Flyers, Bruins Set To Renew Rivalry
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The last time the Flyers and Bruins met, the orange and black were putting the finishing touches on one of the greatest comebacks in sports history.
On Wednesday night, with the stakes not nearly as high, the two Eastern Conference foes will skate against each other for the first time since the Flyers beat Boston in that memorable game seven to complete the improbable task of winning a playoff series after trailing three games to none.
The Flyers, of course, rode the momentum of that series into the Stanley Cup Finals and haven't let up since.
"I think that a lot of the guys that were part of that are here, and it's a great experience for those guys that haven't been a part of either a big come from behind series victory like that or an emotional series, an up and down rollercoaster ride like that and what it takes for you mentally to stay the course, stick with the game plan, stick with your system, and stick with what you know how to do best, and we were able to do that, and able to win because of it," said defenseman Chris Pronger.
Philadelphia (34 points) is near the top of the National Hockey League this season, just two points behind the Washington Capitals (36 points).
Captain Mike Richards paces the Flyers' scoring with 25-points (9 goals, 16 assists).
Boston is no slouch either. Claude Julien's team will bring a record of 12-8-2 into Philadelphia, that's good for second place in the Northeast Division.
The Bruins have enjoyed most of their success this season in front of goalie Tim Thomas, who has gotten the majority of the starts in net over Tuukka Rask.
Thomas is 11-2 with four shutouts, a 1.56 GAA and a save percentage of .951 this season, ranking him first among NHL goaltenders in all three categories.
Both clubs will carry a two-game losing skid into Wednesday night's contest. However, the Flyers did manage to earn a point in each of their last two defeats, losing in a shootout against the Calgary Flames on Friday, and again to the New Jersey Devils on Saturday.
Reported by: Dan Majka, KYW Newsradio.
