Staring Down the Barrel of a Gun

Tonight, the Flyers did something rarely seen in Philadelphia. They won an elimination playoff game. How many times in recent years have we seen a Philly team tuck its collective tail between their legs and go out meekly in an elimination game? I think there have been more than we all care to remember.

After watching Marc Andre Fleury steal Game 4, Marty Biron did his best to return the favor and blanked the Pens in Game 5. Marty wasn't quite as challenged as Fleury in Game 4, but he made big saves in the First Period when they were needed the most. He kept the Flyers in the game until Arron Asham unleashed the shot of his life and gave the Flyers the lead. Marty then made that goal stand up until the rookie phenom (he's now surpassed "rookie sensation") Claude Giroux scored to give the Orange & Black a 2-0 lead. There was no turning back from that point as the Flyers locked things down and the Pens just got more and frustrated. The final minutes of the third period were quite fun to watch. The Igloo was dead quiet and Crosby took two dumb, lazy penalties.

Now, the bigger issue is whether the Flyers can keep this momentum going in Game 6 and force a deciding game back in Pittsburgh on Monday. If the Flyers can keep playing the way they have been since Game 2, I don't see why they can't win this one on home ice. They really have been the better team since the series opener.

The scary thing is that none of the big guns for either team have really stepped it up yet. Malkin, Crosby, Richards and Carter have been relatively quiet. Something tells me Game 6 will be decided by which team's big time centers steps it up and leads their team victory.