Thank You Joffrey

The Flyers live to play another day after defeating the Capitals in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals.

Joffrey Lupul knocked home a rebound into essentially an empty net on a power play in overtime for the game winner. The goal was Lupul's first of the playoffs and it couldn't have come at a better time.

The Flyers were trying to avoid becoming the 21st team out of 225 to blow a 3-1 series lead in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. They avoided this fate well after let the Caps knot the series up at three.

The Flyers blew two straight chances to knock the Caps out of the playoffs, but very strong goal tending from Marty Biron kept the Flyers in the game. Biron recorded 39 saves in 41 chances including 16 saves in the third period alone.

Biron didn't have to be flashy, just good. He stopped everything that came at him including several point blank chances for Alexander Ovechkin in third period and overtime.

Biron made the saves, the second and third lines scored the goals. Unlikely names like Sami Kapanen, Joffrey Lupul, and Scottie Upshall came through with the goals. The usual names, Mike Richards, Scott Hartnell, Vinny Prospal, and Jeff Carter couldn't find any part of the score sheet.

One of the most controversial goals in the entire playoffs gave the Flyers the lead in the second period 2-1. Sami Kapanen brought the puck into the Caps zone, twirled around on the right side of the net. Patrick Thoresen checked his man into goalie Cristobal Huet knocking all three players to the ice. Kapenen recognized the open net and flung a wrist shot at the empty net for the goal.

Alexander Ovechkin wouldn't be out done. He tied the game up at two later in the second period.

The third period feature the Caps really going after the Flyers. They outshot the Flyguys 16-5, but somehow couldn't get the puck by Biron.

The goal-less third period set up an up and down overtime as both teams got quality chances in the first several minutes. Tom Poti made a really stupid mistake and tripped up R.J. Umberger in a situation where Poti just didn't to commit a penalty to stop a play.

It lead to an aggressive powerplay as the Flyers started blasting away at Huet. It eventually lead to Kimmo Timonen shot. The rebound trickled off to the right of Huet, but he looked left thinking he deflected the rebound in that direction.

Lupul knocked the puck into an uncontested net and that was it. Game over. Flyers win.

Slapshots:

• Derian Hatcher committed a really stupid penalty in the first period that led to a Washington powerplay goal.
• Philadelphia blew another 5 on 3 powerplay opportunity that lasted the full two minutes. A four minute slash followed by another penalty led to two full minutes of five on three action for the Flyers.
• Cristobal Huet deserves a lot of credit for how well he played and how many great saves he made in this series.
• The Flyers will play the Canadians who also won their series in seven games.