Marty's NHL moment
Former Sabre Biron making most of chance but Pens too strong for Flyers; Red Wings will outshine Stars
By Bucky Gleason -- News Hockey Columnist
Updated: 05/08/08 9:43 AM
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Martin Biron never really established himself as the Buffalo Sabres' franchise goalie, but he always was a franchise person. His teammates adored him. The media couldn't get enough of him. Biron spent years entertaining the masses with $20 answers to two-cent questions, telling everyone to keep the change.
One lasting memory from the Eastern Conference finals two years ago, aside from a medical room full of Sabres' defenseman, was Biron doing "The Wave" with Carolina fans from his Zamboni entrance perch in the RBC Center. That's when he wasn't performing the dance number that accompanied the song, "YMCA."
The guy always had a ball.
All along, though, Biron was a competitor. He longed for a big opportunity in which his play would do the talking. He's made quite a statement this year in helping Philadelphia beat Washington in a grueling first-round series before carrying the Flyers over the Montreal Canadiens to reach the Eastern Conference finals.
The Pittsburgh Penguins stand between the Flyers and their first visit to the Stanley Cup finals since 1996-97. The best-of-seven series against their intrastate Atlantic Division rivals begins Friday night in Pittsburgh. Dallas visits Detroit tonight for Game One in another interesting matchup in the Western Conference finals.
It shouldn't take long for the Flyers and Penguins to get comfortable with one another considering they met eight times during the regular season. The Flyers won the series with a 5-3 record. Biron blanked the Pens in the regular-season finale, finishing the year with back-to-back shutouts.
"You look at Washington, you look at Montreal, it took a game and a half to get the emotions involved into the games," Biron told reporters in Philadelphia. "I think against Pittsburgh, it will be a half-minute and things will get going. They might not want to say that. They might not feel the same way, but that's how things will go."
For all the talk about Daniel Briere, who is leading the Flyers in postseason scoring, how far they go will largely depend on Biron. He's become the story in Philly. He made his first playoff appearance this season, at age 30. His wife recently gave birth to their third child. And he's a major reason the sixth-seeded Flyers reached the conference finals.
Biron's statistics (2.72 goals-against average and .914 save percentage) suggest he has been solid but unspectacular. In fact, he was brilliant against a Montreal team that largely outplayed Philly and was finished in five games. He stole the second and third games and gave the Flyers a 3-1 advantage before they took the series in Montreal.
It will take a similar series if the Flyers are to have a chance to beat the Penguins, who swept Ottawa and sent the New York Rangers home in five games. Pittsburgh has been the class of the conference with all its speed and skill. The Pens also confirmed their toughness in the first two rounds.
Here's a closer look at the finals in both conferences:
Pittsburgh (2) vs. Phil. (6)
Penguins update: Centers Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby are leading the league with 1.56 points per game in the playoffs. Malkin has six goals and eight assists. Flyers defenseman Kimmo Timonen believes Malkin is the best player on the roster. Crosby has only two postseason goals, but he leads the NHL with 12 assists and has eight points on the power play.
Newcomer Marian Hossa has provided the lift and maturity the Penguins needed when they traded for him. Pittsburgh's defense is very good and often underrated. East Amherst native Brooks Orpik has provided the necessary toughness and played well along the blue line. Could he become the third straight Western New Yorker to bring home the Cup? Defenseman Rob Scuderi leads with plus-7. He was minus-8 against Philly during the regular season. Marc-Andre Fleury has faced 27 or fewer shots six times in nine games.
Flyers update: Philly hasn't won the whole thing since 1975. Every card-carrying Sabres fan should know who they beat that season. Depth, goaltending and chemistry made the difference in the first two rounds. Pittsburgh native R.J. Umberger returns home with nine goals, second in the NHL, while playing on the Flyers' third line. Briere leads the Flyers with 14 points, including eight on the PP.
His presence on the first line helps free up the likes of Mike Richards and Jeff Carter, a fact that is often overlooked. Timonen is expected to draw the assignment against Malkin, which will be a major chore. Young defenseman Braydon Coburn has grown up in very little time during the postseason. Veteran Derian Hatcher, exposed often during the regular season, has been a beast in the playoffs. Biron stopped 133 of 143 shots in his past four games.
Outlook: Picking against the Flyers in the first two rounds has been disastrous, but it doesn't change going into this round. Pittsburgh is simply too strong in every area.
Prediction: Penguins in six games.
Detroit (1) vs. Dallas (5)
Red Wings update: Beating Nashville in six games and sweeping Colorado sends them to their second straight visit to the conference finals. The Red Wings won three of four meetings with the Stars during the regular season. Johan Franzen was their big gun in the second round, when he had two hat tricks and nine goals in the sweep. Both are NHL records. He leads the NHL with 11 goals. Henrik Zetterberg has been their most consistent player with a point in eight of 10 postseason games. He had five goals, nine points and was plus-6 against the Avalanche. The PP converted seven of 23 chances in the second round. Goalie Chris Osgood has a 6-0 record, a 1.52 GAA and a .937 save percentage since taking over for Dominik Hasek. Niklas Kronwall has provided a big boost to a defense corps that already included Nicklas Lidstrom, Chris Chelios and Brian Rafalski.
Stars update: Dallas' special teams were a major reason it beat Anaheim and San Jose in the first two rounds. The power play leads the final four teams and its penalty kill is second behind Pittsburgh's. Goalie Marty Turco is just behind Osgood with a 1.73 GAA and a .929 save percentage, but he hasn't won in 10 games in Joe Louis Arena. Mike Ribeiro has 14 points (three goals, 11 assists), tying him for the scoring lead among players still in the postseason. The Stars are strong across four lines, but they have been without former Sabres captain Stu Barnes (concussion). Mike Modano has 10 points (eight on the PP), which takes some sting from his team-worst minus-3 rating. Veteran defenseman Sergei Zubov came back for the second round and had four points in five games. Defenseman Philippe Boucher (hip) returned to practice last week.
Outlook: The Red Wings believe this group could be better than the 2001-02 team, which was the last Presidents' Trophy winner to win the Cup. With that much firepower and Osgood playing well, it's hard to bet against them.
Prediction: Red Wings in five.
