#TBT: "Joffrey Lupul Tucks It Home And The Flyers Win Game 7 In Overtime"
Well here we go, bitches. It’s finally here. Game 1 of Flyers v Caps tonight at 7pm. The Capitals have been the best team in hockey all season long and the Flyers are a team that just a few short months ago wouldn’t have even deserved to be in the playoffs. If there’s one thing that’s true about playoff hockey, however, it’s that anything is possible – Kevin Garnett. I’m about ready to run through a goddamn brick wall so I’ll be doing nothing besides reciting the Herb Brooks speech to myself from the time this blog gets published until puck drop.
The biggest test tonight for the Flyers is going to be weathering the storm for those first 5-10 minutes. The cliche in hockey is that it only takes one shot to score a goal. Which is mostly true but even more so when you’re dealing with the offensive fire power that the Capitals are working with. They have 3 lines that can score at will if they’re given the opportunity to. So they’re going to come out firing. They’re going to try to end this series before it even really gets going. If the Flyers can hang around for those first 5-10 minutes without already having a hole to climb out of, well then they’ll be able to settle in and be good to go. They’ve really got nothing to lose at this point. They shouldn’t be in this position at all yet here they are. Resiliency goes a long way on the ice and in the locker room. This Flyers team is built on it.
Outside of the usual suspects of Giroux, Gostisbehere, Simmonds and (hopefully) Voracek, I’d expect a few guys making their playoff debuts to have a breakout series. Sam Gagner is playing in his first NHL playoff game in 9 seasons in the league. As long as his line doesn’t get buried deep in their own zone, they have the ability to to generate a lot of offensive chances through the heavy forecheck. I’m also expecting to see Michael Raffl have himself a series and continue to build on the last month and a half he’s had. Again, that shut down line is going to have their hands full all series long with who they have to go up against, but Raffl has proved himself to be a top 6 forward in this lineup and it wouldn’t be surprising at all to see him have a few moments of heroics out there. Time to go out there and win this one for Ed. As long as the Flyers steal 1 game in Washington I like their chances in 7.
