Flyers Face Elimination Again Tonight, 8 PM

The puck drops on tonight on game 6 on the Stanley Cup Finals in Philadelphia where the favored Chicago Blackhawks hold a 3-2 series lead and look to eliminate the Flyers on the road. That will be a difficult task as a home team has yet to lose a game in these finals and the Flyers have won their last 7 games at the Wachovia Center this postseason.

After falling in an 0-2 hole the Flyers rallied to win both games at home before the series shifted back to Chicago. After a series filled with close games the Blackhawks showed up ready to play in game 5 by jumping out to a 3-0 lead after the first period. The Flyers were able to mount some offense of their own but the Blackhawks’ offensive attack was simply too much as the home team earned a 7-4 victory. Chicago’s effort was spearheaded by Dustin Byfuglein who had been largely absent in the first four games of the series thanks to effective defense from the Flyers’s Chris Pronger.

Both teams have suffered from inconsistent goaltending in this series with the Flyers taking the worst of it in game 5. Michael Leighton had been stalwart in the net after replacing the injured Brian Boucher in round 2 of the playoffs, leading all playoff goaltenders in GAA, Save % and Shutouts entering the Finals. Leighton’s struggles in the first period of game 5 forced Flyers’ coach Peter Laviolette to pull him in favor of the freshly healed Boucher, who fared only slightly better. While there is no official word on who will start game 6 Laviolette has hinted at Leighton who has seen much more action lately but don’t be surprised if coaching staff has a short leash with him.

As we have seen the Flyers have been in this position before this postseason and will once again need everything they have in order to stave off elimination. They’ll need to be motivated by the home crowd and perhaps more importantly by the image of the Blackhawks carrying the Stanley Cup all over their home ice.