IMO the Flyers are going to win the next 2 at home, lose game 5 in Washington and then win in game 6 back in Philadelphia to end the series. The Flyers have the full momentum, I think that game 1 was a great lesson for them to learn, don't sit on the lead. Then they learned in game 2 how to shut this team down, wear them down at the neutral zone, get fresh bodies on the ice ASAP and force them to take quick shots on goal. They also burned the Capitals a few times on long passes, which tells the Capitals they better not play tight on the Flyers side of the red line too much, because the Flyers have at least 2 guys on each line capable of being extremely dangerous on a breakaway.
Honestly the Capitals are a good team, but the Flyers proved today that if you slow them down, they are very beatable. The Capitals only had 8 shots in the 3rd period, a very low number for a team that has a great offense and was down by 2 goals. Ovechkin didn't show up today (although I'm sure he'll be ready for game 3). The Capitals couldn't pass the puck to a teamate to save their lives. Biron played great, but the entire Flyers team deserves credit for the shutout. The Capitals had only a few shots on goal that required Biron to make a brilliant save. Heut played amazing, I give him major props on stopping 39 of 41 shots, but he was the only Capital that showed up today.
Look for the Flyers to do the same thing in Game 3, take the lead early, then stop the Capitals at the blue line and wear them out. The electric crowd in Philadelphia will only add to their momentum.
Game 2 was an excellent game plan by Stevens, and excellent execution by the Flyers. They showed in game 1 (even though they lost) that they are capable of scoring just as fast as the Capitals are and they showed in game 2 that they can really throw them off of their gameplan. They also showed, as I stated before, that they learn from their mistakes, by coming out to play in the 3rd period and not thinking they had the game sealed up. The key difference in the Capitals win in game 1 and the Flyers win in game 2, is that the Flyers made mistakes in game 1 that cost them, the Capitals didn't make mistakes in game 2, they just couldn't get anything going, because the Flyers played them perfectly. Now the Capitals have to come out with a different gameplan if they want different results, while all the Flyers had to do was get their heads out of their @$$.
What makes the playoffs different from the regular season, is that once you exploit a teams weakness, you have the advantage the entire series. The Capitals have yet to exploit any weakness in the Flyers, except maybe that they sit on leads in a 1 game series, but I can guarantee the Flyers won't make that mistake again. The Flyers know how to stop the Capitals, they have the scoring ability to keep up with the Capitals if it become a high scoring affair and they have a confident goaltender who has now posted 3 shutouts in 4 games, one against the Devils, one against the Penguins, and one against the Capitals, 3 really good teams.
The key factor between these 2 teams, is that the Flyers can adjust and play any kind of hockey they want to, I've watched them do it all year. If the Flyers have to play physical and wear you down, they can and will, if they want to bring out the firepower, they are certainly capable of doing that as well. The Capitals on the other hand are obviously much better when they can get their highly potent offense going and not as good when they are trapped in their own zone.
Don't get me wrong, it isn't going to be a walk in the park by any means, but I still think that the Flyers have the upper hand in this series and will come out on top.
Here's to an entertaining rest of the series!
