PA SPORTSTICKER HOCKEY NOTE
EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS
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#No. 2 Pittsburgh vs. No. 6 Philadelphia#
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By Scott Erskine
PA SportsTicker Hockey Editor
The Eastern Conference finals has its share of marquee players,
from Sidney Crosby to Evgeni Malkin to Daniel Briere. But all
eyes in Pennsylvania, specifically Pittsburgh, will be on two of
its native sons.
Two players born in the Steel City will be battling for the
right to play for the Stanley Cup as Ryan Malone and the
Pittsburgh Penguins take on R.J. Umberger and the Philadelphia
Flyers.
The second-seeded Penguins have steamrolled to the conference
finals, sweeping the Ottawa Senators in the quarters before
dispatching the New York Rangers in five games in the semis.
However, things might not be so easy against their intrastate
rivals.
Philadelphia enters the series having scored a league-high 43
goals this postseason. In 12 games, the Flyers are averaging
3.58 tallies - second only to the Detroit Red Wings.
Leading the way for Philadelphia is Umberger, who netted eight
of his nine playoff goals against Montreal in the conference
semifinals to become the Eastern Conference's version of
Detroit's Johan Franzen. The Red Wings' center leads the NHL
with 11 postseason tallies, nine of which were scored against
the Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference semifinals.
The 26-year-old Umberger enters the series against Pittsburgh
with a five-game goal-scoring streak.
The sixth-seeded Flyers also have been sparked by the offense of
Briere, who is tied for second in the league with 14 points but
only notched three vs. the top-seeded Canadiens. But the main
reason Philadelphia is in the conference finals for the second
time in four seasons is goaltender Martin Biron, who vastly
outplayed Montreal rookie Carey Price and held the Canadiens'
high-powered offense to just two goals in three of the Flyers'
four wins.
Malone, who scored a pair of late goals to lead his hometown
team to victory in Game Two of the conference quarterfinals,
recorded a tally and three assists in the five-game semifinal
series against the Rangers. The son of former Penguin Greg
Malone, the 28-year-old currently is fourth on the club in
playoff scoring with nine points.
As most would expect, Crosby and Malkin are leading Pittsburgh's
offensive attack with 14 points apiece.
A Hart Trophy finalist, Malkin recorded seven points in each of
the first two series and leads the Penguins with six goals -
including four vs. the Rangers. The 21-year-old Russian also
has scored a pair of game-winners this postseason.
Crosby, who won the Hart last season, registered six of his
league-leading 12 assists against New York but did not score a
goal in the series. Trade-deadline acquisition Marian Hossa has
notched five goals and five assists, giving Pittsburgh a third
major offensive weapon.
At the other end of the ice, Marc-Andre Fleury has been
tremendous. The 2003 first overall pick leads the league with a
.938 save percentage, is tied for first with two shutouts and
ranks third with a 1.76 goals-against average.
The regular-season series between the Atlantic Division rivals
was dominated early by Philadelphia before Pittsburgh turned the
tide. The Flyers won each of the first four meetings, but the
Penguins claimed the next three before losing the season finale
while resting Crosby for the playoffs.
PITTSBURGH PENGUINS
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WHAT'S RIGHT: The Penguins' youngsters showed no trepidation
during their first trip to the conference semifinals, as Malkin
and Crosby continued their offensive onslaught against the
Rangers while Fleury stood tall in net. ... Pittsburgh is a
perfect 5-0 on home ice this postseason, outscoring its
opposition by a 19-9 margin. ... Of the 19 skaters who have
appeared in the playoffs, 13 have scored at least one goal. ...
After allowing Ottawa to score just one goal on 13 power-play
attempts in the quarterfinals, Pittsburgh's penalty-killing also
was strong against New York, yielding just three tallies in 25
shorthanded situations. ... In Georges Laraque, the Penguins
have an enforcer who also can produce occasional offense, as he
has a goal and an assist thus far this postseason. The Flyers,
meanwhile, may be forced to combat Laraque's toughness by
dressing Riley Cote. A bruising forward who always is willing
to fight, Cote has limited offensive skills as evidenced by his
four points in 70 regular-season games. ... Malkin was dominant
against Philadelphia during the regular season, registering six
goals and 15 points in the eight games. ... Over their nine
postseason games, the Penguins have trailed a total of only 62
minutes, 43 seconds in 547:10.
WHAT'S WRONG: Other than an offensive drought in Game Four
against New York and the squandering of a two-goal lead in Game
Five before ultimately winning in overtime, there is very little
wrong in Pittsburgh these days. ... Maxime Talbot is the only
injured player, and the Penguins could miss him on the penalty
kill. The Flyers have the third-ranked power play in the
playoffs and second among the four remaining teams at 24 percent
(12-for-50).
WHAT'S BEEN SAID: "If you want a rivalry, that's one right
there. As players, we know that the playoffs are always
intense, but you throw a little spice into it when it's
Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, so it doesn't get any easier." - C
Sidney Crosby
INJURIES: D Mark Eaton (knee-IR), C Maxime Talbot (foot)
PHILADELPHIA
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WHAT'S RIGHT: Umberger was unstoppable in the conference
semifinals and also had plenty of success against the Penguins
during the regular season, notching six goals and five assists
in the eight meetings between the teams. Joffrey Lupul also
excelled vs. Pittsburgh, scoring five goals and setting up five
others. ... Biron has given the Flyers exactly what a team needs
in the playoffs - a hot goaltender. The 30-year-old was good
when it counted in the quarterfinals against Washington but
stepped up his game vs. Montreal in the semifinals, particularly
in Games Two through Four, when he made an abundance of stellar
saves. If Biron continues to be in the zone, it could be
difficult for the Penguins to produce offense. ... Defenseman
Jaroslav Modry is ready to return to the lineup after missing
the final two games of the quarterfinals and the entire
semifinals due to the death of his father. ... The Flyers are
just the second team since the playoffs expanded to four rounds
in 1979-80 to advance to the third round after finishing with
the worst record in the league the previous season, joining the
1986-87 Detroit Red Wings.
WHAT'S WRONG: Modry's return would be a big help to
Philadelphia's defense corps. Slow, plodding veterans Derian
Hatcher and Jason Smith held up surprisingly well against the
speedy Canadiens, but asking them to do the it again vs. the
Penguins seems a bit much. ... The Flyers learned their lesson
from the conference quarterfinals, putting away the Canadiens
immediately after taking a three-games-to-one lead in the
series. Now, they need to figure out a way to hold on to a
two-goal lead. Philadelphia has been ahead by a pair of tallies
in three of its four losses this postseason and nearly
squandered several other two-goal advantages. With Pittsburgh's
offensive talent, it's more imperative than ever to hang on to
multi-goal leads. ... Briere and Vaclav Prospal need to
rediscover their offensive touches. The duo combined for nine
goals and 11 assists against Washington but recorded only two
goals and four assists vs. Montreal.
WHAT'S BEEN SAID: "We're a team that's getting it done. We've
had our ups and downs all year. We came off a year where we
struggled, but with the mix of guys we got, the leaders in the
room are something special, our goaltending has been great and
we're finding ways to win. For other teams coming in, it's kind
of a scary situation the way we're playing." - RW Scottie
Upshall
INJURIES: LW Simon Gagne (concussion-IR), D Mike Rathje
(back-IR)
HEAD-TO-HEAD PLAYOFF HISTORY
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1989 Patrick Division finals - Philadelphia, 4-3
1997 Eastern Conference quarterfinals - Philadelphia, 4-1
2000 Eastern Conference semifinals - Philadelphia, 4-2
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