In case anyone forgot and it would be quite easy to considering how much time off there was between Rounds 2 and 3, there was hockey played last night in Motown where the Red Wings used three power play goals in a 4-1 Game One victory over the Stars in the WCF.

For the naysayers who don’t want to believe in the Wings just cause of who they played (didn’t realize that’s how it worked), they’re legit and proving to be more than a one trick pony as Dallas found out. Four different goalscorers not named Datsyuk or Zetterberg did the trick for top seeded Detroit with former Devil blueliner Brian Rafalski getting the party started on a five-on-three. Then Johan Franzen continued his torrid pace showing no rustiness by getting to the front of the net and deflected home his postseason leading 12th for a 2-0 lead after one.

Veteran Tomas Holmstrom also screened Marty Turco a bit illegally scoring in the paint where the Swede’s made his living. Before Dallas captain Brenden Morrow snapped Chris Osgood’s shutout bid with 1:07 left in the second, Valtteri Filppula got the Wings’ fourth putting the contest out of reach as they stopped the Stars’ early road success by taking Game One 4-1 at The Joe.

Entering last night, Dave Tippet’s club was a perfect four-for-four in the first two games of Rounds 1 and 2 in victimizing the defending champion Ducks and Sharks both from their Pacific division. Just maybe Detroit’s a step up in competition unlike what’s been sold because they feasted on the Preds and Avs. Couldn’t have been because they’re actually good? Nah. Why even give a team credit when it has proven to be very equipped to bring Lord Stanley back to Michigan?

The Wings have excellent skaters who can beat you a number of different ways. Whether it’s the skill and finesse of Datsyuk and Zetterberg or the grit and determination of Franzen, Holmstrom along with underrated secondary help Filppula, Jiri Hudler, Dan Cleary and Mikael Samuelsson, Mike Babcock’s Original Six club has the right mix to go all the way.

It should be tougher starting with Game Two where the balanced Stars should be sharper getting back to their defensive style. They’d be wise to stay out of the box where Detroit did most of their damage going three-for-seven. The Stars took the collar in four chances.

The Wings outshot them 31-21 making it a manageable night for Ozzie, who stopped 20 shots in improving to a perfect 7-0 since taking over for Dominik Hasek. Detroit also had the puck a lot winning 35-of-56 draws which played right into their puck possession attack.

Coming into this series, there was a lot to like about Dallas with Turco playing lights out and deadline pickup Brad Richards (2-9-11) performing up to expectations. With Morrow continuing to lead his hockey club and Sergei Zubov back healthy on the blueline, the Stars have a chance to comeback and reach their first Cup Final since 2000. They’ll need outstanding efforts from their best players along with point leader Mike Ribeiro (3-11-14), Stephane Robidas plus veteran champion forwards Mike Modano and Jere Lehtinen.

The problem is that Detroit can more than match them up front with a very balanced attack duly noted above. The Red Wings also could have the edge on D with team captain Nick Lidstrom headlining it with Rafalski and emerging physical standout Niklas Kronwall, who with two assists raised his team-leading helper total to 10.

If Osgood continues his reemergence in net, it’s hard to see the Stars prevailing. They would’ve been wise to finish off San Jose earlier instead of requiring an ungodly seven more periods.

I don’t feel they’re overmatched but kind of see Detroit winning in six to advance to their first Final since winning it all back in 2002 when yours truly had a stint in Bristol, Connecticut.

Now to the other series which begins later tonight with a 7:30 start time at Mellon Arena. The Battle of Pennsylvania should be a fun filled series with lots of edge to it. These two teams don’t like each other. There were a couple of games during the regular season which saw lots of penalty minutes and fisticuffs. So, expect it to be very physical as well as entertaining due to the kind of aggressive fast skating teams both the Flyers and Pens have.

The Flyers got some bad news as top defender Kimmo Timonen is expected to miss the series due to a blood clot in his ankle. They were really depending on the very overlooked Finn D to see a lot of Malkin and Crosby. How John Stevens replaces him is beyond me. Maybe he’ll pair Braydon Coburn with the physical Derian Hatcher.

Team captain Jason Smith will have to be a beast in this series. I figure he’ll see a lot of Crosby while Hatcher and Coburn have their work cut out for them against Malkin. Stevens also could opt to move up Lasse Kukonen to pair with Coburn while sending out Hatcher with Smith to work over Sid the Kid. Randy Jones is decent.

Obviously, with no Timonen, the edge goes to the Pens, who boast superb offensive skating power play tandem Sergei Gonchar and Ryan Whitney while also being able to send out the rough Brooks Orpik and Hal Gill. Plus Rob Scuderi, who always seems to fly under the radar. He’s real smart and plays his position well leading the Pens with a plus-seven rating during a postseason run which has seen them win eight of their first nine. Kris Letang also is a very good skating D who is solid overall.

When you assess that Pitt blueline, there really aren’t any glaring weaknesses. They can skate, jump into the rush and pinch in, take out the man making you pay a price while moving the puck effectively. While Malkin, Crosby, Marian Hossa along with a big talented forward crop which includes Ryan Malone, Petr Sykora and Jordan Staal all can hurt you offensively, it’s that D which has really been making a difference.

In order to have a chance, the Flyers must use their attacking cycle to make that defense work in its end. The Rangers just weren’t a fast enough skating team to exploit it. Philly has more capability featuring veteran offensive leader Daniel Briere, Mike Richards, Jeff Carter and Montreal killer R.J. Umberger (8 of 9 goals in Rd. 2).

The supporting cast of Mike Knuble, Vaclav Prospal, Joffrey Lupul, Scott Hartnell and the speedy Scottie Upshall have enough speed, size and grit to nullify the Pens’ attack. They must get in on the forecheck and disrupt Pittsburgh. Get in the face of Crosby and hit pest Jarkko Ruutu every chance they get. Also, playing Malkin physical will fluster the talented Russian. Hossa also doesn’t like being hit.

There’s little doubt that Martin Biron has been the best goalie in the first two rounds standing on his head to steal Game Seven over Ovechkin’s Caps and totally outplaying rookie Carey Price last round. He’ll need to be even more brilliant. Marc-Andre Fleury has played well for the Pens but is prone to bad rebounds. Shoot low on him and attack the net.

Even without Timonen, I see the Flyers making this one interesting. Their forwards are plenty good enough. They must win the battles down low and keep the Pens in their end. If it turns into a track meet, they won’t be able to win.

I still say this goes seven but figure a late marginal new NHL phantom hook will help the Pens advance making everyone except the hypocritical city of Pitt shake their heads in disgust.

A Pens-Wings final would work wonders for NBC. Crosby, Hossa and Malkin versus Datsyuk, Zetterberg and Lidstrom.

One final thought on the subject of the long layoff. Why the semifinal round couldn’t start on say Tuesday and Wednesday is inexplicable. Even the NBA doesn’t have this kind of ridiculous delay between rounds. They start their next round quickly not waiting for a long series to finish which is how it should work. Instead, our league is intentionally dragging things out catering to NBC, who cares more about silly horse races even when one tragically is murdered in their precious Derby than about our game.

What a disgrace.

FINAL UPDATE: Brenden Morrow came through with the power play winner at 9:03 of the fourth overtime. The Dallas captain redirected a perfect Stephane Robidas pass at the front of the net past Evgeni Nabokov to eliminate the Sharks and destroy San Jose’s hopes for the magical 33 year 0-3 theory. The actual time of the goal was 69:03 of sudden death since it was in the fourth OT. If we were counting regulation, that would make it 129:03.

It was the eighth longest OT game in NHL playoff history.

Some notes from it:

-Morrow played exactly 51:00 and was credited with 19 hits. By far the most of any player. In fact, Dallas outhit San Jose 88-54. The Dallas captain also laid out Milan Michalek with a clean shoulder knocking him out of the game at the end of regulation. The encouraging news was he was able to walk with a cast on.

-There were a total of 117 shots on goal. Marty Turco made 61 saves further cementing his reputation during this postseason. That means he repelled 61 of 62 shots his way. Many quality stops. Evgeni Nabokov saw 55 come his way and stopped 53 to suffer a very hard luck defeat despite one of the greatest saves in sudden death history when he reached out and snagged Brad Richards shot getting it just before it crossed the goal line.

-57 shots were blocked and another 47 missed the net entirely. That’s 104 which didn’t even make it to the net.

-There were only two penalties called in the last five periods with none in the third, the first and second overtime. Just the way a game should be officiated unlike the penalty barrage which has become common in today’s new NHL. Unfortunately for Brian Campbell, he got nabbed and his team wasn’t able to bail him out. The former Sabre logged 56:23 of ice-time getting a ridiculous 68 shifts. The most in the game.

-Sergei Zubov logged 53:50 taking 61 shifts.

UPDATE II:  It still isn’t over. It’s past 2 AM here in NYC and we’re 10 minutes or so away from the fourth overtime. The Sharks have done everything but can’t beat Turco, who’s had a couple of very close calls. The man has 58 or 59 saves. What a game. Nabby has been pretty damn good too.

Whoever loses is going to really hurt.

Here are my fourth OT picks:

San Jose- Mike Grier cause it’s time to go with an obscure former Sabre. 

Dallas- Jere Lehtinen cause he’s a darn good player and I can easily seeing him winning it. 

UPDATE:  Amazingly, it’s going to a sixth period. Will someone end this or is this going to be like that crazy Stars-Canucks game last Spring?

I may as well pick two new players:

San Jose- Patrick Marleau just cause he’s playing with Thornton.

Dallas- Sergei Zubov cause he rocks and could sneak one of those point shots through a screen.

It’s on still and about to go to a second overtime by which time I’ll probably be on a fourth brew.

Great freaking goaltending by Turco and Nabokov. You want to talk about laying it all on the line. This is great stuff! I can’t wait to see what happens.

The series in the balance and Nabby makes one of the most amazing saves ever robbing Richards of a certain winner. Unreal! And then Turco comes back with highway stack jobs on Marleau. Twice!

And Ribeiro came close to winning it twice and hit the pipe. This is just a classic game and what makes our sport so special. So, fire up a brew or not and kick back and relax.

OT picks:

San Jose- Roenick has been flying and has been involved a lot. I wouldn’t be too shocked if the grizzled American vet gets it to keep a shot history going with the whole 33 thing.

Dallas- Lundqvist had some good chances and has skated well. Usually, the pick is a star but I like what I saw from King Henrik’s twin brother. Why not.

Maybe it was meant this way for Marian Hossa. Redemption is a very strong and symbolic word often used to describe sports. For the Rangers, that was used to describe their five-game first round victory over bitter Hudson rival New Jersey.

I definitely feel the same applies to Hossa and exceptional underrated linemate Pascal Dupuis, who were swept out by a superior Ranger team when they wore Thrasher sweaters one Spring ago. Clearly, the key Pens duo made a difference coming over from Atlanta at the deadline. Yeah. The talent level was much better and allowed them to fit in. That can happen when you play with such skilled centers as Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby.

Perhaps that took some pressure off Hossa, who had disappeared in prior playoff years with those disappointing Ottawa teams and even getting grossly outplayed by younger scrub brother Marcel Hossa. This time around, he was really good playing alongside Crosby and Dupuis. His great hustle to keep a puck alive at the blueline on the power play resulted in the first of two goals on the day when he buried a Ryan Malone feed at the right doorstep to supply the Pens the lead.

For whatever reason, the Rangers really let down. Before that goal, they had played on fairly even terms with the faster and more skilled Penguins. Hockey’s a funny sport. When a team scores, they really get a lot of momentum. I think that really showed in this one and summed up the series. Someone on NBC said it earlier today. Pittsburgh doesn’t need many chances to score. They proved it in that resilient three-goal Game One comeback which really made a difference.

The Pens kept coming. Especially at the shaky Michal Rozsival, who went to the box way too much killing his team’s momentum. The Blueshirts couldn’t afford to lose their discipline if they wanted to get this back to MSG tomorrow. Seven penalties were too much and allowed the Pens to control the puck and flow of the game.

Truthfully, if not for some amazing goaltending from Henrik Lundqvist in that second period, it wouldn’t have even been a contest. The Malkin backhand goal which made it 2-0 Pens was just a great play by a very physically gifted player. It also was a bit fluky as the puck came to him and he stayed with it despite good coverage from Paul Mara zipping it top shelf. That guy is the best player in the game. He’s also a bit cheap. The slewfoot of Mara near the conclusion of Game Four was uncalled for and should’ve warranted at least a fine. No way would our wussy league suspend him.

I also didn’t like Malkin punching his fist almost at Mara after he scored it. Act like you’ve been there before and not like a punk.

At 2-0 down having gotten zero shots the last 14-plus minutes of the second and registering no hits, it looked like the Ranger tank was on empty. Still, I told my angry younger brother Justin that it wasn’t over yet. They just needed to come out better in the third and get an early one.

Sure enough, in his first ever NHL game, rookie Lauri Korpikoski came through. Following relentless pressure from the Pens, the former 2004 first round pick forced a turnover and came in with linemate Fredrik Sjostrom two-on-one. Smartly using Pitt defender Ryan Whitney as a screen, the young Finn whistled a perfect wrister past Marc-Andre Fleury into the top of the net.

Now putting this in proper perspective, Korp had played three or four shifts the first 40 minutes. But oddly enough on his first ever shift, he got a good shot on Fleury forcing him to make a tough save. Should Tom Renney have played the kid more? It’s a tough situation cause he’s coming into a very pressure packed elimination game. Still, Renney’s move of inserting Korpikoski for Colton Orr worked and gave the Blueshirts a much needed lift.

What happened next was so stunning, I had to do a doubletake to realize it. I just didn’t expect them to tie it so soon. The goals were like 1:22 apart. Great play by Scott Gomez drawing two defenders and making a perfect pass to a cutting Nigel Dawes, who snuck a backhand deke thru Fleury’s five-hole to tie the game at two.

At that point, Justin and myself were ecstatic going nuts in the TV room. :D Hey. With it looking so grim and the team not showing much last period with a season on the line, what would ya expect?!?!?!?!?!

Ultimately, they didn’t come out winners today but that’s not how I view it. Bottom line is they showed a lot of mettle in that third coming back against a very good team. A better one.

At the end of the day, sure. There were some missed opportunities including chances by Chris Drury (what a warrior) and Dawes where Fleury held it together with three and change left. It’s ironic that Drury, who was just unreal for a guy with bad ribs was in the sin bin for four minutes high sticking Malone when he got it much worse earlier on and nothing was called. Mike Milbury was right on it and a couple of other missed infractions on the home team which got three more man-advantages.

Not like it would’ve mattered with our popgun PP offense. God. They got only one shot on four chances. Path—et—ic!

I’m glad that the Rangers killed off that penalty cause that would’ve been a sucky way to lose. Especially with Dru in the box after he was wronged. It wouldn’t have felt right.

They did an outstanding job killing the double minor but never were able to generate an attack in sudden death which doomed them. I guess the series hung in the balance on Marc Staal’s shorthanded rush. But as has been a team issue all season, the promising 21 year-old rookie didn’t shoot opting to try for a cutting Martin Straka. The pass never made it getting picked off.

What if he had shot there? I guess we’ll never know. You don’t play would’ve, should’ve, could’ve in these series. The better team found a way to win. That the puck went off Dan Girardi’s skate to Hossa, who admitted to Lundqvist that he missed the shot intending to go high but instead the puck went five-hole was a good bounce for the Pens and an unfortunate one for the Rangers.

At the end of the day, they have nothing to be ashamed of. Many teams would’ve packed it in after such a poor second period. That they didn’t and came so close to making me look like a genius showed a lot of resolve.

I’m extremely proud of how they competed. Now it’s onto the summer and what happens in July. I have some thoughts on that but just don’t feel up to writing them at the moment. Maybe another day.

Congrats to the Pens on winning the series. They’re now 4-0 against the Rangers in playoff series and a ridiculous 16-4. What is it about that damn team? I’m sick of losing to them. Plus Crosby is still a bitch and Michel Therrien can go walk the plank with his underhanded bs complaints. Was very proud of Renney for being so diplomatic about such garbage. Ditto Brendan Shanahan even if he’s washed up.

I can’t believe it’s come to this. But go Flyers! For the love of God and the NHL, please destroy that team! Put Jarkko Ruutu through the glass! Wow. I’m as bad as Brian. Rooting for the Flyers doesn’t feel right but I’ve had enough of the Pens and NBC yucking it up with cheesy Pen promo after Pen promo. That “It’s Our Team” garbage entering the third was a direct slap in the fact and spoke volumes.

Let the Flyers prevail.

By show of hands, who had the Flyers going to the Conference Final four wins away from their first Stanley Cup Final in 11 years? I doubt there were many takers. Though our newest Flyer supporter would beg to differ since he did accurately predict Philly to eliminate the Canadiens. That it took one less game speaks to just how well they played.

If Martin Biron is playing great, then R.J. Umberger is on a roll. He absolutely owned the Habs scoring eight goals in the series to hike his goal total to nine. It was almost as dominant as Johan Franzen’s nine in a sweep of Colorado. Sad fact. The Avs totaled nine goals.

Back to R.J. How in the world didn’t the Canucks or Ranger get this guy signed? You’re telling me they couldn’t have used a solid all around two-way center who is an outstanding skater with a deadly shot? Did we mention he’s a relentless forechecker? Umberger has emerged from a fourth liner to a second line player who’s now getting big minutes and flourishing. Kudos to overestimated Philly coach John Stevens for the wise move. Early in the series, you could see that the kid’s speed was giving the Canadiens fits.

If you’re going to go deep into the postseason, your best players must be your best players. Night in and night out, Daniel Briere has earned his hefty paycheck by scoring big goals. His power play winner the other night as it turned out was Montreal’s last gasp. Sure, they led 3-1 and had it going their way until a less confident looking Carey Price let in a couple of more soft ones to suddenly put his team in a 4-3 hole entering the third. Speaking of which, might Guy Carbonneau’s questionable decision to bench his 20 year-old rookie have hurt the No.1 goalie even more? Or was there something else bugging him? What was wrong with his glove hand? It sure wasn’t the glove cause they tried a new one and it was the same brutal result. Another story for another day. 

Props also go out to the Montreal fans for how they cheered their guys at the end of the game. That final minute was really cool. You probably wouldn’t see that in a lot of other arenas. They weren’t supposed to be in this position and were picked by many including by myself to finish near the bottom of the East. Maybe that was the problem because the expectations suddenly went from making the playoffs to winning the Northeast and people including again yours truly thinking they could actually go to the Cup.

Or perhaps Canada really is hexed after all.

The Flyers have played rambunctious hockey and deserve to be where they are. They have been a fun team to watch. That’s not very easy to say for a rival fan but it’s the truth. They have attacked and been rewarded. It helps that they got tireless forwards like Umberger, Briere, Mike Richards and the fast emerging Jeff Carter.

What the Philadelphia organization learned in the worst season in franchise history was that if they retooled by pawning off Peter Forsberg, they could compete. Was it a bit poetic that Scottie Upshall would wind up with the series clincher? He was part of what came back. Just wait till Ryan Parent develops and we’ll really be laughing at that trade. Well, the rest of the Atlantic won’t.

Neither are they about former Preds Kimmo Timonen and Scott Hartnell fitting in as key cogs on a team which looks poised and deep enough to actually do this. Yes. I’m saying they can win the whole thing. That might be bad news for them.

How do you think Kevin Lowe feels about giving away Joffrey Lupul and Jason Smith for the overrated Joni Pitkanen right about now? That Braydon Coburn pickup for Alexei Zhitnik was also a theft. The Vaclav Prospal trade also ain’t looking bad either.

Has there been one bad deal new GM Paul Holmgren made? My god. Simon Gagne’s career is likely over and it suddenly doesn’t matter because that’s how deep they really are. Mike Knuble can still play also. Funny how my Dad nailed that one indicating that he thought the ex-Ranger could become a 25-30 goalscorer.

The Flyers are even getting mileage out of old school defenseman Derian Hatcher.

You have to give them a lot of credit. They almost didn’t make the playoffs but got hot at the right time. Sometimes, that’s all it takes.

Congrats to them on their run thus far. They’ve earned it.

Dear Versus Network,

Apparently, your hockey researchers didn’t get a high school diploma. Once again, you’ve sunk to a Titanic level failing miserably at providing relative statistical research.

The gross error of actually having the audacity to put up that it was the Philadelphia Flyers first Conference Final appearance since 1997 was the final nail in the coffin for how truly pathetic your network is. Have your researchers ever heard of Google? Word of advice. Next time, look it up!

Furthermore, any knowledgable hockey fan knew that the Flyers had been to the Conference Final in 2000 and in 2004. By providing such egregious errors, you did an extreme disservice to your production talent and the NHL as a whole.

It is humiliating to have such an irresponsible network which obviously doesn’t care what anyone thinks. Due to such an inexcusable mistake, you insulted everyone’s intelligence and proved yet again that you are not worthy of airing these games.

Many observers celebrated the day ESPN stopped covering hockey. The question is are those people satisfied with such awful coverage and inaccurate facts.

As an individual who was a former NHL researcher in Bristol, we would never get such facts wrong because we always had each other’s backs.

There’s something very wrong with Versus that they’d allow Dave Strader to announce that as fact because the goofs in the production truck weren’t doing their job. The Flyers weren’t in the Stanley Cup Final! Apparently, winning eight games now gets you there.

It is a complete disgrace how our game is covered by you. NHL Radio does a much better job.

Signed,

One appalled hockey fan

Don’t call it a comeback!  At least rapper L.L. Cool J wouldn’t.

Who says you can’t comeback from the dead? History tells us that this is THE YEAR for another remarkable 0-3 comeback to win a series. 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs. 1975 New York Islanders. 2008???

That’s the growing question because there are two Conference Semifinal series which could be going that route. I honestly thought the Stars had it at 2-0 up with a period left from setting up an old style WCF against Detroit. When Dallas captain Brenden Morrow scored from a bad angle on Evgeni Nabokov with 55.3 left in the second, I ASSumed  that would take the wind out of the Sharks, who never seem to win on home ice against those Stars.

So to my shock when I flipped back, there was Jeremy Roenick being interviewed following a third which saw his team rally to tie it on goals by former MIA duo Milan Michalek and Brian Campbell. Joe Pavelski completed the stunning turnaround when he cashed in on a blatant Dallas turnover and beat Marty Turco top shelf 65 seconds into sudden death.

Just shocking. This was another one of those quick OTs which was already over by the time I flipped back on Versus. Btw…this network really sucks. They didn’t even bother showing replays and their postgame show was what? Five minutes. I understand production talent stay but come on. Could they at least try to have a 10 or 15 minute segment before dumping out?

It’s almost as bad as the New York papers. That Game Four hero Jaromir Jagr actually got a back page on yesterday’s Daily News was one of the most cool things ever. Way to step up! Boo to the New York Post who’d rather fantasize about meaningless April baseball. What would you expect from a tabloid who employs killjoy tandem Kevin Kernan and Phil Mushnick. That the latter is from my neck of the woods is an embarrassment.

Anyway, kudos to the Sharks for picking themselves up off the mat laying it all out there even if they did get quite a bit of luck and help from two video replays which went their way. Both happened to be no goals against Morrow, who should’ve had a hat trick and a five-game series victory for his team.

He really got jobbed on the first one. Even Neil Smith was beside himself at how they could actually conclude that was a “kicking motion.”

Unbelievable. Still, the Stars should’ve finished it. This could comeback to haunt them. Now, they better wrap the series up in Game Six at friendly American Airlines Center back in Big D. Would you chance going back to a crazy Shark Tank (HP Pavilion- just another lousy corporate bs name) for a suddenly deciding Game Seven situation?

If that happens, they’re toast. Just the way I guaranteed a Ranger victory the other day, I’m doing the same here. If it goes seven, the Stars will not win. Book it!

You know. With all the comeback talk and playoff history, etc. (2004 Boston Red Sox) the Sharks’ second straight win can only be used as even more positive reinforcement for the Rangers, who still trail the Penguins 3-1 with the vital Game Five back at Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh tomorrow afternoon at 2 ET on NBC.

The only difference is the Sharks know that they’ll have the fans if it gets to Game Seven. So, how am I viewing this as a Ranger fan? This is what I tell my team, who fought so valiantly to stay alive in winning Game Four 3-0 thanks to marquee performances from Jaromir Jagr and Henrik Lundqvist.

“We took the first step winning on home ice. One win in Pittsburgh tomorrow and we’re going back home the next day where the Garden will be rocking. No way are we losing that!”

This team has played well on the road. They certainly were right with the Pens in the first two games. They know full well they can win there.

The strategy is the same. Play 60 minutes leaving it all out there while channeling the emotions. Discipline will be key. That means like the other night, staying out of the box and taking the play to the Pens. When they attack, they’ve been good. That’s the best defense against an explosive offense. You got to play to win. The Rangers did that on Thursday. Do it once more and we got the Game Six I also promised.

I realllly BELIEVE! Judging from some of the player quotes along with Tom Renney, so do they. They know they can do this. That gives me hope. The inspired dominance of Jagr and a revitalized Lundqvist also give me plenty of ammunition.

Now there’s also another team who needs to start believing later tonight instead of deceiving their fans and a sudden new Flyer fan. I never thought I’d see the day Brian Sanborn would actually be waving orange and black pom poms!

Well, he always did take a liking to the green and white of the Eagles.

The Flyers do have former Sabres Daniel Briere and <gulp> emerging Conn Smythe candidate Martin Biron. Wow. Words I never thought I’d utter about a Flyer netminder.

Truthfully, Brian (grosek18- there’s a long comical story behind that name) nailed most of the points already at why the Habs find themselves in a 3-1 hole with a must win Game Five at Bell Centre tonight.

Biron has stolen three games. The Flyers really shouldn’t be playing right now because Lord Biron if I may call him that stoned the Caps in Game Seven. There never would’ve been a Joffrey Lupul sudden death power play winner on a cruddy call. That’s life. Biron saved his team’s bacon. R.J. Umberger’s also been playing like a beast.

Truthfully, I don’t remember Biron ever being this good. I have to think if the Canadiens continue to dominate play and shots, they’re eventually going to get to him.

Why on earth Guy Carbonneau didn’t start rookie Carey Price in Game Four is beyond me. He got you that No.1 seed and home ice. You don’t bench him for a guy who’s hardly played. It was one of the worst coaching decisions ever. Especially in that situation.

Bri, Carbonneau deserves to get trashed for it. It was irrational. We’re talking about their next franchise goalie. It was a mind boggling decision to say the very least. If they still had Cristobal Huet, fine. Jaroslav Halak? Was he kidding? And no. You don’t fire a Jack Adams candidate unless your name is the Buffalo Sabres and it’s Ted Nolan. God. Only Buffalo.

So, what do the Canadiens need to do to stop this Flyer hot streak? Get to Biron. The sooner, the better. They’re going to have overwhelming support with arguably the loudest fans in the game. A couple of early goals and that place will be bedlem.

The best players also have to be the best players. That means Price, who is back in net tonight must be good. A few good saves early could set the tone and let his teammates know he’s going to be there.

Alex Kovalev, Tomas Plekanec, Andrei and Sergei Kostistyn and Chris Higgins better come to play. They haven’t had great series. I’ve seen an awful lot of heart from their team captain Saku Koivu, who can’t be 100 percent. It’s time for those other big name forwards and also defenseman Andrei Markov to step up. Power play specialist Mark Streit has also been quiet. He needs to pick it up.

When I look at the list of guys I put out here, it tells me that Montreal is very equipped to comeback from this deficit. They have one of the fastest skating teams in the game with tons of skill to go with it. 

One offensive explosion can change the entire mindset of that dressing room.

What’s the formula? Win on home ice tonight. Get one in Philly and then back home for a winner or golf Game Seven in that building. What also shouldn’t get lost is that the Habs were one of the best road teams this season tying with Detroit for the second most wins (25) on the road.

Want to know who was first? The Sharks with 27. Pretty ironic considering what they’ll be aiming for tomorrow night.

Say it with me loud with feeling:

Don’t Stop Believing!!!!! ;-)

As we get closer and closer to the must-have Game 5 for the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre against the Philadelphia Flyers, much of the chatter about Montreal’s woes has been focused on goalie Carey Price and Habs coach Guy Carbonneau, and some bloggers and fans out there suggesting that Guy should be relieved of his duties. Do not expect this to happen Guy haters: No team lets their Jack Adams award or winner go right after that specific season, do they? (Oh wait, Buffalo did that with Ted Nolan in 1997, sorry).

Sure, swapping goalies for Game 4 and inserting little used Jaroslav Halak was a risky move by Guy. Will this surprising move rattle Price? We shall find out, as Price will get the nod in an attempt to send this series back to Philadelphia on Sunday Night.

From my vantage point, the fans of Montreal have put WAY too much pressure and expectation on Price’s shoulders. How many rookie goaltenders do you know have led their team to a Stanley Cup? Perhaps the ‘lucky run’ made by Carolina in 2006, and witnessing goalie Cam Ward lead Carolina to a Stanley Cup set an unrealistic precedence for Price and other starting rookie goaltenders in the playoffs that will follow.  Time will tell on that one.

Carbonneau? When I read someone suggest he should be fired, I could not stop laughing. So Guy turned around a franchise that was spinning its wheels into a 104 point powerhouse in one season, and for that, he should be removed as coach? Please!

Bottom Line: The Canadiens are out shooting the Flyers 142-96 in 4 games so far. And, the Habs are getting players in front of the net and are generating quality scoring chances. The issue here is NOT Price Habs fans, get off your soapbox and recognize the brilliant efforts of Flyers goaltender Martin Biron and Flyers forward R.J.Umberger and realize the truth: The Flyers are just the better team, at least for now.

You want to point the ‘blame’ Montreal fans? Maybe you should point the blame at yourselves, and realize that just because your Original Six franchise has a banner year, it does not automatically mean that you are entitled to a Stanley Cup Championship. The Habs have made great strides this year, and should be a formidable foe for the foreseeable future in the Eastern Conference.

Habs fans need to realize the immense success of this team in 2007-2008 is about just that, TEAM. From Alexei Kovalev to Andrei Kostitsyn, the Habs need to look around that locker room and realize what got them this far: Hard work, solid defense, and dependable goaltending.

And bringing all of these facets together at once will be the ONLY way the Habs can come back and win this series. So put that book of excuses away Habs fans, at least for now.

King Henrik not only stopped Evgeni Malkin’s weak penalty shot attempt but made some history as well becoming just the fourth goalie to ever see two penalty shots in one postseason.

FROM THE STAT WIZARDS AT ELIAS SPORTS BUREAU
Henrik Lundqvist is the fourth goaltender in NHL history to face two penalty shots in one postseason. Lundqvist stopped Evgeni Malkin last night and John Madden in the Rangers’ first-round series against the Devils. Only three other goaltenders faced two penalty shots in one playoff year: Dominik Hasek (2001), John Vanbiesbrouck (1992) and Grant Fuhr (1985).

Only four goaltenders besides Lundqvist recorded a playoff shutout in a game in which they faced a penalty shot: Tiny Thompson (1937 Bruins), Earl Robertson (1937 Red Wings), Chico Resch (1979 Islanders) and Felix Potvin (1999 Flyers).

At the conclusion of last night’s Game Four, we made an interesting but true discovery on Pens’ superstar Sidney Crosby. Sid The Kid apparently wanted to explain:

The Battle of New York would like curious observers to note that this is only for satire purposes and not to be taken seriously. Thank you! 

Pretty self explanatory, huh? This just in…the Colorado Avalanche have confirmed that it was the 1987-88 Quebeck Nordiques on the ice against Johan Franzen and the Red Wings. That’s also still when Peter Forsberg last had good groins.

Ah. At least I didn’t take the Avs to win that series outright.