Cool-as-cucumber Flyers feel no pressure
PHILADELPHIA - The Flyers are 8-0 after Game 4 this postseason.
They've just recovered from a 2-0 deficit to tie the Stanley Cup Finals at 2-2.
And they've guaranteed themselves another home game.
But both teams are facing a Game 5 in Chicago, and for most of the players it will be the most important hockey game they've ever played.
"A lot of guys in this room have played in big games before," said Danny Briere. "Besides, every game we've played since after the Olympics was like an elimination game for us. Nothing new here.
"It's just another game like that in that sense. We're used to it. It's a great advantage for us and it's why we never feel out of series."
While the Flyers have gone from down 2-0 to tied, they don't believe anything's changed.
"I said when we left (Chicago) that I thought we could have won both games," said Philly coach Peter Laviolette. "They probably thought they could have won Game 3.
"It's going back and forth quick both ways. Guys are really competing out there. But nothing changed for us. Our game hasn't changed. Just the score changed."
One does get a feeling while being around the Flyers that they're toying with the opposition, that they know something no one else does about how this is going to turn out.
"We're in a position where it's almost like we're on borrowed time," Laviolette said. "At Christmas we were 29th in the league. It comes down to the last game of the season (to make the playoffs in a shootout).
"We are just a resilient group. We keep pushing. The pressure, I think, is more for teams that are expected to win, as the Blackhawks are, and everybody picked them before the series.
"There's obviously pressure, but I don't know if we feel the pressure as much. We're keeping it light and trying to have a whole bunch of fun."
Pressure? Not on the Philadelphia side. They say that all belongs to the Hawks.
"Whatever happens, it's not going to bother us and we'll be ready to play the next game," said the Flyers' Ville Leino. "That's been our approach for many months now and it's worked very good for us."
Nothing before this was to win the big prize, and now the team that wins Game 5 is going to be in a pretty sweet spot.
"You have to approach it like it's just another hockey game," Briere said. "You have a routine and you stick to your routine, and if you're prepared mentally and physically then you have nothing to worry about."