Martin Biron v. Carey Price
Both teams may be lucky to survive, but the fact is, it's the Flyers and Canadiens still alive, and it's the Capitals and Bruins dusting off their golf clubs. Despite being two of the last series to be decided, this game will kick off round two around the NHL. Will fatigue set in? Hopefully not, but the Flyers went seven games and played some extra hockey on Tuesday. They need to get off to a fast start in the worst way.
Martin Biron's postseason stats were actually worse than his regular season numbers, but what matters is how well he played in game seven. The Flyers hope he can carry some of that momentum over.
Something that's nice for the Flyers is the fact that Montreal doesn't have "that guy" like Washington does. Don't get me wrong though; Montreal can put the puck in the net as well as anyone. They're deep, and their Power Play was awesome. Alex Kovalev revived his career this season when he led Montreal in goals and points. Their other big scorers include Tomas Plekanec, Christopher Higgins, the Kostitsyn brothers and of course, Saku Koivu.
The key for the Flyers is to play disciplined and stay out of the box. 35% of their goals were scored with a man advantage, so it's critical to not give them those opportunities. They had five players score double digit goals on the PP, so they can roll out a couple effective lines. The same can be said for Montreal; the Flyers have the same percentage of man advantage goals.
Who's hot?
The Kostitsyns have combined for six goals and 11 points in the playoffs so far. Alex Kovalev has two goals and six points.
Danny Briere leads the playoffs with six goals and 11 points by himself. Prospal is tied for second in playoff points with nine. Jeff Carter has three goals.
Bill Meltzer previews the game. Who's going to be on the fourth line tonight?
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