Philadelphia
Regular Season Stats
Roster |
Philly led the Eastern Conference in scoring, even though its power play ranked 19th in the NHL. The physical Flyers matched Boston for the most 5-on-5 goals in the league, an essential skill if (when?) refs swallow their whistles in the playoffs. |
Goaltending question marks are as much a part of the Philly sports scene as cheesesteaks and battery tossing. This year the heat is on rookie Sergei Bobrovsky, won won 28 times in 52 starts but didn't post a single shutout (no Flyers goalie did). Is the Russian capable of stealing a series, or is he the next Roman Cechmanek? |
Chris Pronger powered last year's surprise run to the Eastern final — his third time playing for the Cup since the lockout, on three different teams — while antagonizing and intimidating opponents at every turn. But he played in only 50 games this season and underwent three surgeries — the last one to fix a broken hand that's kept him out since March 10. At age 36, how much does Pronger have left? And can Philly, which faded down the stretch, win without him at his best? |
Buffalo
Regular Season Stats
Roster |
Thanks to an improved power play, Buffalo scored more goals than it did last season, when it won the Northeast title. The Sabres roll into the playoffs hot, having overcome a nightmarish start (3-9-2) by going 28-11-6 in 2011. |
Ryan Miller hasn't looked like the same goalie who won the Vezina Trophy last season, suffering a decline in wins, and sharp increases in GAA and save percentage. Miller's health is in question after an upper-body injury (thought to be a bruised collar bone or shoulder) kept him for most of April. Jordan Leopold, the Sabres' top-scoring defencemen with 13 goals, hopes to return soon from a broken hand. |
The Sabres were largely written off when Derek Roy underwent surgery to fix a torn quad tendon just before Christmas (Buffalo's top centre is eyeing a return later in the playoffs), but they instead caught fire in the new year thanks largely to Thomas Vanek. The sniping winger finished with more assists (41) than goals (32) for the first time in his career, and his 73 points were his most since an 84-point campaign four years ago that won him a $49-million contract. |
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