Flyers, Devils, a rivalry renewed

PHILADELPHIA, Pa – It is déjà vu all over again. Harkin back to 2000 and you just might remember the Eastern Conference finals between the Philadelphia Flyers and the New Jersey Devils. The Flyers were up 3-1 in the series and looked to get back to the Stanley Cup finals three years removed from their last cup finals against Detroit.
If you’re a Flyers fan you might recall that the team made a bit of history that series. They became the first team in NHL history to blow a 3-1 lead in a conference finals and loss a series Brian Boucher remembers it well, he should, he was the starting goaltender for that series.
You might also recall Eric Lindros officially ending his time in south Philly by getting rocked by a Scott Stevens hit that effectively ended Lindros’ career. Here we are 10 years later and the Devils and Flyers meet again in the playoffs.
The two teams have met in the playoffs since then when the Flyers got a small measure of revenge by beating the Devils with Robert Esche in the pipes back in 2006. A lot has changed since then but the bitterness between these two teams sure hasn’t.
Here is a preview of the Flyers/Devils series. Series overview

Philadelphia – The Flyers beat the Devils five out of six times this year and despite being the underdog in the series they will come into the playoffs with confidence. Despite the standings knowing that you can beat and opponent will help but not necessarily mean you can beat them. That said, to the Flyers, it’s the second series and you can bet they will come to play.
Mike Richards, Jeff Carter, and Daniel Briere will lead the team on offense. One defense, Chris Pronger has proven to be all that the Flyers had hoped for when they traded for him. Although he has had his off-moments, he and Kimmo Timonen will be counted on to anchor the blueline.
 
Boucher is considered the third goaltender on the team but if they win this series it won’t matter if Michael Leighton comes back healthy it will be Bouch’s job to loss the rest of the playoffs. A bad playoff run and it will surely mean the rumor mill will be cranked up once again for a new goaltender in the off-season. New Jersey – All you need to say about the Devils is two words: Martin Brodeur. As long as Brod’s is on his game the Devs will win the series, hands down. IF he plays like the guy who lost five games to the Flyers this season it will be an early exit.
 
As always the Devs are balanced throughout the lineup but with the exception of Ilya Kovalchuk, Zach Parise and Travis Zajac are the only other Devils forwards that strike fear into their opponents. The Devils are strong defensively but only if they get a lead. That is the key to the Devils success. Get the lead then sit on it and keep the puck in the other team’s zone. It’s boring hockey but its devils hockey nonetheless.
 
Prediction – As much as some local beat writers think the Flyers can win the series, and they can, the odds are against them. Devils in seven.
 
Contact the author at brian.jennings@ prohockeynews.com
Contact the photographer at Lewis.Bleiman@prohockeynews.com