Flyers Continue to Open Eyes

When the NHL playoffs started, the Philadelphia Flyers gained attention for who they were missing. Now, they’re getting noticed for who they have.

Despite the turmoil surrounding concussion victim Eric Lindros and the exile of Coach Roger Neilson to the press box while he recovers from cancer treatment, the Flyers have reached the Eastern Conference finals, where they will face the New Jersey Devils starting Sunday. Both teams have different coaches than at the start the season: Craig Ramsay, one of Neilson’s assistants and disciples, has kept the Flyers focused and in peak form defensively, while former King coach Larry Robinson replaced the fired Robbie Ftorek and led the Devils past the second round for the first time since they won the Stanley Cup in 1995.

“It doesn’t matter who they have in the lineup,” said Devil center Bobby Holik, a defensive standout in the first two rounds. “Since Lindros’ concussion they have proved they can play without him and win without him. It’s almost like they’re even playing better because they’re not depending on him so much.”

In the West, the defending Stanley Cup champion Dallas Stars will face the Colorado Avalanche starting today in a rematch of last season’s conference finalists. The Stars rallied to win in seven games last spring, beginning a playoff home winning streak they’ve extended to eight. However, Colorado has lost only two of its last 18 games and is 22-4-1 since March 2.

“We got our rings and our trophy last year,” Star Coach Ken Hitchcock said. “Now we want the respect that goes with being a two-time champion.”

Said center Joe Nieuwendyk, the most valuable player in the Stars’ 1999 Cup run: “Not many teams can say they’ve won back-to-back Cups. I think it’s the biggest challenge for us right now. We’ve put together a pretty good hockey team here. We’d like to ride this thing as long as we can.”

Here’s a look at how the opponents match up: