Eastern Conference Quarterfinals: Washington v. Philadelphia

To me this is the most intriguing matchup of the Eastern quarterfinals. The relative lack of playoff experience on either side essentially cancels itself out...this is the first time post-lockout that either of these teams has made it to the playoffs. Obviously the Caps have been the bigger nationwide media story with Ovechkin having a record setting year but the gelling of the relatively young Flyers into a offensively balanced, solid team that can win every night might be considered an even more impressive accomplishment.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that most of the media types will boil this series down to the performance of Ovechkin; if the Flyers control him they win, lose if they don't. As always, however, a playoff series has levels beyond those regarding a single player and this one is no different. The addition of Huet at the trade deadline and also greater producitivity beyond the first line over the past 20 games put the Caps in the postseason and it's these factors (along with Ovechkin, of course) that will give them a chance in this series. The emergence of guys like Niklas Backstrom, Mike Green and Alexander Semin plus the play of a rejuvenated Sergei Fedorov means that the Flyers will have to focus on more than just Ovechkin to win four games from this team.

In comparing rosters, however, one thing that strikes me about the Flyers is their offensive depth. In fact, when it comes to scoring, the Flyers almost seem to be the polar opposite of the Caps. Instead of relying heavily on one player, the Flyers have managed to spread around the scoring at an impressively effective rate. Seven different Flyers have hit the 20 goal mark this year as opposed to three for Washington (unless you count Ovechkin three times). Another great story for Philly has been the play of Martin Biron who has been terrific at times over the past month or so. I've watched him a few times over the past couple of weeks and I've just been so damn impressed with his positioning and patience in net. If he keeps up this type of play in the postseason the Flyers won't just get past the first round but could be serious threats to conference faves like the Habs and Pens.

I'm going to pick the Flyers in this series for a few reasons. First, the offensive balance highlighted above. I just can't see the Caps being able to handle the scoring threat from four lines that the Flyers can come at you with. They certainly aren't offensive showboats, but any of their lines should be considered a threat in the offensive zone. Second is the play of Biron. Huet has been great since coming to Washington but I think the Flyers will prevent Biron from having to face as many difficult shots as Huet. Both goalies will play well, I think, but based off of what I've seen in the past month Biron gets the edge here. Finally is the vets that are on the Flyers roster. Experience is at a premium in this series but having guys that have made deep playoff runs like Danny Briere, Jason Smith (who you know I love), and Derian Hatcher (whether he plays or not) gives the Flyers an edge over the Caps in this department.

Of course that's not to say the Caps don't have a chance. Ovechkin could possibly just annihilate the Flyers by himself and the Caps are certainly on more of an emotional high entering the postseason compared to the Flyers. Seeing the Caps move on to the next round cetainly wouldn't surprise me. Still, I think the balance and grit of the Flyers will allow them to take out the Caps in a series that goes five or maybe six games.