Flyers Up 2-1; Montreal in Real Trouble?

After Monday nights 3-2 win over the Habs I really believe now that the Flyers will be headed to the Eastern Conference Finals. If your Montreal right now you've got to be feeling pretty lucky your not down 3-0 on the verge of being swept. I'm not saying Montreal hasn't played well, but some of their positive play has been the result of a break in their favor. Breaks in which they haven't been able to take advantage of with the exception being game 1. They needed some big time breaks to win game 1, got beaten on home ice in game 2 even after coming in with all the moment against a Flyer team that had to of been simply devastated after game 1. Came to Philadelphia and got dominated in game 3 until the referees got involved giving them a 5 minute power play. The officiating in game three was some of the worst I've seen in these playoffs. And that's not me being a homer, that's flat out truth, anyone who says anything different either doesn't watch hockey or is just simply wrong. The boarding call on Hatcher was certainly a penalty but a 5 minute major and a game misconduct? It clearly should not of been a major penalty and a misconduct is just laughable. Directly after the hit, Kostopoulos retaliated with a check on Hatcher from behind which also was not called. And the whole Steve Downie incident in the 1st period was just as ridiculous. How Downie was given an extra two after he was being double-teamed by to Habs is beyond me.

With all that being said I still don't believe the Flyers have played their best game yet. Yet another scary thought for Montreal to ponder.

Regardless of what the Flyers have done so far this series they have to not only keep it going they must play even better. The Flyers cannot continue to take bad penalties and give this Montreal team chances. The neutral zone turnovers need to be cut down as well. Montreal isn't the number one seed for nothing. They still have a dynamic offense which can supply one hell of a scoring flurry at anytime. I know the Flyers are aware of that, and I know Montreal knows that the Flyers are capable of the same thing. In the end it looks like it will come down to goaltending and right now Carey Price is really struggling. Pulling him before the third period can only hurt his no doubt already shaky morale. Right now the pressure is squarely on Price's shoulders and Martin Biron is playing about as well as a goaltender can play against a team like Montreal. Everything seems to be in the Flyers favor, but anyone whose watched the Stanley Cup playoffs throughout the years knows that anything can happen, which is what makes them so great.

Mike Santa Barbara

Pictures Courtesy: AP Photo/The Canadian Press,Ryan Remiorz,Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images