PHILADELPHIA — Stop me if you’ve heard this before: The Flyers’ Stanley Cup championship hopes are in big trouble.
Concern has again enveloped the growing legion of hockey fans who have embraced the orange and black during this most unexpected roller-coaster ride through the NHL playoffs. While the City of Brotherly Love — with its fatalistic attitude toward its sports teams — is worried as the Flyers return after two road losses to the Blackhawks, there seems to be no reason to panic.
After all, this team has been down and nearly all the way out several times along the way and still managed to survive and advance. And Games 3 and 4 will be played tonight and Friday in Philadelphia, where the Flyers are 7-1 in these playoffs.
“We’re glad that we’re back home now,” forward Simon Gagne said Tuesday. “Sure, we’re not really happy the way things went in Chicago. We’re down 2-0. We’ve been there before. We’ve been down 2-0, even 3-0. So it’s not like it’s a new situation for us.”
Indeed, the Flyers seem to thrive on the do-or-die pressure.
By now they are quite used to it. The Flyers, at least outwardly, show no signs of fear even though only two of 33 teams to lose the first two games of the Stanley Cup Finals on the road have rallied to capture the championship. Chicago is also 7-1 away from home in the playoffs.
“The Blackhawks did what they were supposed to do and they defended home ice,” defenseman Chris Pronger said. “Now it’s up to us to do the same thing. Although many of you folk might not give us much of a chance, we’re not too worried about what you guys think. We’re worried about what we think in the locker room. We think we can win.”
The Blackhawks came out on the short end after grabbing a 2-0 lead at home in 1971 against Montreal. Last year, Pittsburgh recovered from 2-0 and 3-2 holes to claim the Cup in a rematch with Detroit.
Facing a 3-0 series deficit against the Bruins in the second round, as well as a 3-0 hole in Game 7, it appeared the Flyers had finally run out of gas. Then came coach Peter Laviolette’s perfectly timed timeout, a second wind, and a much- needed goal that ignited the last of the comebacks and produced a 4-3 victory.
No rally was needed in the Eastern Conference finals for the Flyers, who took out Montreal in five games. Just like before their slow start in the Boston series, the Flyers had a long break in advance of facing the Blackhawks.
Game 3 might just be where the Flyers find their legs and their mojo. Philadelphia can be bolstered by the fact it lost two one-goal decisions that could have gone either way in Chicago — 6-5 and 2-1 — and didn’t play poorly.
“We did a great job against Boston, just focusing on the one-game-at-a-time mentality and not look forward at the big picture,” captain Mike Richards said. “Not too many people have done it, but not too many people have come back from 0-3, either. We’re obviously a confident group. It’s a situation that’s familiar with us. It’s unfortunate that we’re in the situation, but . . . we have to play the cards we’re dealt right now.”
Stanley Cup finals
Chicago vs. Philadelphia
Chicago leads series 2-0
Best-of-seven series; * — if necessary
Chicago 6, Philadelphia 5
Chicago 2, Philadelphia 1
Today: at Philadelphia, 6 p.m., VS
Friday: at Philadelphia, 6 p.m., VS
Sunday: at Chicago, 6 p.m., KUSA-9*
Wed., June 9: at Philadelphia, 6 p.m., KUSA-9*
Friday, June 11: at Chicago, 6 p.m., KUSA-9*
