• Habs carry hope of bringing Stanley home

EASTERN CONFERENCE PREVIEW: (7) PHILADELPHIA FLYERS vs. (8) MONTREAL CANADIENS
WESTERN CONFERENCE PREVIEW: (1) SAN JOSE SHARKS vs. (2) CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS

BY MIKE BROPHY
sportsnet.ca



Very few could have predicted the Eastern Conference title would go to either Montreal or Philadelphia. SPORTSNET.CA columnist Mike Brophy breaks down which team will earn the right to play for Lord Stanley.

FOR THE CANADIENS TO WIN:
Without overstating the obvious, the Canadiens go nowhere unless goaltender Jaroslav Halak continues to work his magic. Honestly, as Sidney Crosby pointed out following the conclusion of the Pittsburgh-Montreal second round series, the Penguins out-chanced the Habs 2-1 over the seven games, but couldn't find a way to figure out Halak.

Furthermore, the Canadiens defence has done a tremendous job at blocking shots which is a good thing, because they get out-shot just about every game. In fact, of the 16 teams that made the playoffs, Montreal ranks 15th in shots per game at 26.2. Pittsburgh averaged 34.2 shots per game through two rounds.

Aside from Halak, left winger Michael Cammalleri is also having a playoff for the ages. Despite not having much playoff experience under his belt, Cammalleri has been the NHL's hottest shooter in the post-season with 12 goals in 14 games, a remarkable total. Aside from Cammalleri, and Brian Gionta who has seven goals, the Habs are not much of a scoring threat. Others are going to have to pick it up if they are to make it to the Stanley Cup final.

CANADIENS UNSUNG HERO:
When defenceman Hal Gill had to miss Game 6, you'd have thought it was Bobby Orr missing the game. Well, the fact of the matter is, the 6-foot-7, 241-pound Gill has been a very valuable player for the Canadiens. The player that Jaromir Jagr once (in his prime) said was the hardest to play against in the league brings steadying influence to the table. Playing nearly 21 minutes a game, Gill uses his size to neutralize the opposition's best attackers and is one of a handful of players with Stanley Cup rings who were brought to town by former general manager Bob Gainey.

FOR THE FLYERS TO WIN:
Dare we suggest they lose the first three games and then go down 3-0 in Game 7, should it get to that point? Probably not. You know that thing about Lightning striking twice.

The biggest thing for the Flyers - and it has been the case all year - is to stay disciplined. They take a lot of dumb, undisciplined penalties and when they do that, they pull the carpet out from under themselves. This can be a skilled team, when healthy, but when Philadelphia puts a greater emphasis on trying to prove its toughness, all bets are off.

Unlike the Canadiens, the Flyers have a huge question mark in net. Michael Leighton has been a pleasant story for the team, recording a 16-5-2 record after being plucked off waivers from the Carolina Hurricanes, but that doesn't change the fact this is the 28-year-olds first trip to the NHL playoffs and he's never been a No. 1 goalie in the league. Assuming he'll carry the mail the rest of the way, the Flyers need him to continue to write an amazing playoff debut story.

Naturally, they'll also need a big performance from Chris Pronger, one of the top two-way defenders in the league. He will be charged with shutting down Cammalleri.

FLYERS UNSUNG HERO:
When Matt Carle scored 11 goals and 42 points in 77 games with the San Jose Sharks in 2006-07, it seemed like he was destined for stardom. But he kind of lost his way and has only recently begun to emerge as a strong and trustworthy defensive defender playing the left side on a defensive pairing with Pronger. His ice time is up about two minutes per game in the playoffs and his seven assists in 12 games are impressive. Star defenders can't do their thing unless they have dependable partners and Carle certainly allows Pronger to do his thing knowing he is backed up.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN:
At this point, it's kind of hard to bet against the Canadiens. Any team that can knock off the No. 1 seed and the defending Stanley Cup champs in the first two rounds has to be considered the favorite in the next round.

Still, this is a bit of a weird match up. Many picked the Flyers to win the Cup, or at the very least make the final, at the start of the year. They have had an up-and-down year, but seem to be hitting their stride. Better late than never.

The Flyers are the most physical opponent the Canadiens have faced so it will be interesting to see if Montreal can withstand Philadelphia's toughness. Then again, Montreal is the fastest team the Flyers will have faced in the playoffs…can they keep up?

Halak has been amazing, but it's hard to imagine him continuing to play at such a high level with the number of quality scoring chances his team surrenders. Not impossible…but very difficult. People probably said the same thing about Ken Dryden and Patrick Roy in the early stages of their careers. I like the Flyers chances in this series, but I'm not betting against the hockey gods who seem to favor the Canadiens.

Montreal in 6.

INTERESTING STAT:
After scoring just one game-wining goal in 75 regular season games, Philadelphia's Danny Briere has three in 11 games in the playoffs. That matches his post-season high set in 17 games in 2007-08. Briere's six goals in 11 games is three off his career-best set, also, in '07-8. The Habs might want to keep an eye onhim.


EASTERN CONFERENCE PREVIEW: (7) PHILADELPHIA FLYERS vs. (8) MONTREAL CANADIENS
WESTERN CONFERENCE PREVIEW: (1) SAN JOSE SHARKS vs. (2) CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS