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Flyers Playoff Gameday: Game 6 vs. Bruins |
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(PREVIEW 8:30 AM)
The Flyers know what they have to do tonight in Game 6 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Boston Bruins. In order to force a seventh and deciding game in Boston on Friday, the club will try to duplicate its fine effort from Monday night and be prepared for the Bruins to put forth a much better performance than it turned in last game.
Tonight's game will be a better barometer of Michael Leighton's health and sharpness than the period-plus he played in relief of the injured Brian Boucher on Monday. The Bruins hardly tested him (or Boucher for that matter). There were a few expected signs of rust -- a couple of preventable rebounds and a few routine shots that he momentarily juggled -- but the team in front of him kept the Bruins away. Now that he has some playoff game action under his belt, Leighton will need to quickly regain the form he showed in late December and early January.
The Flyers will also need players such as Scott Hartnell and Ville Leino to continue their efforts of the last two games. As of this writing, there is no definitive word on the status of Claude Giroux, but I expect that he will play along with the rest of the Flyers banged-up contingent that is staying in the lineup (led by Simon Gagne).
Ultimately, this may be the kind of game where Mike Richards and Chris Pronger have to lead the way and a key contribution or two from elsewhere in the lineup could be the difference between the end of the season and a seventh game.
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Today's
Daily Drop at Versus.com looks at the way the Chicago Blackhawks have carried their regular-season success on the road over into a 5-1 road mark through two rounds of the playoffs.
Today's
Across the Pond at NHL.com looks at the surprising success of Team Denmark at the World Championships. In two games played to date, the Danes have upset Finland, 4-1, and USA, 2-1. If the Danes can overcome the host Germans today, they will win Group D in the preliminary round and be in great shape for their first-ever berth in the tournament medal round.
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
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