After what feels like an eternity, the Flyers will finally play Game 1 on April 29th. The Flyers have all the momentum in the world, defeating the Penguins in 6 games.
Many figured the Penguins would represent the Eastern Conference in the Stanley Cup Finals, but the Flyers are now making a case for themselves.
However, the Devils pulled off an upset of their own. The Devils, the 6 seed, beat the Florida Panthers, the 3 seed, in 7 games. From a hockey standpoint, it was a pretty thrilling comeback. For Devils and Panthers fans, well, nobody could give less of a damn.
But nonetheless, the Flyers will collide in the Second Round with the Devils. One team will be steamrolled. Spoiler: it will not be the Flyers.
Here is the Series schedule:
| GAMES | DATES | PLACE | TIME | TV | ||
| Game 1 | Sun., April 29 | New Jersey at FLYERS | 3:00 pm | NBC | ||
| Game 2 | Tue., May 1 | New Jersey at FLYERS | 7:30 pm | NBCSN | ||
| Game 3 | Thu., May 3 | FLYERS at New Jersey | 7:30 pm | NBCSN | ||
| Game 4 | Sun., May 6 | FLYERS at New Jersey | 7:30 pm | NBCSN | ||
| * Game 5 | Tue., May 8 | New Jersey at FLYERS | TBD | NBCSN | ||
| * Game 6 | Thu., May 10 | FLYERS at New Jersey | TBD | TBD | ||
| * Game 7 | Sat., May 12 | New Jersey at FLYERS | TBD | TBD | ||
It would be nice to see a gritty, close Playoff series with both teams evenly matched, but the Flyers and Devils are complete polar opposites.
The Flyers completely destroyed the Penguins on the Power Play, scoring over 52.2% of the time. In case you are rough with percentages, that is one goal every two Power Plays. The Penguins had no group of pushovers on Defense, either.
On the other hand, the Devils only scored on 20.0% of their Power Play opportunities against an underachieving group of Panthers Defensemen. 20.0% is good, but will not be able to stand up against the Flyers.
In general, the Flyers Offense is completely stacked. The Flyers had 4 players in the top 10 for Points in the Playoffs. Travis Zajac was the Devils leading points getter with 6 points.
Claude Giroux had 14 points. James Van Riemsdyk returned in Game 5 of Round 1, but I would expect him to finally return to form midway through this Series. If Van Riemsdyk can play half as well as he did in the 2011 Playoffs (7 goals), it will have been worth the wait.
The Flyers also have the most talented group of rookies in all of Hockey. Brayden Schenn, Sean Couturier, and Matt Read all contributed largely in the defeat of the Penguins. They bring youthful energy on every shift, resulting in multiple points for them each night.
This past year has not been too kind to Marty Brodeur. At the tender age of 39, Marty's deteriorating skills have finally shone through. It was even more evident during the Panthers series, allowing soft goals and making many mental mistakes.
Bryzgalov seems to love playing the Devils, going 3-0, as well as filling in for half a game against the Devils, allowing only 1 goal over those 4 games.
Series Prediction: Flyers Beat Devils In 5 Games
I could go on and on and on about how much better the Flyers are, but I can just summarize it by saying this: the Devils will be dominated in every aspect of this series.
Sorry North Jersey, you do not stand a chance.
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