Keep the Momentum Going
Thursday April 24, 2008 @ 12:30 PM EDT
David currently plays FBI Special Agent Seeley Booth on the FOX drama Bones. Though he was born in Buffalo, David will be following his Philadelphia Flyers throughout Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Here we go – Game 1!
I’m feeding off of the momentum of the big Game 7 win in Washington. Now it’s time to take it to Montreal – the riot section of the NHL playoffs. I don’t think they take their hockey seriously enough up there.
Going into the series we have to tap into our momentum and the energy. In playoff hockey there is no rest. You get through a huge series and you have to embrace that. You have the travel time to head up North. It can be very taxing but it can also be a kick-start. A lot of the fuel kicked in, so it’s a whole different game, a whole new series, even though the Canadiens owned us this year.
Now we have to focus on the Russians again, for the second straight series. Washington had great skill in Ovie, but Montreal has a lot of depth. They’re a faster team than Washington, so we have to focus on taking away their time and space. If we can do that we can frustrate them and get to Price.
If anyone is going to crack, it’s Price, and in order to get to him we’re going to need Hartnell. And of course the hero of Round 1, Daniel Briere…it’s to our advantage that he can speak French. He’ll be able to get into the heads of their guys.
These guys are all puck possession guys so we have to take that all away from them. We’ll need another big outing from Kimmo, and of course, from Biron.
Stevens stuck with Lupul and it paid off, he had the game-winning goal. We need him to step up again. We need to take them on strength on strength – No. 1 and 2 power-plays in the league are heading into this matchup – so the special teams are a big factor. And then from there, we have to look at their lines – the Kostitsyn brothers and Kovalev. Hamrlik keeps everyone away from Price, so we have to knock him around.
Basically what Boston did was punch them in the face – if we do that, the skill players will be apt to run away, and Philly will be able to use their depth, and bring their intensity.
We have to plan on coming out of Montreal with a split. Going down 0-2 against Montreal could be fatal. But that isn’t saying you can’t win two straight in Philly. To get off tonight to a big start would be nice. Carter and Richards – they’re the fuel. Again, we’ll rely on them.
Hatcher, keep the stick down man! He’s out there swinging it around like a fly swatter.
I give him some credit, but he just needs to be smart. He has a tendency to fly off the edge, like old-school hockey. Just play within yourself, man!
The final thing is Coburn has to have a good series – get it out of our zone.
I’m looking forward to a Game 1, and I look forward to the cheesesteaks prevailing over the smoked meat.
DB
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Commentsfrancie
Apr 25, 2008
I agree...relax...
And yes, I don’t agree with him either that that we are the riot section of the playoffs. But like I said earlier, it takes just a few bad ones to give us a bad repuatation. Mr. B.‘s passionate about the sport, just like most of us here. And it is playoff hockey. I say we enjoy the rest of the series too. And I can’t wait for your next blog either. You always amaze me with your comments. On to Game 2!!
lani
Apr 25, 2008
Relax, people!!!
Although I don`t agree with David that we are the riot section of the playoffs, we can`t say that we have the best track record! Just remind yourselves he`s a hockey fan like all of us here and it is playoff hockey so we are all a bit more sensitive. The press blamed the hockey fans for the riot…it was proven that it wasn`t so just relax, take a deep breath and enjoy the rest of the series.
Can`t wait for your next blog, by the way.
Hockymom
Apr 25, 2008
ANTI-riot girl
Hey there Mr. B,
Nice blog. We are much more than smoked meat though… we are also the best bagels, pizza, tech support and hockey. 24 Stanleys and counting is not bad. I’m a big fan of your work, so I’m gonna be nice. Who knows… maybe my son will play for Philly one day – he’s eligible for next year’s draft. The all-star game is here next year, so please feel free to come to hockeyville and enjoy our amazing cheesecake!
JuBlouin
Apr 25, 2008
The number one game
Hey there DB
I think it sucks that you’re putting the blame on the fans for what happened monday night in Montreal. First of all, the police has been arresting people since that night and none of them were at the game. The only thing the Montreal Canadians fans are guilty of is that they stayed to look at the riots instead of going home. What can we say? There’s over 2 millions people watching every games, some of them are bound to be crazy…! But WE don’t have to pay for those. I am a real hockey fan and so is most of the population of Quebec. We’re not all crazies. We Do take hockey seriously. See? If I was crazy, you would’ve been insulted by now!!!
So I’m just going to let MY team show you on the ice that we know hockey. Do you?
Oh, and on s’en calisse ben that Brière speaks french… So what? So does Biron. So instead of bitching over Montrealers, you should be glad that we exist, ‘cause they’re your key players! We too can get into Brière and Biron’s heads…we also speak french.
Enough talking, let’s play the most wonderful game in the world.
BurHabs
Apr 25, 2008
??????
Hey DB!
What about Biron 
…ahh!!..and yes!!!…you know what? he’s from Québec too haha!!
What about ‘I don’t think they take their hockey seriously enough up there.’??? The hockey was born in Canada!!! The hockey is our top priority not like in the U.S that Basseball is dominant!!…and yeah!..Brière can talk french! of course, he’s from Québec! Yeah Québec, where all the ‘french man’ that’s how you are calling them? Quebec where the hockey is number 1!
Yeah there is some stupid riot just like past monday but, us, the fan dissaprove all of this!
and..just one more thing…Price will stand on guard
CHampions25
Apr 25, 2008
LMAO!!!!!
HAHAHHAAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHHAHAHA!!!!!
Sorry about that, that was just my reaction for the last 5 mins after reading this line in your blog; “If anyone is going to crack, it’s Price”. All kidding aside, do you honestly think this kid is gonna crack? The Calder Cup MVP… are u serious?! This kid is cooler than a cucumber, shines in the spotlight and thrives under pressure!! 2 shutouts it the 1st round.. of his 1st ever playoffs… including a game 7! The only cracking that will be done is with the opening of bottles of champagne after Price and Les Boys “dispose” of the Flyers – in a sweep no less!!
Nice try DB.
ElGuapoLA
Apr 24, 2008
Go Fliers
DB Come by the official Philly bar in LA and join us for the series. El Guapo Cantina, you know where it is
TheseGoTo11
Apr 24, 2008
The regular season means nothing
The Habs owned Boston all year too and you see what happened. Now that Briere has finally found somebody he can work with in Prospal, he’s starting to become the same pain in the posterior he was with Buffalo. The Flyers’ role players will be critical in this one. If they can keep Montreal’s transition game to the outside — especially through the neutral zone — I like Philly’s chances a lot better. And they’ll also be the ones to crowd Price in front. I didn’t get to see much of the Boston series, but I think if guys like Carter can keep him dancing and looking for the puck, Price’s effectiveness will suffer. He might be a phenom, but he’s still a 20-year-old rookie with all that comes with it. Put a couple past him early and you just might get in his kitchen. Win a couple early and you’ll do yourselves a real solid. And stay out of the sin bin. Boston got away with it with some overachieving penalty killing, but it’s not a well you want to go to often.
All of the pressure’s on the Habs, so if the Flyers can stay loose, they actually have an advantage being the lower seed. I’m not convinced home ice is really an advantage in the pressure cooker that is Montreal . The Canes have owned — or at least had a long term lease — on the Bell Center ever since the ‘02 playoffs. So don’ worry mon… bee happy.
London
Apr 24, 2008
you can make tht $0.04
Hey Big guy, i know very little about ice hockey, but after going over the stats for both teams, there about equal, however MTL have good defense, so maybe, we should be thinking about having a good offensive to break through the line to get to price.
GO FLYERS! And Cheesesteaks yummy
francie
Apr 24, 2008
ok, my $0.02
K, Mr. B…I said it earlier and I’ll say it again…insightful, as always. And while I’ve only started watching the game during these playoffs, I can honestly say I think the series is going to be…well, one for the history books, is the best way I can describe it. And I agree…those riots weren’t cause by hockey fans. Don’t think we all feel that way, because we don’t. You know the old saying…it only takes a few bad ones to ruin it for the rest of us. Canadians LOVE their hockey as much as you do, sir. I’d hate to think you felt we didn’t due to some stupid twits who decided they needed to get violent about the whole thing. And with that I say…have a good Game 1!!! I have a feeling it’ll be good!!!