NHL Playoff Preview - Montreal Canadiens Vs Philadelphia Flyers

After an electrifying first round that saw three different series go the distance, all the match-ups are now set and now we are down to eight. The second round of the NHL playoffs start tonight.

The Montreal Canadiens are the NHL's most storied franchise. They've hoisted 24 Stanley Cups during their existence (one of these in 1916 before the NHL even existed), and until the 80s they were the most dominant team in hockey. Recently, however, they've fallen on hard times. Their last cup win came 15 years ago, and the team that used to annually challenge for the cup now struggles most years just to make the playoffs.

This year was not supposed to be the year the Habs turned things around, with most experts predicting the team to either miss the playoffs, or just to sneak in and quickly get eliminated. Bob Gainey, Guy Carbonneau, and each of the players thumbed their noses at those so-called experts, putting everything together to finish atop the Eastern Conference standings for the first time in two decades.

The Habs were brimming with confidence going into the playoffs, but the wind was taken out of their sails after being outplayed most of the series by a determined Bruins team that forced them to seven games. Having come up with a dominant effort in game seven that confidence is still there, but is now tempered with caution and a healthy dose of respect for their opponents. Their first round scare was a valuable lesson for this young Montreal team, and it will serve them well to remember it if they want to advance deep into the playoffs.

The Philadelphia Flyers haven't been around as long as the Canadiens, but since joining the league in the NHL's first expansion in 1967 this team has had more than its share of glory. The Flyers won a pair of Stanley Cups in the 1970s, finding success early in their existence. The Broad Street Bullies terrorized opposing teams for years with a punishing physical style that left their opponents bloodied, bruised and dreading their next visit to the Spectrum.