OK, now that the regular season is over (I still feel like it went by too fast), the Flyers have locked up the 6th seed in the East and will face the Southeast champion Washington Capitals in the first round. The 3-6 matchup was supposed to be, according to the "experts" on TSN and ESPN, the most favorable of the playoffs, since the 3rd seed in the East was usually the weakest of the division winners. And normally, that's the case. However, the Capitals have been on a roll recently, going 9-1 in their last ten games and riding a huge emotional wave since winning the division. I really think Alexander Ovechkin should win the Hart trophy this season, especially since Washington wouldn't even have a fan base, let alone a franchise, if he wasn't there. He's already got the Art Ross wrapped up, so go ahead and give him the double.
The Flyers kinda won the season series against the Caps, going 2-1-1 if you include one of those shootout thingies. Of course, we haven't seen the Caps since February, so a lot has changed. There is no doubt that the Flyers will have major problems with both Ovechkin and Sergei Federov, who's been playing well recently. Other than that, we have a deeper line-up, more players with playoff experience, and won't have to worry about coming down from an emotional high like Washington. This will be Marty Biron's first playoff game in his career, but the last two shutouts should help his confidence. Add in the fact that we're getting healthy at the right time (there's even talk of Derian Hatcher coming back for the postseason) should equal a first-round series win.
The Caps certainly earned their division championship, but I think the Flyers will prevail.
Flyers win the series 4-2
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