The Flyers outlasted the Capitals to advance into the 2nd round of the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs. The potentially bad news? This game was their 3rd game in 4 nights. Enter the top seed Montreal Canadiens, the Flyers next opponent. The Habs are the top seed in the conference and there was no rest for the weary, as game 1 got underway tonight from Montreal. Were the Flyers ready? Wie!

Fatigue was not a factor in the slightest bit from the orange and black to begin this game. They came out with a hop in their step, clearly motivated from an emotional victory days earlier. It’s been noted that against Washington, the Flyers had to focus on one player, and Montreal would pose a problem in their depth. The first period was a breath of fresh air for the Flyers, and a bit of a shock for the overly confident Montreal fans and their team.

The Flyers came out firing and while the game stayed scoreless for much of the period due to outstanding goaltending, the Flyers caught the first break. Just over 13 minutes into the opening period, R.J. Umberger backhanded the puck into the middle which was deflected off a Montreal stick and into the net. A lucky bounce resulted in a 1-0 Flyers lead. But the luck would even out later.

The boys from Philadelphia didnt waste much time adding to their lead. Just over 3 minutes later, Jim Dowd sent a nice shot past Price and put the orange and black up 2-0. No offense from Briere and Richards? No problem; the Flyers were getting effective play from all 4 lines and goals from all over. The shots were close, 10-9 in favor of Philadelphia, at the end of one period of play.

Somehow, someway, the Flyers kept their legs churning in the 2nd period as they continued to mount offensive attacks. After a penalty shot was stopped for Biron, the Flyers had all the momentum in the world. But back came the Habs. Right around the midway point of the period, Kostitsyn put the puck in the net past Biron to cut the lead in half. But it was the next goal in the game that was truly heartbreaking with the Flyers playing such a good game. On a power play for the Flyers, Montreal took it down the ice on an innocent 2 on 2. A shot was put on net and Biron got a piece, but it trickled over his head and as it was heading towards the net, Alexei Kovalev swatted the puck in to tie the game at 2. Almost immediately, Biron, Briere, and other Flyers on the ice were screaming for a high stick, and for good reason. As the puck was coming down, multiple angles showed Kovalev’s stick hit the puck while the blade was coming down above the crossbar. His stick actually ended up hitting the crossbar after contact with the puck. It was a tough call for the men in Toronto to make, sure, but it was later noted that when asked after their ruling they claimed it was absolutely certain it was a goal. Absolutely none of the angles showed anything representing a legal goal. So, the Flyers got some luck on Umberger’s goal, and Montreal got some here.

The third period was just as entertaining, and the Flyers started the period fast and on the power play. They wasted no time in capitalizing as a shot from Coburn at the point went in and out of Price’s glove and Lupul swatted it into the net. Yet again the Flyers regained momentum and the lead, 3-2. The minutes kept ticking by, and despite poor play in the neutral zone at times, the Flyers held their lead as 1:30 remained on the clock. Biron was fantastic all game, and stopped the first 8 shots in the 3rd period. But then the luck card game into play again, and yet again it went in favor of Montreal.

With just 1:19 left in the game, the Habs were trying to get the puck into the offensive zone. Mike Richards put his body into the puck carrier and was called for kneeing Alexei Kovalev. There is no Philadelphia bias in saying this was a terrible call. Replay showed that Richards made a play on the man with the puck. Nothing dirty, no knee to knee, and no elbow. The Montreal faithful had been given a gift and a chance to tie this game. With an offensive zone draw, Price was pulled for a 6 on 4 situation. The Habs passed it around and with just 29 seconds left from the Flyers taking game 1 on the road, Kovalev fired a bullet shot from the circle to tie the game, 3-3. You want some bad luck? Right off the face off, Jeff Carter’s stick broke right in half and he was unable to take his man off the draw. His man? You guessed it, Kovalev.

So for their second playoff game in a row, the Flyers would be headed for overtime. The score was tied 3-3 and the shots were 32-31 in favor of the Flyers. Both goaltenders had played terrific games for the most part, especially Marty Biron. The Flyers had caught some bad breaks down the stretch, from broken sticks to bad calls. But they had to march on.

Ferocious skating and unreal play from Marty Biron had the Flyers lined up for the win. But it was not to be, as Montreal ended it just 48 seconds into OT on a goal from Kostopoulus. This goal, like the one Kovalev used to tie the game in the 3rd, had no chance of being stopped by Biron.

This is a heartbreaking loss for the Flyers; they played the better game. They had great goaltending, they were physical, and they scored on their hot power play. They had the lead for most of the game and played like a team that was rested for a week, not one that had just come off a 7 game series. Montreal played a good game as well, but the Flyers certainly deserved a better outcome than this loss. Bad calls and unfortunate breaks cost them the game. But as they’ve done all year, regular season and against Washington, the Flyers wont back down. They showed guts in this game. Biron certainly came to play big time. They got terrific contributions from players like Upshall who drew a few penalties, and strong defense from Hatcher. This game hurts, and they’ll take it on the chin. But trust me when I say: they will be more than ready for game 2 on Saturday.

Aaron’s 3 Stars:

1. Alexei Kovalev - 2 G
2. Tom Kostopoulus - 1 G, game winner
3. Marty Biron - 30 saves on 34 shots