MINI-PREVIEW 9 AM EST
After a four-night break in the schedule, the Flyers (35-13-5) are back in action tonight at the Wells Fargo Center to take on the Carolina Hurricanes (26-21-7). This is the third of four meetings between the teams this season. The Flyers have dominated Peter Laviolette's former team in recent seasons and have won both previous meetings this season, including an 8-1 rout in Carolina on Nov. 11.
If the regular season ended today, the Canes would be the Flyers' opponent in the first round of the playoffs. Carolina is just 4-5-1 over its last 10 games and is coming off a 3-2 overtime loss to the Devils in the first game of a five-game road trip. However, the Hurricanes have moved up from the ninth to eighth spot in the East because the Atlanta Thrashers have been in a free fall.
Tonight, the Flyers will look to break their pattern of struggling in the first game back after a lengthy break. On Saturday night, Philly cranked out a workmanlike effort in defeating Dallas, 3-1, and got goals from Andrej Meszaros, Darroll Powe (shorthanded) and Jeff Carter. Brian Boucher made 30 saves and looked razor sharp overall.
Philly enters the game with an intact lineup. The Canes will be without ex-Flyers defenseman Joni Pitkanen (leg) and winger Jussi Jokinen (lower-body injury).
PROJECTED LINEUPS
FLYERS
JVR - Richards - Nodl
Hartnell - Briere - Leino
Zherdev - Giroux - Carter
Carcillo - Betts - Powe
Pronger - Carle
Coburn - Timonen
Meszaros - O'Donnell
Boucher/Bobrovsky
HURRICANES
Samsonov - Staal - Cole
Skinner - Ruutu - LaRose
Boychuk - Sutter - Dwyner
Tlusty - Carter - Bodie
Gleason - Corvo
McBain - Carson
Harrison - White
Ward
[Peters]
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One of the most memorable playoff runs turned in by any Flyers player of the last two decades was the performance of a rookie Brian Boucher in the 2000 playoffs. After getting the nod over veteran John Vanbiesbrouck by interim coach Craig Ramsay, Boucher backstopped the Flyers to the brink of the Stanley Cup Final.
Although the Flyers ultimately were unable to beat the New Jersey Devils in the Eastern Conference Final after building a three games to one lead in the series, goaltending was not Philly's problem. Even in defeat, Boucher played very well.
The 1999-2000 season was quite possibly the most tumultuous one in club history, coinciding with Eric Lindros' ever-worsening concussion issues and full-fledged fallout with the organization, the removal of Lindros as captain in favor of Eric Desjardins (complete with a pregame video of a C being stitched on the defenseman's uniform) and the cancer diagnosis that forced Roger Neilson to step out from behind the bench late in the season.
Amidst this chaos and goaltending controversy heading into the postseason, Boucher helped lead the Flyers through a thrilling first-round playoff series against Buffalo (remember the John LeClair goal scored through the side of the net?), a comeback from a 2-0 series deficit and five-OT win against the Pittsburgh Penguins and a bizarre Conference Final against New Jersey. During the Devils series, Boucher made one of the most famous saves in recent NHL history, twisting like a Slinky spring and reaching back to to deny Patrik Elias.
Today on Philadelphiaflyers.com, I take a look at Boucher's run with recollections from the player himself and several of his former teammates. Click
here to link to the article.
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
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