Philly got slapped silly

That was a sad-sack effort by the Flyers last night. I was actually bored by the middle of the second period and shifted over to the Canadians game. What a letdown. I really expected the Flyers to come out swinging and to force the series back to Buffalo for a game 7. This series wasn't even as close as the results would suggest - three of Philly's losses were substantial - one shutout and two blowouts.

Probably the most frustrating thing for Flyer fans at the end of the day is that it doesn't seem too ridiculously easy to figure out what went wrong. The goaltending appeared shaky at times, but one can hardly blame Robert Esche last night on some of the goals. Nevertheless, he can't be absolved of blame, either, for a Roman Cechmanek-like meltdown last night. The team appeared slower than Buffalo and many things didn't look quite right. Maybe they just need another year.

Fortunately for Philly, the Flyers have a good number of younger players ready to carry the torch, so players like Petr Nedved can be shown the door. Questions remain in goal, too - both Antero Niittymaki and Esche have shown flashes of very good potential, but it remains to be seen if either one is Stanley Cup Finals worthy. Then again, doesn't every team want a Martin Brodeur? I'd love it if the Oilers can find a stud goalie to roam the pipes for 10+ years.

This series does suggest one important trend, though. Teams that stumble into the playoffs generally don't do well, and teams that are hot going into the playoffs probably have a better chance of success. New Jersey and Edmonton are great examples of this. The Devils won over 10 in a row before the playoffs started, and they broomed the Rangers this past weekend. Edmonton has been playing playoff-type hockey for over a month now - they were fully ready for the urgency that accompanies a playoff series. The Red Wings and Flyers were in no danger of missing the playoffs and could afford to coast the last month or so of the season.

I feel bad for my Flyer buds - they've waited too damn long for a Cup in this city. But, there are many great things that Philly fans can take away from the season - there is a lot of good talent on Philly's team that is ready to blossom. Bob Clarke always puts a very competitive team on the ice; but it doesn't seem like he can put them over the top. I guess we'll have to wait 'til next year to find out.