Series Breakdown: Flyers vs. Penguins
By Bill Clement
Special to ESPN.com
Despite the recent off-ice turmoil surrounding Roger Neilson and Eric Lindros, the Flyers are focused on their second-round matchup. And they will have plenty to concentrate on when they face the high-powered offense of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Check out which team has the edge, and then see what I think the outcome will be.
Matching up 5-on-5
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BREAKDOWN
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EDGE
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This is a great matchup of Pittsburgh's talent against Philadelphia's pursuit-and-attack style. The Flyers on offense and on defense always think about attacking. They don't carry the puck often; they dump and attack in deep. When they lose the puck deep, the Flyers attack quickly to get the it back. It will be interesting to see if Pittsburgh's skill, with Jaromir Jagr, Alexei Kovalev, Alexei Morozov, Martin Straka and Robert Lang, can overcome the Flyers' quick, defensive, attack style. I would favor the Flyers until the Penguins show they can adjust. When the Penguins have the puck, they will have difficulty penetrating the Flyers' zone because the Penguins are not a dump-and-chase team, and they will be forced to do that. The Flyers' quick legs on the blue line, with Eric Desjardins, Mark Eaton and Andy Delmore, make them as hard to forecheck as any team in the league. The interesting matchup will be Desjardins and Chris Therien against Jagr. There's no question that the Penguins have the marquee player in the world, but for some reason Therien seems to play him better than any other NHL defenseman. The Penguins' challenge will be trying to find themselves some room. GM Craig Patrick upgraded the Penguins' blue line at the trading deadline with Janne Laukkanen and Bob Boughner, who gives them some jam that they will really need against Keith Primeau, Keith Jones and Rick Tocchet. But I'm not sure it will be enough if the Flyers play the attack style like they did against Buffalo.
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Special teams
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BREAKDOWN
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EDGE
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Although the Penguins boast several skill players on their power play, they still lack a bona-fide quarterback. The Flyers had the No. 2-ranked power play in the regular season, and they have continued their strong play in the playoffs. Mark Recchi and Desjardins are as good as it gets right now on the blue line. So, even though the Penguins have Jagr, the Flyers' 87 games of success give them the edge. Unless a power play has a threat up top, it isn't nearly as dangerous down low. The Flyers have a threat up top, and that makes their power play more balanced. But when you have the greatest player in the world on your power play, all you need is one shot or one chance or one situation with Jagr in the right spot. There are different yet big demands on each team's penalty-killing unit. For the Flyers, it's stopping Jagr. For the Penguins, it's stopping the best power play in the league.
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Goaltending
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BREAKDOWN
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EDGE
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This may be a matter of which goalie cracks first, if one does. Ron Tugnutt is the veteran who has never been able to take a team far in the playoffs, and Brian Boucher is the rookie who got his trial by fire in the first round and came up big. Can Tugnutt get it done? There's no reason to think he can't. Tugnutt is happier than he has ever been. The Penguins have rallied around him more than any team ever has, and he is really in a groove. Same with Boucher. He doesn't have to make that many saves because the Flyers keep the number of shots down. Boucher's Achilles heel, however, is puck-handling. But the Penguins, except for their fourth line, don't play much of a dump-and-chase style. As a result, the Penguins won't be able to exploit Boucher's deficiencies. I'd call this matchup a push, but watch for either Boucher or Tugnutt -- or both -- to have an off game or two. The goaltending is what makes this series so unpredictable.
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EVEN
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Intangibles
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BREAKDOWN
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EDGE
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The Penguins haven't won in Philadelphia since 1994. So, the Flyers, 4-0-1 overall against the Penguins this season, get the edge. The return of Roger Neilson as an assistant may affect everyone on the outside, but the Flyers have really closed ranks and started to bond together. This team has played better than any other in the playoffs. The players love interim coach Craig Ramsay and the system he has employed. Everyone is on the same page for the first time in a long time.
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PREDICTION
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Flyers in seven. The difference will be the team concept employed by Ramsay overcoming the star system. He uses 30-second shifts and favors attacking with or without the puck. He has young, fast legs, like rookies Delmore and Eaton. After their first-round series, the Buffalo Sabres said they were unable to handle the Flyers in their own end and punish them on the forecheck. They couldn't lock them in their end like they could before. That's the difference in the Flyers. They have young legs able to get the puck out of the zone quickly. |
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Bill Clement, a former NHL star with the Flyers, serves as an NHL analyst for ESPN and ABC. |
