Inexcusable

I know I wrote a big paragraph on how the Leafs have been playing well lately, but they're not that good. This is a team that's 13th in the conference. They're not physical. They literally played a period without hitting. Explain to me how a tough team like the Flyers get outplayed by them? Frankly, they were lucky to ever be leading the game, much less by three goals at one point. I'm glad they salvaged a point.

Tonight, things need to be different. The Flyers need to come out and dictate the action tonight. Something a lot of people observed last night was that the Flyers were waiting for things to come to them. That shouldn't be the case against Toronto. The Flyers are more physical than they are and typically bring a lot more energy to the ice. In front of the home fans, they need to make up for last night's awful collapse. No more getting outshot 55-25. That's embarrassing. Hit them hard and often and make them forget about the playoffs.

Antero Niittymaki should be in goal tonight. Biron was busy last night, and Niitty needs to get a little work, right? Joffrey Lupul is supposed to be back in the lineup tonight. He should spark the Flyers offensively and help get the goal scoring back to the level it was prior to Gagne going out and Lupul and Richards going down.

Games 70 and 71: Flyers at Maple Leafs and Vice Versa

Like the Montreal home and home, I'm doing this all as one. It's easier.

Philadelphia Flyers: 35-26-8, 78 points
Toronto Maple Leafs: 30-30-10, 70 points

Martin Biron v. Vesa Toskala

A few weeks ago, it looked like these games might be irrelevant in the playoff race, but all of a sudden, this home and home is very important. Tonight in Toronto, the Flyers/Leafs rivalry will be renewed as these two teams fight for the playoffs in the last two meetings of the season. The Flyers are trying to catch the Bruins and Rangers in front of them, while the Leafs are trying to catch the Flyers and make the playoffs.

Martin Biron will get the start in the first game, but it's definitely possible that Niittymaki starts in Philadelphia tomorrow.

Toronto has made a very nice turnaround since the last meeting on January 5th. Back then, things were not going well north of the border. They were really struggling, talking about high draft picks and trading key players such as Mats Sundin. After the trade deadline, things have been different. Since the deadline came and went and the trade rumors stopped, the Leafs are 3-2-1 and 6-3-1 in their last 10. They're still 13th in the conference, but things are definitely better than they were at this time last month. Two guys that were involved in a lot of rumors in particular were Mats Sundin and Tomas Kaberle. They were both asked to waive their no trade clauses and said no. Now, Sundin has 7 goals and 14 points in the last 8 games and Kaberle has 12 points in the last 12.

This may not be considered a rivalry like Leafs/Senators or Red Wings/Avalanche, but it's always a lot of fun when these two teams meet. Last meeting, big hits were being thrown all around the ice, and that unfortunately included Hatcher accidentally injuring Joffrey Lupul. The most memorable moment may have been when Steve Downie socked Jason Blake while being held back by an official. Blake absolutely deserved it after the ridiculous comments he made about Downie in September, even though it kind of was a cheap shot. John Stevens has talked to Downie about this, and he understands that this feud cannot carry over and cause him to make a mistake in the next two games.

Bill Meltzer posts scratches.