Conference Finals Preview 2008
Pittsburgh Penguins (2) vs Philadelphia Flyers (6)
Records
Pittsburgh: 47-27-8 (102 pts) Home: 26-10-5 Away: 21-16-3
Philadelphia: 42-29-11 (95 pts) Home: 20-14-6 Away: 21-15-5
Pittsburgh swept the Sens and beat New York in 5. Philadelphia eliminated Washington in 7 and Montreal in 5.
Head-to-Head
Nov 7, 2007 – PIT 1 PHI 3
Nov 10, 2007 – PIT 2 PHI 5
Dec 11, 2007 – PIT 2 PHI 8
Jan 24, 2008 – PIT 3 PHI 4
Feb 10, 2008 – PIT 4 PHI 3
Mar 16, 2008 – PIT 7 PHI 1
Apr 2, 2008 – PIT 4 PHI 2
Apr 6, 2008 – PIT 0 PHI 2
Philadelphia won season series 5-3.
Fighting (did they ever!)
Nov 7, 2007 – Brooks Orpik vs R.J. Umberger
Nov 10, 2007 – Ryan Malone vs Jason Smith
Nov 10, 2007 – Darryl Sydor vs Stefan Ruzicka
Dec 11, 2007 – Ryan Malone vs Jason Smith
Dec 11, 2007 – Gary Roberts vs Ben Eager
Dec 11, 2007 – Ryan Whitney vs Jeff Carter
Dec 11, 2007 – Colby Armstrong vs Scott Hartnell
Jan 24, 2008 – Georges Laraque vs Riley Cote
Jan 24, 2008 – Ryan Stone vs Steve Downie
Feb 10, 2008 – Jarkko Ruutu vs Steve Downie
Mar 16, 2008 – Ryan Malone vs Riley Cote
Apr 2, 2008 – Georges Laraque vs Riley Cote
Apr 2, 2008 – Brooks Orpik vs Joffrey Lupul
Lineup
Goaltending: DRAW
Scoring: EDGE Pittsburgh
Defense: EDGE Philadelphia
Coaching: EDGE Pittsburgh
Grit: EDGE Philadelphia
Schedule
Friday, May 9, 2008
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Key for Pittsburgh
Show discipline. It’s no secret who Philadelphia will be after. The Rangers went for the "diver" angle and it didn’t do a whole lot. Philadelphia won’t be afraid to use every trick in the book and we’ll really see what the young guns are really made of.
Key for Philadelphia
Marty Biron. Philadelphia is capable of matching Pittsburgh offensively… it’s up to Marty to continue to shut the door. He’s been the busiest goalie after two rounds facing an average of 33 shots, but boasts a solid .914 save percentage. Also, I’d enjoy a few sound bites of Biron yelling sweet nothings to Sidney Crosby.
My Prediction
Fans and writers love to talk about match-ups that are good for the league. Does it get any better than this? Two great fanbases, a nasty rivalry and a little bit of Cinderella… this has the makings to be a classic. I can’t picture a scenario where Pittsburgh doesn’t win. No slight to the Flyers, as you don’t get to the Conference Finals for no reason, but I think the Pens will have an answer for everything Philadelphia has… Pens in 6. Still, I think we’re in for an excellent series.
John’s Pick
If the way the Flyers and Penguins went it at during the regular season is any indication, this series could end up being one of the most entertaining in recent memory. The Flyers gave it a good run but the loss of Kimmo Timonen will serve as a huge blow to any plans the Flyers had to shut down Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Jordan Staal. Pens in 6.
David’s Pick
It’s so hard not to build this one up. I want to say best series since Islanders-Leafs of 2002, but anyone who believes in jinxes (99% of hockey fans it seems) will send in the hate mail if that doesn’t happen. This just has entertaining written all over it, from the positional match-ups to the media jabs to the fans. Any hole the Flyers have, the Penguins seem to have plugged up. Like Jamie and John, I’m picking the Pens in 6.
