Keep on talkin'

According to every major sporting publication and TV network in the industrialized world, the Flyers have zero chance against Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals, who have suddenly become this year's Cinderella team. Every analyst on TSN, with the exception of Maggie the Monkey, picked the Flyers to lose. Scott Burnside of ESPN, who's an idiot, jumped on the Caps bandwagon something fierce in his "expert analysis", going so far as to claim that the Verizon Center is one of the most intimidating places to play. Which is news for those of us accustomed to watching games in Philadelphia...or Montreal, Calgary, Minnesota, Carolina, New York, etc...

Look, you all know I think Ovechkin is the best player in the league, far better than Sidney what's-his-name out there in Pittsburgh. He's got raw talent, he absolutely loves playing the game, and he can score at will. The boy did put up 114 points this season, which is no small feat. However, the Caps do have the advantage of playing in the Southeast division, the weakest division in the NHL. "But, but, they have two Stanley Cup winners!!!" Yeah, they do, but a lot of things had to fall into place for both Carolina and Tampa to win championships. Plus, there's no way you can convince me that the Hurricanes and Lightning are the same teams they were when they won their Cups. They're not. Tampa Bay is a shell of its former self, and the Hurricanes just seemed to give up after leading most of the season.

There is nothing we like more in Philadelphia than to be labeled the underdog. As far as I see it, the Flyers can enter this postseason with little to no pressure on them. It's basically a win-win situation for us. We lose, everyone's prediction comes true, the new media darlings move on, and we go from worst in the league to a first-round playoff exit. Not bad. We win, defeat mighty Ovechkin, go from worst to conference semi-finalist, and suddenly we become the team no one wants to face. Just ask Pittsburgh, who threw that final game just to avoid us and play Ottawa. Let the media fawn over the Caps, let them fill the heads of those young players with over-confidence, and let them believe the series is already over.

I'll be back Thursday to break this series down by position.