It’s not over yet.
Those words are infamous to a Philadelphia Flyers team that looks to come back from a 2-0 deficit tonight in the Stanley Cup Finals. The Chicago Blackhawks took a commanding lead over the Flyers after winning both of the first two games at home by one goal.
Game 1 featured a potent offensive attack by both teams with very little defense, resulting in a 6-5 final. Game 2 was quite the opposite. Both teams played very well defensively and the goaltenders made some fantastic saves. The only mistake for Flyers goalie, Michael Leighton, was allowing two goals in 28 seconds that ultimately lead to a 2-1 Chicago victory.
Philadelphia needs to rebound tonight at home to avoid facing yet another 0-3 series. This is, however, the same Flyers team that earlier in these playoffs became just the third team in NHL history to come back from a 3-0 series to defeat the Boston Bruins. That would be an extremely difficult task against a Chicago team that has already tied an NHL record with seven consecutive road victories. The Blackhawks look to extend that streak to eight games tonight in Philly.
The Flyers, on the other hand, boast the best home record in the playoffs at 7-1. Philadelphia forward, Daniel Briere, recognizes that his team is only a couple of plays away from an even series against the Hawks. “Both games, I think a bounce here or a bounce there going our way and this series could be tied 1-1,” Briere said. “But we are down 2-0 and we can’t change that. We can’t look back any more. Just like the Boston series, we have to find a way to move forward and create our own bounces now.”
Chicago certainly isn’t dominating Philadelphia in this series. The Flyers blew three leads in the first game and outshot the Blackhawks 15-4 in the third period of Game 2. Somehow the Hawks find a way to win games, just like they did in the Conference Finals against San Jose. Chicago won 3 of the 4 games against the Sharks by one goal. Blackhawks center, John Madden, recognizes the series is much closer than the record appears. “We’re not going out there saying, ‘Boy, we have to play well so the fans get a good look,’” Madden said. “These are tough games, they’re hard-hitting, they’re fast-paced, there are chances at both ends, the goalies are making saves. They’re coming at us, we’re coming at them, so it has all the makings for a great hockey game from the fans’ perspective too.”
Only twice in Stanley Cup Finals history has a team come back to win the series after trailing 0-2. Interesting that Chicago is one of those two teams to lose a Cup Final after winning the first two games. The Hawks wound up losing to the Montreal Canadiens in seven games in 1971. They also led at home, 2-0, in Game 7, before losing the game and their opportunity at a Stanley Cup. Even more recently, the Pittsburgh Penguins won their third Stanley Cup just last year after losing the first two games to the Detroit Red Wings. Both the Blackhawks and Red Wings are in the Central Division of the Western Conference, while the Flyers and Penguins are in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Coincidence?
No matter how it plays out, the remainder of this series is sure to be exciting. The Flyers are eager to get a win at home tonight in Game 3 at Wachovia Center, while the Blackhawks want to continue their impressive road winning streak and force Philly into another 0-3 hole.
