LETS GO FLYERS!!!

Well if the Eagles can't do it....the Flyers sure can!

LETS GO FLYERS!!!

sb

Should be a great series coming.

Why do we always end up with Tampa Bay as our main adversary? It's nuts....the Bucs got us so now the Flyers have to get some payback for the NFL playoffs

LETS GO FLYERS!!!

sb

TORONTO (Reuters) - Jeremy Roenick's overtime goal earned the Philadelphia Flyers a 3-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs Tuesday and a berth in the Eastern Conference playoff finals.

The Flyers now meet the Tampa Bay Lightning for a place in the Stanley Cup finals. But the Maple Leafs and their fans will endure another long off-season, their championship drought having been extended to 37 years.

Roenick's second goal of the game snuffed out a valiant comeback bid by the Leafs, who scored twice late in the third period to force overtime.

Riding a wave of momentum and energized by the sellout crowd, Toronto surged on to the attack in overtime. But the Flyers clinched their place in the East finals when Roenick broke into the Toronto zone two-on-one with Tony Amonte and rifled a rising slap shot past Ed Belfour to secure the best-of-seven series 4-2.

"It's just huge, so big," Roenick told reporters. "When you let a two-goal lead get diminished in the last 10 minutes of a game and come out in overtime and beat a team like the Toronto Maple Leafs, it's amazing.

"It's like a dream really. I knew before I went out on the ice if I got the chance I was going to score."

PHYSICAL PLAY

Embarrassed 7-2 in Game Five Sunday, the Maple Leafs had hoped a return to Air Canada Center would bring a return to form and force Game Seven. But for most of the contest the Leafs could not match Philadelphia's physical play or find a way past Robert Esche, who was back in the Flyers' net after missing the last two periods of Game Five because of flu.

Facing elimination, Toronto began the game with a sense of urgency.

The Flyers, however, weathered the early storm and drew first blood, Radovan Somik giving Philadelphia a 1-0 lead with his opening goal of the playoffs.

Roenick then poked home his own rebound from the side of an open net before the first intermission. Following a scoreless second period, Karel Pilar, a replacement for injured defenseman Ken Klee, breathed life into Toronto's Stanley Cup hopes when his slap shot from the point found its way through a crowd for his first career playoff goal.

With a little more than four minutes remaining in regulation, Toronto's Swedish captain Mats Sundin brought the crowd to its feet when he snared a loose puck in the slot and hammered it past Esche.

"We've won eight games (in the playoffs) but our goal is only halfway there," said Esche, who faced 38 shots. "It's great to go to the conference final but we've got a lot more to prove."

Have to be pretty confident in the Flyers based mostly on the play of Eshe. The biggest nemisis for years has been goaltending in the playoffs. Eshe has totally eliminated soft goals and is making most of the tougher saves too. Many of the Leafs goals were on unstoppable deflections and a couple on lucky bounces off Flyers defensemen. If he can keep it at the same level for two more series Flyers have a decent shot.

I can't put my finger on it exactly, but this Flyer team doesn't look the same old gatecrasher-only Offense, they are more balanced(unlike recent mid-nineties and '00 squads?) in scoring and assists, and Esche definitely is the best in nets for them since Pelle Limburgh?

Flyers have more speed and playmekers than in prior years

Thought my wife was going to have a heart attack wathcing the OT (hmmm, I do have about $300,000 in life insurance on her, where are those policies?)

OT was tough! Esche is playing well and he's making the saves when he has to. I'm concerned about TB's speed because the Flyers were really bad against them in the regular season. I'm not so concerned about Bulin because they've faced some pretty good goaltenders already in Brodeur and Belfour so Bulin doesn't scare me.

Can they stop TB from getting breakaways and odd man chances? I sure hope so. They should be able to pound TB. The Ning also faced a couple of good but not great teams in the 8 and 7 seeds NYI and MON.

I like our chances! GO FLYERS GO!

sb

Hey Ladeda and Sportsbet, no need to worry about ESCHE.. I said this almost 1 month ago..

<<<This is the year of the Flyers and ESCHE will win the CONN SMYTHE as the MVP of the playoffs.>>>

<<<Flyers win the CUP.. and ESCHE wins Conn Smythe as MVP. That was my prediction from the beginning.>>>

<<< I predicted they would win it all before the playoffs even started, and I even predicted the Conn Smythe winner in Esche. I will stand corrected boys. Sick Gambler knows his hockey boys. 10 wins away from being right on. And its not like I predicted a favorite. The Flyers were at least 10-1 in taking it all. Now go bet them boys and thank me later...>>>

FLYERS WIN THE STANLEY CUP BOYS.

Robert Esche... your MVP boys..

However, now they face the best hockey hockey team in the world..... the Tampa Bay Lightning.

GO BOLTS!

ok fishhead, i have philly for series, you have TB. Loser has to give the guy a free 20 dollar bet at BlackJack in the vegas bash. I assume you will be there, right.. winner bets 20 bucks on one hand in BJ. If that person wins it, the loser has to match it. So it's like the winner gets a free 20 dollar match play in BJ. I am leaving this second to the gym and will be back in 2 hrs to hear your answer if we are on. Let me know. bye..

I have Philly for series.. You have the Bolts. Talk about easy money for me. Thanks fishy..

No hockey until Saturday?

WTF is that?

I would love the flyers to win but damn is this going to be a tough series