Stanley Cup Final - Chicago vs. Philadelphia

[doulos]

Those stats would be great if they were playing the exact same teams. But they didn't.

[strider2k2]

That's very true Doulos, but considering how regular season stats don't really apply I figured it was as good a place to start as any. If I looked at the matchups and saw one team that seemed to overmatch the other and looked at those stats I'd say that they were a result of weaker competition. When I look at these teams and see a balanced matchup and the stats support that I think it's worth talking about.

Of course I could be wrong and the Hawks could sweep, lol.

[Powerslave]

Richards has more balls than Toews and actually celebrated the trophy he and his team just won. I want him to win because of this.

he's just dirtier...doesn't mean he has more balls

also i wouldnt say he celebrated, he picked it up and pretty much went straight to the locker room

with that said i think its gonna be a great match-up between two guys who alot of ppl probably questionned their roster selection in team canada but ended up being 2 of our best forwards

[Rusty Pickles]

wow the Flyers faithful have really lined up at the koolaid trough for this one!

Kool-aid is better then Haterade or the sour grapes you can suck on all off season :P

This will not be a short or easy series, but I can understand why people think so, I just think it's a little short sighted to make that your pick. These teams match up very well, are very evenly balanced, and their one game during the regular season (a 3-2 flyers win) was one of the most entertaining regular season games this year.

I'll also just point out that Brodeur, Halak, and Rask are all better goalies then niemi, and the flyers beat them all....

Go Flyers!!! Four more!!!

[flyers9327]

Flyers in 6. Intangibles is where I give the Flyers the big edge. Pronger gets MVP

[mister_mcgoo]

Kool-aid is better then Haterade or the sour grapes you can suck on all off season :P

This will not be a short or easy series, but I can understand why people think so, I just think it's a little short sighted to make that your pick. These teams match up very well, are very evenly balanced, and their one game during the regular season (a 3-2 flyers win) was one of the most entertaining regular season games this year.

I'll also just point out that Brodeur, Halak, and Rask are all better goalies then niemi, and the flyers beat them all....

Go Flyers!!! Four more!!!

haha, no hate here Rusty...well no more than my normal level of hatred for the Flyers anyway

and no sour grapes either, like I mentioned in the other thread, the Habs got outplayed overall in the series, when that happens you tend to lose, we just didn't bring our A game and the Flyers took advantage, they deserve credit for how well that team has come together.

I'm just a little curious by all the confidence and bravado I guess. I totally get that part of it is supporting your team and you gotta have some trash talk and chest thumping to go with that. But realistically, aren't you guys a little worried going into this series? Not because the team isn't talented and deep and playing with a lot of heart but just the sort of lackadaisical way they won the last series. I've obviously watched the Habs play pretty much every game these playoffs, and without question this was a very poor series for them. The other two series they got outshot and spent a lot of time in their own zone, but they played incredible D, blocked tons of shots, stick checked well and had stellar goaltending and opportunistic scoring. Above all though, they were consistent and they bounced back from bad games or bad goals. I saw very little of that in the Flyers series, they were maddeningly inconsistent, seemed to abandon their core gameplan and were often out of position. I think a big part of it was the wearing down of our D as the playoffs went on. Our PP also came apart with Markov to run it. The way the Flyers were coming into this series off a huge high I would have expected them to steamroll right over a team playing like that, every game like game 1 basically. Instead what we saw was a bunch of games that could have went either way given a few bounces or a few big saves. If I'm a Hawks fan I just saw my team convincingly sweep one of the best teams in the playoffs this year. If I'm a Flyers fan I just saw my team muddle through a lackluster series where they seemed to disappear for big portions of the games. What it boils down to is, I didn't see much from them in the last 5 games to inspire the confidence I'm seeing. I think the Hawks are as good or better than them on every dimension you care to measure, including the all important 'heart'.

[duballstar014]

I'm not worried. They beat Chicago earlier this year when the Flyers were in a skid and everyone said there's no way they'll beat Chicago...in Chicago...but they did.

I'm doing everything I can to find a way to attend Game 3 and/or 4.

[playmaker26]

I'm not worried. They beat Chicago earlier this year when the Flyers were in a skid and everyone said there's no way they'll beat Chicago...in Chicago...but they did.

I'm doing everything I can to find a way to attend Game 3 and/or 4.

It was actually in Philly.

[duballstar014]

It was actually in Philly.

you're right. i should've looked it up, but just went off memory, which obviously was incorrect. still, the talk then was that they were in for a hurt playing one of the top teams in the west. "no way the flyers can hang with the blackhawks" everyone said.

[playmaker26]

you're right. i should've looked it up, but just went off memory, which obviously was incorrect. still, the talk then was that they were in for a hurt playing one of the top teams in the west. "no way the flyers can hang with the blackhawks" everyone said.

Very true, I agree with what you're saying.

[ima]

Hawks in 4 or 5, this isn't going to take long

[duballstar014]

Well, I say Flyers in 6. I do like everyone picking Chicago though. If you guys can keep doing it, maybe the odds will get higher and I'll be able to throw some more money on the Flyers this weekend in Vegas.

[Mr. Guru]

I placed a $20 bet on the Flyers to win the Cup, preseason.

At 28/1 odds I figured it was worth a shot. Totally forgot about the bet until the Olympics rolled around.

So with a potential $560 to win, Im routing for the Flyers!

[Rusty Pickles]

The way the Flyers were coming into this series off a huge high I would have expected them to steamroll right over a team playing like that, every game like game 1 basically. Instead what we saw was a bunch of games that could have went either way given a few bounces or a few big saves. If I'm a Flyers fan I just saw my team muddle through a lackluster series where they seemed to disappear for big portions of the games. What it boils down to is, I didn't see much from them in the last 5 games to inspire the confidence I'm seeing.

So you were expecting a Habs team that just came off of emotional 7 game series wins against the "giants" of the east in the Pens and Caps to just lay down for Philadelphia??? Riggggght. I sure as hell wasn't.

Did the Hawks score 6 goals in every game of their sweep? Even record one shutout? No. Were not some of those games close, and could have easily gone the other was if a few big saves or bounces went the other way? Yes (2-1, 4-2, 3-2 (OT), 4-2 (empty net)). Outside of game 2 I thought games 1,3, and 4 could have just as easily gone to the Sharks if not for Niemi playing great. Only game 2 did they have a multiple goal margin of victory w/o tallying into the empty net. Also, they did just sweep a team with a reputation for "choking."

I'd say 4 games to 1 IS a steam rolling, especially when you shut out the opposition 3 times in that span and win three of the four games by a multiple goal margin without needing to go into the empty net to create a margin of at least two. Game 1 was probably their "perfect game" of the playoffs so far, to play your perfect game every night is pretty high expectations, borderline insane. I'd also say game 5 was pretty damn lopsided in the flyers favor as Mtl was only within a goal from tying it for say 12 minutes of play and when Mtl took the early lead the Flyers responded immediately. The only game the Habs won was a "must win" in terms of the series (game 3 being down 0-2).

I mean, we don't really want you on our band wagon either, and I don't expect you to change your mind lol. This team has been flying under the radar when everyone expected us to lose to the Rags last game of the season (we didn't), then it was Brodeur and the Devils (we didn't), then we were supposed to lose when we went down 0-3 to Boston (we didn't), and then against the Mtl team that dispatched the president cup winners and defending champions and had the vastly superior goalie (again, we didn't). So for us to once again be given "no chance" is nothing new.

The confidence comes from seeing that we have been given no chance to win the cup since the trade deadline and now we are only four wins away from doing just that! The flyers have a skilled group of forwards and top 4 defenseman that I feel is every bit just as talented as Chicago's; and we have played our best hockey with Leighton in nets (regular and post season). Is it blind optimism? Perhaps, but I feel like if you are a fan of the Flyers your team has given you every reason to feel that way at this juncture. After seeing this team come back and win a series from 0-3 I believe they can beat anyone, why wouldn't I? Our team hasn't given up, so why would we give up on them?

[Shake]

Flyers, Hawks, Leighton, Niemi. Who do you like? How many games?

Hawks in 5. Toews, Kane, keith, Dusty etc, gonna cause to much havoc for Phily...