On to the second round! Flyers dominate Sabres in Game 7

Two things plagued the Flyers in their first round series against the Sabres: goaltending and the power play. Flyers fans have argued throughout the course of the series as to which has been more at fault as the team struggled against a scrappy but ultimately inferior Sabres team. Was it the rotating mess of goaltenders that seemed to be following each good performance with a terrible one? Or, was it the power play, which was scoring at a 9.7% clip in the first six games of the series? Fortunately, in Game 7, neither was an issue as the Flyers dominated the Sabres, 5-2, and have now moved on to the second round of the playoffs.

The Flyers jumped on the Sabres early, thoroughly controlling the play throughout the entire first period and outshot Buffalo 16-2. Ryan Miller looked solid in net for Buffalo, however, and turned aside everything the Flyers tossed his way until Braydon Coburn scored with just under 20 seconds left in the first. The second period was more of the same for the Flyers as they continued to dominate play and even managed to score a pair of power play goals to bust the lead wide open. While the Sabres did manage to rob the Flyers of their first shutout of the season with two 3rd period goals, Philly was in complete control the whole time and finally showed why they were one of the best teams in hockey for most of the regular season.

Of course, it helped that the Flyers got some steady goaltending for once, with Brian Boucher playing above average in net. While Boosh didn't have a particularly busy night, he did make the necessary saves to keep the Sabres from making a comeback and finished with 26 saves. The defense, aided by Chris Pronger playing full-time, also was much stronger in front of him, minimizing the need for Boucher to have to stand on his head. There is no question that Boucher will be the goaltender for the Flyers going forward, let's just hope he doesn't have another meltdown like he did in Game 5. Even if he does, I would expect Peter Laviolette to give him a longer leash rather than play goaltender roulette again.

For the second year in a row, the Flyers have moved on to the second round. They now must wait to find out their opponent, which could be either the Bruins if they beat the Canadiens in their series or the Lightning/Penguins series winner if the Canadiens win. No matter who they face, the Flyers have to feel confident that they can beat anyone if they play like they did in Game 7 against the Sabres. Based on their play in Game 7, all the Flyers really need is solid goaltending and a power play goal or two and they should do just fine.
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Flyers take back home ice advantage after Game 3 victory

With all the questions surrounding the Flyers goaltending situation, Brian Boucher made the most out of his starting opportunity, backstopping the Flyers to a 4-2 win over the Sabres in Game 3 of the series. The win puts the Flyers back in the drivers seat and gives them their home ice advantage back.

Boucher was solid in net, making 35 saves while looking sharp in net. He's been through the ups and downs of the playoffs a few times already in his career and he proved that the Flyers made the right decision to let him start. Boosh showed tonight that he wants to take that starting spot and run with it, though, with the way things seem to go in Philly, don't be surprised to see the Flyers have to turn to Sergei Bobrovsky or (gasp) Michael Leighton at some point down the road.

Offensively, the Flyers got goals from two unlikely sources: Jeff Carter and Nikolay Zherdev. For Carter, it was his first goal of the playoffs and it even came on the struggling Flyers power play. As for Zherdev, he only saw action tonight because of an injury to Andreas Nodl but he took full advantage, scoring a goal despite getting just 8 minutes of ice time.

The Flyers now find themselves in a great position to take control of this series in Game 4. As each game passes, they seem to be gaining confidence in beating Ryan Miller while also getting stronger in their own end. Plus, at some point in this series, they still have the Chris Pronger card to play, a move that will surely boost them even further. One thing is for sure: the Flyers have already gone a long way to make us forget about that team that didn't seem to care at the end of the regular season.
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Offense awakens as Flyers even series with Sabres

Whew, it's safe to breathe again. After failing to score a goal in Game 1 against the Sabres, the Flyers offense came alive in Game 2, solving Ryan Miller to the tune of 5 goals in a 5-4 win to tie the series up at 1 game apiece.

The Flyers jumped out of the gate with an early goal by Claude Giroux but then proceeded to give the goal right back after a penalty to Kimmo Timonen. Things got wild from there, as Dan Carcillo scored less than a minute later and the Sabres added two more goals of their own shortly after that. After allowing those 3 goals on just 7 shots, Sergei Bobrovsky was then pulled from the game and then things settled down from there. The mere presence of Brian Boucher seemed to calm the Flyers down as the defense tightened up and the Sabres chances became fewer and farther between. The Flyers took the lead on goals by Ville Leino and Danny Briere and coasted the rest of the way for the win.

Getting the win in Game 2 was crucial for the Flyers as they now head to Buffalo for a pair of games. While they haven't played their best hockey yet in the series, they aren't playing bad and seem to have figured out their gameplan against Ryan Miller. The Flyers still have a ton of work to do to figure out their power play, which scored just once on 10 attempts after going 0 for 5 in Game 1.

Of course, the biggest question facing the Flyers now will be whether Bobrovksy or Boucher starts in net in Game 3. While I would be much more comfortable with a consistent goaltender like Boucher in net, the Flyers might give Bobrovsky another crack at the starting spot. Bob seemed out of sorts in Game 2 but if the Flyers give up on him now they may not be able to turn back to him should Boucher falter.

As the series shifts to Buffalo, the Flyers find themselves in a pretty good position. Ryan Miller isn't in their heads and the mistakes they have made in the first two games are fixable. After a solid win in Game 2 and the imminent return of Chris Pronger, the Flyers and their fans have to feel good about their chances to win 3 of the next 5 against the Sabres.
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Miller blanks Flyers as Sabres take Game 1

The effort was certainly there for the Flyers; unfortunately, the result was not. Despite playing much better than they had in the final weeks of the regular season, the Flyers were unable to solve Sabres goaltender Ryan Miller, who pitched a shutout in a 1-0 win for Buffalo in Game 1.

Despite having a mediocre regular season by his standards, Miller flashed the talent that made him an Olympic hero, stopping all 35 Flyers shots. The Flyers worked hard to generate a number of solid chances from a number of different angles but Miller just wouldn't be beat. The lone goal in the game came in the third period after Danny Syvret, only playing because Chris Pronger is hurt, allowed Patrick Kaleta to get position near the net and bury a goal.

While the Flyers did go 0 for 5 on the powerplay, it's hard to find much fault in how they played in Game 1. They limited the Sabres chances, got solid goaltending from Sergei Bobrovsky and controlled the play for most of the game but simply didn't get the result they wanted. Whether they get frustrated playing against a hot goalie or keep plugging away in Game 2 could be the difference as to whether they make this a series or not.

There is no need for the Flyers or their fans to panic after a Game 1 loss. If the Flyers come out in Game 2 with the same effort, pucks will start finding the back of the net. If they don't, Ryan Miller might just steal the series on his own and then there might not be anything the Flyers can do about it. I'm expecting the Flyers to make a big statement in Game 2, so I'm sticking with Flyers in 6.
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Flyers vs. Sabres: First Round Breakdown

What a difference a year makes for the Flyers. Last season, expectations were low for a Flyers team that barely squeaked into the playoffs. This season, expectations are sky high for a Flyers team that was the best in the Eastern Conference until they coasted for the final month of the season. We all know what ended up happening last season as the Flyers went on an improbable run to the Stanley Cup Finals, so what lies in store for the Flyers this season?

The biggest question facing the Flyers will be whether they can flip the proverbial switch. Having shown little effort in losing 5 of their last 6 regular season games, it's fair to wonder whether the Flyers can ratchet their play back up to elite level simply because the playoffs have started. While the Sabres don't present a huge threat to the Flyers, they still have great goaltending and are a difficult team to score a bunch of goals against. The key for the Flyers in the series will be to get an early lead in each game and force the Sabres to push the issue offensively, opening them up for a number of odd-man rushes. Of course, if the Flyers play with the amount of effort they've shown in the last few weeks, getting that early lead will be difficult. Read on for a closer look at how these two teams matchup.

Offense: Nobody in the Eastern Conference can match the depth the Flyers have at forward. With 7 players with at least 19 goals and 6 with at least 49 points, the Flyers can beat you with any of their top three forward lines. While they don't have the best top-end talent in the league, the Flyers have more weapons than most teams can handle, even boasting a little-used player like Nikolay Zherdev who can strike at any time. This group also has a ton of playoff experience, as a handful were huge contributors on the Flyers run to the Cup Finals last year and they've even added Kris Versteeg, who was a solid role player for the Blackhawks team that downed the Flyers in the Finals.

As for the Sabres, they don't come anywhere close in matching the Flyers forward depth, though they do have 4 players that chipped in 20 or more goals. Their top two lines are pretty strong, with Thomas Vanek and Drew Stafford leading the scoring attack, but things drop down from there, as most of their depth players are muckers and grinders and they aren't big threats with the puck. Because the Sabres simply can't match their depth, I have to give the big edge at forwards to the Flyers.

Defense: While the Flyers will be much, much better with Chris Pronger in the lineup, they still have plenty of depth without him to survive at least one round. The Flyers biggest issue in their Cup run last year was their third defensive pairing that got exposed anytime they stepped out on the ice. With Pronger out, that third pairing is Sean O'Donnell and Nick Boynton or Oskars Bartulis, not a great pair but certainly a solid one. Buffalo once again can't match the Flyers depth, though they are solid in their own end. Tyler Myers is a beast, but he alone isn't enough to slow down the Flyers attack. Give the Flyers the edge on defense, too.

Goaltending: Finally, we get to the one aspect of the series where the Sabres have an advantage. We all know about Olympic hero Ryan Miller and his talents, though he hasn't put up great numbers this season. Still, Miller is capable of getting hot at any time and carrying the Sabres through a few rounds of the playoffs. The Flyers once again have more questions than answers in goal, as Sergei Bobrovsky will be given first crack as the starter. Luckily, the Flyers are strong enough defensively in front of Bobrovksy that he shouldn't have to stand on his head every night to get a win. The Flyers are also fortunate to have one, and possibly two, other goalies to turn to should Bob falter. Regardless, the Sabres have a comfortable edge in goaltending over the Flyers.

On paper, the Flyers are the better team in this series. Sure, the Sabres have a pretty big edge in net, but the Flyers depth at every position just can't be matched. We know that doesn't always translate to the ice, but if they play anything like they did for the first few months of the season, the Flyers should win the series in 6 games. Should Chris Pronger come back early in the series, I would even be tempted to bump that up to 5 games. While Buffalo is no pushover, the Flyers talent should be enough to carry them out of the first round.

Flyers vs. Sabres: Series begins Thursday

The NHL has released their 2011 playoff schedule and the Flyers and Sabres will begin their series on Thursday, April 14th. Here is the complete schedule of games for the series:

Game 1: Thursday, April 14, Buffalo at Philadelphia, 7:30 p.m.
Game 2: Saturday, April 16, Buffalo at Philadelphia, 5:00 p.m.
Game 3: Monday, April 18, Philadelphia at Buffalo, 7:00 p.m.
Game 4: Wednesday, April 20, Philadelphia at Buffalo, 7:30 p.m.
Game 5: Friday, April 22, Buffalo at Philadelphia, 7:30 p.m.
Game 6: Sunday, April 24, Philadelphia at Buffalo, 3:00 p.m.
Game 7: Tuesday, April 26, Buffalo at Philadelphia, TBD

As the favorites in the series, the Flyers find themselves in a much different position than they were at any time in the playoffs last year. They split the season series with the Sabres, 2-2, but outscored Buffalo 17-14 in those games. It should be a great series, be sure to check back in the coming days for a complete breakdown.

Flyers to face Sabres in first round after clinching #2 seed

It was far from pretty, but the Flyers took care of business in their last regular season game, downing the Islanders, 7-4, winning the Atlantic Division for the first time since 2004. The win also clinches the #2 seed in the East for the Flyers and ensures that they will play the 7th seeded Sabres in the first round of the playoffs.

With the poor defense and shaky goaltending they showed against the lowly Islanders, it's hard to have much confidence in the Flyers heading into the postseason. If they can't figure out how to flip the switch and become the team that dominated the league for much of the season, they could be facing a quick out against a Sabres team that has been playing well down the stretch.

Check back to the site in the coming days for my usual playoff previews and predictions. It's time for the best playoffs in professional sports to begin!
(AP PHOTO)