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Flyers aren’t panicking despite 0-2 deficit

Philadelphia Flyers v Chicago Blackhawks - Stanley Cup

of the Chicago Blackhawks of the Philadelphia Flyers in Game One of the 2010 NHL Stanley Cup Final at the United Center on May 29, 2010 in Chicago, Illinois.

Jonathan Daniel

Despite being in a 0-2 hole in the Stanley Cup finals, the Philadelphia Flyers claim that they aren’t panicking just yet. Here’s what Danny Briere said about the team’s situation and their impressive - yet ineffective - third period.

“At this point, we’re still confident; there are two teams standing,” Briere said. “We have to be confident, we have to believe in ourselves. We’ve never quite before and we’re not going to quit now. We’re certainly not leaving Chicago feeling like we can’t win.

“Both games, I think a bounce here or a bounce there going our way and this series could be tied 1-1. But we are down 2-0 and we can’t change that. We can’t look back any more. Just like the Boston series, we have to find a way to move forward and create our own bounces now.”

The odds are against them as teams winning the first two home games in a Cup series have won 31 of 33 series. On top of that, the Flyers own a 3-12 series record when they trail 2-0.

Even though history is against Philadelphia in many ways, there are some positive things to look at. For one thing, the team has been the best homer squad in the playoffs, going 7-1 in the City of Brotherly Love. They’ve also managed to defy the numbers already, becoming the third NHL team to come back from a 0-3 series deficit when they beat the Boston Bruins in the second round.

The story discusses the two NHL teams who failed to make good on a 2-0 series lead in the Cup finals. Interestingly enough, the Blackhawks are one of those franchises as they coughed up the ’71 finals.

The Blackhawks won the opening two games at home during the 1971 Cup Final, but wound up losing to the Montreal Canadiens in seven games. Last year, the Detroit Red Wings won the first two games at Joe Louis Arena before dropping a seven-game series to the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Flyers hope to add their name to this short list of successful comebacks.

If any team could pull off this upset, it would be those pesky Flyers. Still, the Blackhawks are - by far - the best team they’ve played against during this year’s playoffs. Every game is going to be an adventure. Then again, the Flyers aren’t getting blown out and have shown that they can skate with Chicago. Now they just need to win.