Bobrovksy continue to battle it out for the starting spot in net. No matter what happens, the Flyers have cleared up a little more cap space by jettisoning Leighton

Michael Leighton is back in goal for the Flyers

He's baaaack. For the first time since Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals last season, Michael Leighton will be in between the pipes for the Flyers tonight as he makes the start against the Kings. With the way the Flyers goaltending situation has played out, should Leighton play well tonight, it's safe to assume he will get a few more starts in the coming weeks. There is no word as of now who the backup will be, though I would guess it will be Brian Boucher.

With the Flyers still keeping three goaltenders on the roster, things are going to get very interesting in the coming month. While their cap situation allows them to keep three goalies for now, the Flyers will likely have to move one at some point in the near future. While the easiest, and most depressing, choice would be to send Sergei Bobrovsky to the minors, the Flyers might try to trade Leighton or Boucher, with Leighton likely to be the better trade chip. So, while fans might be upset that the Flyers are giving Leighton the start tonight, it makes sense for them to see what Leighton can do and let the rest of the league see that he is healthy and ready to contribute.

Despite how great Bobrovksy and Boucher have looked this season, we can't forget what Leighton did in the playoffs last season. The Flyers legitimately have three goaltenders that could be their starter come playoff time, a fact that sounds good on paper but could be detrimental in the long run. The sooner the Flyers figure out their goaltending situation and let the two remaining guys settle into their roles and get some confidence, the better. Unfortunately, as Flyers fans, we are all too familiar with the problem of not having a number one goaltender.

Guess who's (almost) back! Yep, Michael Leighton

Just when you thought the Flyers goaltending situation was all settled, with Sergei Bobrovksy settling in as the starter and Brian Boucher the backup, a former playoff hero is almost ready to return to the mix. Michael Leighton, who backstopped the Flyers into the Stanley Cup Finals, has recovered from back surgery and is going to play 6 games for the Phantoms in a rehab stint.

What happens to the goaltender situation when Leighton returns to the NHL is anybody's guess. The Flyers have said that they would be willing to carry three goaltenders but the salary cap likely doesn't allow them to do that. Instead, the most likely scenario is for the Flyers to either trade Boucher or dump him into the minors and let Leighton and Bobrovksy battle it out for the starting job. Look for the Flyers to ride the hot hand until one of the two distinguishes themselves as the starter.

Leighton to have surgery, miss 6-8 weeks

Get ready for a whole lot more Sergei Bobrvosky in net, Flyers fans. Michael Leighton, who was previously thought to miss "about a month", will have surgery on his back in the coming days and will miss 6-8 weeks of the season. While he is out, expect the Flyers to stick with Bobrovsky as the starter with Brian Boucher also getting a few starts in net.

Back injuries are tricky things, so it would be a stretch to expect Leighton to come back in December and be the starting goaltender right away. By that time in the season, it's hard to say what the Flyers goaltending situation will look like, as Bobrovksy might established himself as the starting goaltender in Philly or he might fizzle out and need to go the minors. Given the injury situation and the way he looked last night, it's not to difficult to assume that Bob is going to be the man this season.

Flyers lose Leighton, Laperriere to injury

It must be hockey season because the Flyers have problems in net! In a conference call today, Paul Holmgren announced that Flyers starting goaltender Michael Leighton will miss about a month of the season with a bulging disc in his back. In his absence, the Flyers will likely go with Brian Boucher as the starter and either Johan Backlund or preseason sensation Sergei Bobrovsky as the backup.

In even worse news, the Flyers also announced that Ian Laperriere will be out indefinitely due to post-concussion issues that are still bothering him from the playoffs last season. There was no announced timetable for a return for Lappy, but given that he's still hurting from an injury from last season, expect him to be placed on the long-term injured reserve and miss a significant chunk of the season. With Lappy out, a roster spot is all but guaranteed for training camp invite Bill Guerin. While Guerin won't replace Lappy's toughness, he will certainly provide more offensive punch.

With the season just over a week away, this wasn't exactly the news we all were hoping to hear. Then again, it wouldn't be Flyers hockey without a goalie issue.

Michael Leighton unveils new "Broad Street Bullies" goalie mask

New goalie mask alert! Flyers playoff hero, Michael Leighton, has unveiled his new, Broad Street Bullies-themed goalie mask. The two pictures featured here are from the official Flyers Twitter.

Definitely a nice looking mask. Love the toothless, grinning Bobby Clarke on the left side.

Antti Niemi is available but Flyers aren't interested

Oh, the price you pay for winning the Stanley Cup. The Chicago Blackhawks, doing everything they can to keep themselves under the cap, made a surprising move today, signing Marty Turco and walking away from goaltender Antti Niemi, making him a free agent. The signing of Turco, who had been rumored to be someone the Flyers were considering, to a 1 year, 1.3 million dollar contract to be their starting goalie allows the Hawks to not pay Niemi, who was awarded a 2.75 million dollar contract in arbitration. Since Chicago is letting him walk, Niemi is now a free agent and can sign with any team for any price.

Now that he is a free agent, are the Flyers interested in making the man that beat them in the Stanley Cup Finals their starting goaltender? While fans may be interested in Niemi, according to Tim Panaccio of CSNPhilly, the Flyers won't be pursuing him. Citing that the Flyers have several young goalies in the pipeline, Paul Holmgren isn't interested in signing Niemi to the long-term deal that he will likely get in the open market.

The Flyers probably weren't going to get Niemi, anyway. Sure, they could have gotten creative and dumped Brian Boucher and Riley Cote and then tried to find someone to take one of their 8 defensemen off their hands and that would have freed up enough money to sign Niemi for this season, but a contract for Niemi would have to run multiple years and would hinder the Flyers ability to sign RFA's Jeff Carter and Claude Giroux after next season. On top of that, while the Flyers could have found a way to pay him around 3 million a year, there could easily be a bidding war for Niemi that drives his price way out of that range.

While it would have been nice to bring in Niemi to upgrade the Flyers goaltending situation, it appears that Holmgren is satisfied with Michael Leighton as his starting goalie next season. With the way Homer has bungled the cap over the last few seasons, Leighton and his 1.55 million dollar salary is pretty much the best the Flyers can do. Sure, the Flyers could sign a quality goalie in the 3 million dollar range and they might be that much better but it wouldn't come with a guarantee of a Stanley Cup and it could lead to a Blackhawks-esque dismantling of the team after this season.

It looks like we're stuck with our mediocre goaltending in Philadelphia. What else is new?

Flyers re-sign Leighton; will he be starter or backup?

The Flyers have finally signed a goalie! While it may disappoint many Flyers fans, the team has signed goaltender Michael Leighton to a 2 year, 3.1 million dollar contract. This contract is a nice raise for Leighton, who made only 600,000 last year, after his solid play in the playoffs. The question that immediately comes to mind, though, is whether the Flyers believe they now have their starting goaltender or if Leighton was simply brought back to be the back-up.

With the Flyers recent pursuits of Evgeni Nabokov and Marty Turco, many thought it was a sign that the team wanted to get an established number one in net. With the signing of Leighton, does that mark a change in their strategy? Early indications from the Flyers are that they will still pursue another goaltender this offseason but it won't be for an outrageous price. In fact, TSN's Bob McKenzie believes that the Flyers won't spend more than 2 million on another goalie. That price range would put them out of the Nabokov/Turco territory and more in the Marty Biron territory.

If the Flyers do in fact sign another goaltender, it will mean that Brian Boucher, despite being under contract next season, will either be traded or sent to the minors. With Boosh set to make 925,000 next season, the Flyers will jettison him and use that money elsewhere.

If the Flyers do choose to go the cheap route on goaltending, look for them to really beef up their defense through free agency. Their thinking must be that if they can't bring in a top goalie, they might as well have a lock-down defense. While the Dan Hamhuis situation didn't quite work the first time around, I definitely expect them to re-visit talks with him and several of the other top defenseman that hit the open market.

Michael Leighton certainly deserves the raise he just got but let's hope he was re-signed to be the back-up. While he played great at times, the Flyers need to upgrade in net to a proven, more reliable starting goaltender. The Flyers do know this so expect them to be very busy once free agency kicks off tomorrow.

Flyers 2010 offseason primer

The Flyers season may have just ended but the next season is just around the corner and the team has some work to do if they want to get back to the Stanley Cup Finals. While the Flyers have nearly every significant player under contract for next season, they still face a few important decisions this summer. Here's a quick look at who will be back, who might not be back and what needs the Flyers will have to address this summer.

Under contract for next season:
Forwards: Danny Briere, Mike Richards, Simon Gagne, Jeff Carter, Scott Hartnell, James van Riemsdyk, Ian Laperriere, Claude Giroux, Ville Leino, Riley Cote, Blair Betts, Andreas Nodl

Defensemen: Kimmo Timonen, Chris Pronger, Matt Carle, Oskars Bartulis

Goalies: Brian Boucher, Johan Backlund

-The Flyers look pretty set at forward with 10 returning players and two depth wings in Cote and Nodl. Clearly, they have holes on defense and in net.

Restricted Free Agents:
Dan Carcillo, Braydon Coburn, Ryan Parent, Darroll Powe, Danny Syvret

-Of this group, Coburn is the top priority if the Flyers can afford him. I would also expect Carcillo and Powe to be brought back and Parent and Syvret could be traded or re-signed depending on what other options are out there.

Unrestricted Free Agents:
Arron Asham, Ray Emery, Lukas Krajicek, Michael Leighton, Mika Pyorala, Jared Ross

-No one is a must-sign in this group though I'm sure the Flyers will be in discussions with Leighton. Asham could also be brought back.

The Flyers three biggest offseason questions:

1. Who's the goalie?
With Brian Boucher under contract and Johan Backlund re-signed, the Flyers appear to have their backup goalie spot taken care of. Of course, there is still that little matter of finding a starting goaltender. Michael Leighton did a great job in the playoffs and you can bet there will be teams offering him some good money to be their starter; will the Flyers be one of them? There were rumors in the second half of the season about the Flyers wanting to pursue a young goaltender to backstop this team for the next handful of years and Leighton certainly doesn't fit the bill there. Of course, getting a good young goalie is going to take either significant money or a significant player off the roster.

2. Can they create cap space?
While it's great that the Flyers have all of their top players locked up with nice contracts, they have been struggling with the salary cap for the last few years. With the team needing to sign Braydon Coburn to a multi-million dollar deal as well as find money for Carcillo, Powe and a few more depth forwards, there won't be much money left over for an upgrade in net or to get better depth defensemen. Perhaps this is the summer the Flyers finally trade a Jeff Carter or a James van Riemsdyk for a big return to help clear up cap room? The NHL is also rumored to be upping the salary cap by a few million and the Flyers would really benefit from that move.

3. Who are the 5th and 6th defensemen?
In case you hadn't noticed in the playoffs, Lukas Krajicek, Oskars Bartulis and Ryan Parent weren't cutting it for the Flyers third defensive pairing. With Bartulis the only one of the three certain to be back next season, the Flyers will be in the market for a few d-men. If they had the cap space, the Flyers would try to get someone who could play significant minutes and give the Big Four a little more rest. The only way that happens is if they move some salary off the roster.

Keep coming back to ATPS for all the latest offseason Flyers news and rumors. As always, check out the How they were built: Flyers page for the latest salary and acquisition information about every Flyer.

Leighton shines yet again as Flyers take commanding 3-1 series lead

(Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

It's getting to the point where I have run out of things to say about how good the Flyers are playing. Game 4 in the Eastern Conference Finals was more of the same for them as they had a ton of energy, scored timely goals and got rock solid goaltending in a 3-0 win over the Canadiens. The win was huge for the Flyers as they come home needing just one more win before they can move on to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Game 4 was all about the Flyers showing whether they could bounce back from adversity. After getting outplayed in Game 3, the Flyers needed to respond or else the Canadiens were going to make take all the momentum in the series. The Flyers didn't let that happen, though, as they dominated play for most of the game and effectively neutralized the Canadiens boisterous crowd.

Michael Leighton once again came up big for the Flyers, stopping the meager 17 shots the Canadiens put on net. This game was another instance where Leighton didn't have to be ridiculously good, just in the right place at the right time. With the Flyers defense blocking 27 shots themselves, Leighton just has to be ready for those few tough chances that actually get through to him. For those scoring at home, that's 3 shutouts in 4 games against Montreal.

Offensively for the Flyers, they continue to get scoring from all lines. Tonight, with the top line and power play failing to produce any goals, Claude Giroux got two goals from the third line and Ville Leino got a goal from the second line. The emergence of Giroux, who now has 8 playoff goals and 16 playoff points, has been one of the better stories of the playoffs and really shows just how deep the Flyers are at forward. How many other teams in the NHL have a third line center that can do the things this kid can do? As for Leino, just remember to chuckle at the fact that the Flyers got him for Ole-Kristian Tollefsen and a 5th round draft pick as you notice his 12 points in 12 playoff games.

The Flyers also got a boost in Game 4 by the return of Jeff Carter and Ian Laperriere. While neither player scored a point, both each made an impact in the game. For Laperriere, it was mixing it up with the Canadiens every chance he got. For Carter, it was making the most out of the incredibly short shifts in the beginning of the game as he tried to get his legs under him. Once he did, he had a few flashes of brilliance on his way to tying for the team lead in shots.

After a rocky Game 3, all is well in Flyerland again. While the Flyers have three more chances to put away the Canadiens, you can bet they will be focused on putting them away at home in Game 5 and avoid having to go back to Montreal again. If they play at all like they did in Game 4 they will be just four wins away from bringing home the Cup.

Leighton shines as Flyers build 2-0 series lead

(Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

It's hard to fathom that Michael Leighton has played exactly 4 1/2 games of playoff hockey. It's also hard to fathom that the Flyers pulled this guy off the scrap heap in the middle of the season. Now, led by the goalie with no playoff experience that no one else wanted, the Flyers once again cruised past the Canadiens, winning 3-0, to take a 2 games to 0 lead over the Canadiens in the Eastern Conference Final.

Game 2 was all about Leighton, who somehow kept the Canadiens off the scoreboard all game long despite a barrage of 26 shots in the first two periods. The numbers Leighton is putting up are ridiculous, from the back to back shutouts to the nearly 166 minutes he has gone without giving up a goal. While the Flyers don't need Leighton to stand on his head to win, he deserves credit for helping the Flyers steal a game in which they were outplayed for most of the night.

As for the Flyers offense, their power play continues to be the catalyst, going 2 for 4 in Game 2. The Flyers got their usual spread of goal-scorers, with the red-hot Danny Briere notching his 9th goal of the playoffs, Simon Gagne continuing his tear since returning from injury with yet another goal and Ville Leino scoring once again to prove he was a steal of an acquisition by Paul Holmgren. The best thing that can be said about the Flyers offense is that they are making Jaroslav Halak, who silenced both the Capitals and the Penguins potent attacks, look like a below average goalie. It's clear that the Flyers have gotten into Halak's head and crushed whatever confidence he had after the first two rounds of the playoffs.

The Eastern Conference Final now shifts to Montreal and the Flyers are in the exact position they wanted to be. With Montreal being a very difficult building to play in, the Flyers needed to take care of their home ice. Now the Flyers goal should be to take at least 1 out of 2 in Montreal then look to wrap things up back in Philly in Game 5. As we have learned from the Boston series, though, the Flyers can't start making Stanley Cup Finals plans just yet. All it takes is one win by the Canadiens to shift the momentum of the series and put the Flyers back on their heels. With how badly the Flyers are beating them, however, Montreal is going to have to make some serious adjustments if they want to win 4 out of the next 5 games.

6 more wins to go for the Flyers. With the confidence they are playing with now, why did we ever doubt them?

Still rolling: Flyers crush Canadiens in Game 1

(Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

After pulling off their miracle comeback against the Bruins in the last series, the Flyers decided to try a different tactic against the Canadiens in the Eastern Conference Finals: crush them from the very beginning. That's just what the Flyers did in Game 1, dominating the Canadiens in every way possible en route to a 6-0 drubbing.

The offense came from everywhere for the Flyers on Sunday as 6 different players scored goals and 9 different players registered at least one point. Braydon Coburn, of all people, started off the scoring when he chipped in a power play goal early in the first period. The avalanche of goals didn't happen until much later, though, as the floodgates opened after James van Riemsdyk scored off a faceoff and Danny Briere and Simon Gagne both ripped shots by a screened Jaroslav Halak all before the midway point of the second period. The Flyers were rolling at that point and chased Halak from the game, forcing them to turn to backup Carey Price, who they promptly scored on twice more in the third period just for good measure.

The Flyers weren't just on a roll offensively, though, as Michael Leighton proved once again that he is more than capable of carrying the Flyers if he needs to. While Leighton wasn't challenged much throughout the game, he did make the few tough saves he needed to as he made 28 saves and shut out the Canadiens. While the Flyers defense deserves a lot of credit for limiting opponents to very few good scoring chances, Leighton deserves credit for shutting the door any time a leak got through.

Game 1 was a huge statement for the Flyers. Not only did they use their size to beat down the diminutive Canadiens forwards but they also flashed their speed as their transition game set up the offensive attack. On top of all of that, the Flyers also took the Canadiens biggest advantage, Halak, and chased him right out of the game. Montreal would be long eliminated from the playoffs if it wasn't for Halak but he hasn't played that poorly since the very beginning of the playoffs. Hopefully the Flyers lodged themselves into his brain and he will think more than just play for the next few games.

While it's exciting to see the Flyers destroy an opponent, it's important to remember it's just one win and that the Flyers only lead the series 1-0. Hopefully the Flyers know to use this game as a starting point and not as a statement on how every game in this series is going to go. You can't just count out the Canadiens because you know they will make adjustments and come out in Game 2 ready to take it to the Flyers. While a 6 goal loss can be demoralizing, it can also serve to pump up a team that wants to get revenge for being embarrassed. It will be up to the Flyers to match the intensity and energy they brought in Game 1 and prove that what happened was no fluke.

One win down, 7 more to go. This Flyers team is clearly focused on the big prize and has more than enough talent to get it done.

Believe it: Flyers are going to Game 7

(Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

For the third game in a row, the Flyers played with their backs against the wall and, for the third time in a row, they have managed to survive to fight another day. Despite being outplayed for much of Game 6, the Flyers made just enough plays and got just enough good goaltending from Michael Leighton to earn a 2-1 win over the Bruins and force a Game 7 back in Boston. Now, with the Canadiens knocking off the Penguins, all that stands between the Flyers and being the higher seed in the Eastern Conference is one more win.

Before we start looking ahead to Game 7, though, let's look at the brilliance of Game 6. After getting an early goal from Mike Richards, the Bruins controlled the game for the rest of the first and most of the second period, out-shooting and out-hustling the Flyers despite not being able to score. While Leighton did play a great game in net, a lot of the credit has to go to the Flyers defense, who rarely allowed the Bruins a clean look at the net and blocked a whopping 30 shots throughout the night. After a goal by Danny Briere gave the Flyers a 2 goal lead, all they had to do was hold off the Bruins, which they did despite a goal in the final minute that made things interesting.

What Michael Leighton did in this game cannot be overstated. Coming off an injury and in his first career playoff start, Leighton stonewalled the Bruins for 59 minutes of play and stopped 30 shots in all. While much of the success of the Flyers goaltenders can be attributed to how well the team is playing in front of them, for Leighton to be that ready to play after not starting a game for nearly two months is truly remarkable. Hopefully he has another 60 minutes like that in him.

Of course, it wouldn't be a Flyers playoff game without a few injuries. Mike Richards had an early scare that forced him to go to the locker room briefly but returned and luckily showed no signs of injury. Blair Betts, on the other hand, suffered what looked like a separated shoulder and didn't play in the third period at all despite sitting on the bench. Early word from the Flyers is that Betts, the best penalty killer on the team, will suit up for Game 7.

So the improbable run continues. With how well they have played in the last three games, it's amazing to think they ever had a 3 game deficit against the Bruins. Clearly, the Flyers have learned how important it is to get an early lead against Boston and force their anemic offense to attempt to fight their way back into the game. The Bruins simply don't have the offensive firepower to create many solid scoring chances against a Flyers defense that seems to be one step ahead of them at all times.

The Flyers are clearly a team that loves to play with everything one the line, whether it be the final game of the regular season or elimination games in the playoffs. Simply put, they have basically been on borrowed time for weeks now and seem to be playing better because of it. Now, with one final elimination game to go, we'll see if this Flyers team has it in them to complete the miracle. I, for one, believe.