Bruins Aim For Three-Game Series Lead on the Road in City of Brotherly Love

The Bruins are in Philadelphia Wednesday with a chance to take a 3-0 lead. Boston has come out on top of two one-goal games but both games could’ve gone either way and with the Flyers on home ice, they’re not going to fold and let the B’s take that three-game lead.

There was plenty of extracurricular activity in Game 2 at Boston's TD Garden, from biting to dives to threats. This will indeed carry over to Game 3, which promises to be another fierce Eastern Conference Semifinal affair.

WHEN AND WHERE

Bruins (2-0-0) vs. Flyers (0-2-0)
Game 3 Eastern Conference Semifinals
May 5, 7 p.m. (Versus)
Wachovia Center, Philadelphia, PA

HEAD TO HEAD

The Bruins lead the series 2-0 after a 3-2 win in Game 2.

The Bruins beat the Flyers 3-2 in overtime in the 2010 Winter Classic and were 2-1-1 against them this season. Philadelphia won 4-3 in a shootout at Wachovia Center on October 22 and 3-1 at TD Garden on December 14. The Bruins' other win over the Flyers was a 5-1 victory at Philadelphia on March 11.

The Bruins and Flyers are meeting in the playoffs for just the fifth time in their postseason histories, and the first time since 1978. Each team has won two of the previous four series, which all took place over a five-year span in the 1970s (1974, 1976, 1977, 1978).

GOALTENDING MATCHUP

Bruins
Tuukka Rask is 6-2 with a 2.32 GAA and .932 save percentage. He was 22-12-5 this season with a League-leading 1.97 goals-against average and .931 save percentage to go with five shutouts.

Tim Thomas has not played in the playoffs so far. He was 16-18-8 with a 2.55 GAA, .915 save percentage and five shutouts this season.

Flyers
Brian Boucher is 4-3 with a 2.21 GAA and .923 save percentage in the playoffs. Boucher was 9-18-3 with a 2.76 GAA and .899 save percentage. He had one shutout.

Johan Backlund has not played in the playoffs. He was 0-1-0 with a 3.00 GAA and .917 save percentage this season.

PROJECTED LINEUPS

Bruins
Forwards
Daniel Paille–Patrice Bergeron–Mark Recchi
Milan Lucic–David Krejci–Miroslav Satan
Vladimir Sobotka–Marc Savard–Michael Ryder
Blake Wheeler–Steve Begin–Shawn Thornton

Defensemen
Zdeno Chara-Johnny Boychuk
Matt Hunwick–Dennis Wideman
Andrew Ference–Adam McQuaid

Goaltenders
Tuukka Rask
Tim Thomas

Flyers
Forwards
Dan Carcillo–Mike Richards–Claude Giroux
Scott Hartnell–Danny Briere–Ville Leino
James van Riemsdyk–Jared Ross–Arron Asham
Andreas Nodl–Blair Betts–Darroll Powe

Defenseman
Matt Carle–Chris Pronger
Kimmo Timonen–Braydon Coburn
Ryan Parent–Lukas Krajieck

Goaltenders
Brian Boucher
Johan Backlund

STAT SHEET

Bruins

• Miroslav Satan has a five-game point streak going with a goal and an assist in each of his last three games and eight points during the streak.
• Dennis Wideman has four assists in his last two games and has registered an assist in each of his last four games with six helpers.
• Patrice Bergeron had an assist in Game 2 and has a three-game point streak with four points during that span.

Flyers

• Mike Richards has a three-game point streak going with six points during that span and 12 points in the postseason.
• Danny Briere had a goal and an assist in Game 2 and that was the third straight game he has done so. He has a four-game point streak going with nine points during that span.
• Chris Pronger had an assist in Game 2 and now has three points in two games and eight points in the playoffs.

BLACK AND BLUE

Bruins

• Mark Stuart has been skating the last five days and is close to returning from two surgeries for cellulitis on his arm. He is out for Wednesday but questionable for Game 4.
• Dennis Seidenberg had surgery for a lacerated flexor carpi radialis tendon in his left forearm and is out for 3-4 more weeks.
• Marco Sturm suffered a torn ACL and MCL in his right knee 21 seconds into Game 1 and will miss the remainder of the playoffs.

Flyers

• Simon Gagne remains out indefinitely after foot surgery.
• Jeff Carter is out indefinitely after foot surgery.
• Mike Rathje is out for the season with hip and back injuries.
• Ian Laperriere is out for the playoffs with a brain contusion and concussion
• Ray Emery is out for the season after hip surgery.
• Michael Leighton is out for the season with a left ankle injury

OUTLOOK

The Flyers are going to throw everything but the kitchen sink at the Bruins but the B's plan to initiate their own attack. To do so, they will need to score the first goal for the fourth straight game. But this time the Bruins will try to hold onto that lead and build from it. That will be key on the road as they try to quiet what promises to be a raucous Wachovia Center crowd.