Devils at Flyers
THE STORY: The Philadelphia Flyers used a relentless offensive barrage to get past their Keystone State rivals from Pittsburgh and advance to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Their next assignment: solve the winningest netminder in NHL history. The Flyers look to reach the Eastern Conference final for the third time in five seasons as they open their best-of-seven series against Martin Brodeur and the New Jersey Devils. Brodeur was sensational in leading the Devils past plucky Florida.
TV: 3 p.m. ET, NBC, CBC
ABOUT THE DEVILS (48-28-6): After missing the playoffs a season ago, New Jersey didn't mind needing seven games - and more than 23 minutes of extra time in the deciding contest - to advance to round two. Adam Henrique's double-overtime winner Thursday night helped the Devils fend off the pesky Florida Panthers and set up a conference semifinal matchup with the division-rival Flyers. Brodeur was sensational in the clincher, turning aside 43 shots for his 103rd career postseason victory. Travis Zajac (three goals, three assists) and Ilya Kovalchuk (three goals, two assists) led the way offensively against the Panthers.
ABOUT THE FLYERS (47-26-9): Philadelphia found itself with plenty of time to decompress following an emotionally charged series against the Penguins. Head coach Peter Laviolette said the Flyers were "doing the best we can do ... and we're doing it the best we can. When the puck drops, our guys will be excited to play." A handful of players, including veteran forward Jaromir Jagr, were given a little extra rest time while the rest of the club returned to practice Tuesday following a well-deserved day of relaxation. Injured defensemen Andrej Meszaros and Nicklas Grossmann should be able to return against the Devils.
OVERTIME:
1. The teams split six regular-season meetings, with the road team prevailing four times.
2. Flyers F Claude Giroux was far and away the best player in the opening round of the playoffs, scoring six goals and adding eight assists in six games.
3. Brodeur is 45-30-6 with a 2.47 goals-against average, a .905 save percentage and nine shutouts in 85 career games against Philadelphia.