Posted on Fri, May. 09, 2008

Eastern conference finals: Will Penguins fly?

Or maybe upset-minded Flyers can pin them down

By Milenko Martinovich

Star-Telegram Staff Writer

Storylines

Delayed meeting

Ottawa Senators coach Bryan Murray accused the Pittsburgh Penguins of purposely losing their regular-season finale to play Ottawa in the first round and avoid the Philadelphia Flyers. Pittsburgh swept the Senators en route to the conference finals against, you guessed it, the Flyers.

Flyers dominance

Despite the fact the Penguins have been the more successful team in recent years, winning two Stanley Cups in the 1990s, Philadelphia has never lost to Pittsburgh in the playoffs. The Flyers are 3-0 in playoff series against Pittsburgh. The last time the teams met was in the 2000 conference semifinals, highlighted by Keith Primeau's game-winning goal in the fifth overtime of Game 4.

Unsung goalies

In a playoff season involving the likes of Martin Brodeur and Henrik Lund-qvist, did anyone expect the last two Eastern Conference goalies left standing to be Marc-Andre Fleury and Martin Biron? Fleury has been stellar with .938 save percentage and 1.76 goals-against-average. Biron showed his mettle against Montreal, facing an average of 35.4 shots per game.

Players to watch

R.J. Umberger, Flyers center

Quick question. Who ranks second in playoff goals? That's right. Umberger has nine playoff goals, eight against Montreal in the second round. He's a Pittsburgh native, so we'll see if he shines in his hometown.

Evgeni Malkin, Penguins center

He has been a beast in the playoffs, recording at least one point in seven of Pittsburgh's nine games. The Flyers surrendered a lot of scoring chances to Montreal, so Malkin and Co. should have many opportunities to light the lamp.

Hal Gill, Penguins defenseman

He doesn't have a point in the playoffs, but he has been invaluable to Pittsburgh's success. He logs heavy minutes, usually plays against the opposition's top scorers and doles out punishment with his size (6-foot-7, 250 pounds).

Worth noting

Pittsburgh general manager Ray Shero is the son of Fred Shero, who coached the Flyers to consecutive Stanley Cups in 1974 and 1975.

Numbers game

5 Regular-season victories by Philadelphia over Pittsburgh in eight games this season, but the Penguins won three of the last four.

2-1,1-4 Pittsburgh's record against Philadelphia this season with Penguins center Sidney Crosby out of the lineup and in the lineup.

Prediction

Pittsburgh in seven

A TALE OF TWO CITIES

Dallas sports fans might have a tough time rooting for either team when the Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins meet in the Eastern Conference Finals starting tonight. Thanks to the NFL's Eagles and Steelers, North Texans have learned to loathe both cities. But which should we hate more? Here's one completely spiteful, but maybe somewhat accurate, view of how to pick which city to root against: -- Bryan French

Research sources: U.S. Census, imbd.com, about.com, wikipedia.com, individual Web sites for people, sports leagues, bands, movies, etc.

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"I once spent a year in Philadelphia. I think it was on a Sunday."

- Philly native W.C. Fields

"Abandon it."

- Frank Lloyd Wright, when asked what he would do to improve Pittsburgh