(Flyers Win Series 4-2)
For a while, it looked like Toronto would pull off the Miracle On Front Street. Trailing 2-0 with barely ten minutes left in their season, the Leafs mounted a stunning comeback against a team that almost never blows a third period lead: in the span of six minutes, Karl Pilar scored on a point shot and Mats Sundin scored on a rebound during a goalmouth scramble. The crowd went crazy, the Flyers looked stunned. As the teams prepared for overtime, game seven seemed inevitable.
Jeremy Roenick did not see it that way. With Toronto pressing for the game-winner, defenseman Brian Leetch lost track of a Flyers' line change. As the puck was cleared, Roenick came off the Philadelphia bench to lead a two-on-one break. He kept the puck and finished Toronto's season with a shot to the top corner at 7:39 of OT. It was Roenick's second goal of the night.
Although they began the game with several excellent shifts, the Leafs fell behind early. Philadelphia scored twice on 11 first-period shots, but managed very few scoring chances after that. Overall, the Leafs had a 36-25 edge in shots on goal. But the Flyers saved their most aggressive hockey for overtime, outshooting Toronto 7-3.
Game Five: Flyers 7 - Maple Leafs 2 (Flyers lead series 3-2)
Philadelphia had three goals before Toronto had its first shot. Down 3-1 at the first intermission, the Leafs still had a chance. But the Flyers piled on three more in the second period, chasing Ed Belfour from the net. Bryan McCabe made two obvious errors that led to Flyers' goals. But the whole Toronto team was awful on defense, and everywhere else.
Keith Primeau was a battering ram all over the ice, and finished with a hat trick; Michal Handzus added a pair; Simon Gagne had three assists. The bad news for Philadelphia: goaltender Robert Esche and defenseman Vladimir Malakhov disappeared after the first period with upper body injuries.
Game Four: Maple Leafs 3 - Flyers 1 (series tied 2-2)
The scoresheet does not lie. Mats Sundin was the only real force in this game, well deserving of his two goals. The first was lucky - a shot that went in off a Philadelphia defenseman. The second was worthier of his skill - a rush that backed up the defense, finished with a backhand shot through traffic.
Otherwise, neither team mounted much of an attack, and for a long while this looked like a game nobody wanted. But the Toronto defense deserves credit for negating the Flyers' top weapon, their usually ferocious forecheck. Leafs' goalie Ed Belfour made keys stops when neccesary, but overall this was his easiest game of the series.
Game Three: Maple Leafs 4 - Flyers 1 (Flyers lead series 2-1)
Toronto had just three shots on goal after 20 minutes, exactly as Philadelphia would have planned it. But the Leafs turned up the forechecking in the second period, won most of the loose pucks, gave the Flyers fits in their own zone, knocked them around, scored three goals and announced Toronto's arrival in the second round. That arrival comes a couple of games late, but now we can say the series is on.
Toronto's four goals included points by nine different players. In the final two periods the Leafs outshot the Flyers 26-11, a total that accurately reflects the flow of the game. Philadelphia defenseman Kim Johnsson, who has missed the first three games with a hand injury, will almost certainly hurry back for game four.
Game Two: Flyers 2 – Maple Leafs 1 (Flyers lead series 2-0)
The scoresheet suggests that Philadelphia's unstoppable power play won the game, producing goals by Donald Brashear in the first period and Alexei Zhamnov in the third. But goaltender Robert Esche was a deserving first star, as many of his 26 saves were exceptional. His best stretch came during the frantic final minutes, when the teams exchanged breakaways.
Toronto had one centermen in and one out: Mats Sundin returned; Joe Nieuwendyk stayed home with a suspected bad back. Sundin helped ignite the Leafs' attack, but their only goal came when Tie Domi chipped in a pass from Clarke Wilm to tie the game at 1-1 in the second. It was a missed opportunity for Toronto, as Philadelphia played poorly for 40 minutes before dominating the third period.
Game One: Flyers 3 – Maple Leafs 1 (Flyers lead series 1-0)
Toronto's big moment came in the first period, when an Alex Mogilny pass hit a Flyers' defenseman and dribbled in. That was all the Leafs' offense showed on this night. There is no telling whether Robert Esche's goaltending can continue to lead Philadelphia, because Toronto rarely made him sweat.
The Flyers looked sluggish at times, and the defense is vulnerable. But they scored twice from directly in front of the net, an area where they killed New Jersey in the first round. If the Leafs can't handle forwards like Simon Gagne and Tony Amonte - who each scored - they won't last long.
Flyers vs. Maple Leafs: Series Preview
Stanley Cup 2004: Second Round Schedule and Results at a Glance
