Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, Game 4
#2 New Jersey Devils at #7 Philadelphia Flyers
Flyers lead series, 2-1
Wachovia Center – 7:30 PM ET – Philadelphia, PA
TV: CSN Philly HD, MSG Plus, TSN 2, RIS — no national TV in USA
Radio: 610 WIP (internet stream here), XM 207, SIRIUS 218
Get the New Jersey perspective at In Lou We Trust
The last time the Flyers had a 2-1 series lead and lost the series was in 2000, when they had a 3-1 series lead over the Devils and wound up losing in seven games. We all remember it — much too well, of course. Following Game 4 that year, the Devils and their fans were saying their prayers. Unfortunately for us, they came true that time, but in this case, history repeating itself is just not likely.
With a win tonight, the Flyers can put a complete stranglehold on New Jersey, and make us all a lot more comfortable in the process. After the way the Flyers dominated Game 3, though, why shouldn’t we be confident? It’s become evident that the worst fears of Devils fans have come true in this series — it’s a good matchup for the Flyers.
But it’s more than that, as well. Philadelphia has completely outworked the Devils on every side of the puck. Be it on the penalty kill, on offense, on defense, and even in goal, the Flyers have been the better team in this series. So, why the hell should we be worried?
The Flyers have proven that they can eliminate Zach Parise and Ilya Kovalchuk from the equation. They’ve proven that they can beat the Devils to loose pucks and generally out work the opposition, and even if the Devils turn their game up, the Flyers should be able to hold them off by doing the same things. The orange and black have also been able to successfully beat Martin Brodeur, despite the magnificent third period from the future Hall of Famer on Sunday.
It’s a huge game tonight, and you know the Devils are going to come out strong. If the Flyers can keep playing the way they have all series, and if they can — for the love of God — take less penalties, I believe they’ll frustrate the Devils even further and head back to Newark with a chance to close out the series.
Puck drop at 7:30 tonight. The game thread will go live at 6:30.
