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Flyers force a Game 7 with 2-1 win

Trent Whitfield, Michael Leighton

Philadelphia Flyers goalie Michael Leighton stops Boston Bruins center Trent Whitfield’s one-on rush in the first period of Game 6 of a second-round NHL playoff hockey series Wednesday, May 12, 2010, in Philadelphia.(AP Photo/Tom Mihalek)

AP

After playing a mostly heartless Game 5, the Boston Bruins had yet another chance to right the ship and finish off the now reinvigorated Philadelphia Flyers in Game 6 in Philadelphia. What they’d do, instead, was be met by a fresh and very game Flyers goaltender in Michael Leighton. Leighton shut down the Bruins and lead the way for a Flyers 2-1 victory to force a Game 7 on Friday night.

Mike Richards got Philly on the board in the first and Daniel Briere scored on the power play in the second to give the Flyers a lead they would not relinquish on the back of incredibly play by Michael Leighton. Leighton made 30 saves and lost his shutout bid with a minute to play in the game thanks to an extra-attacker goal by Milan Lucic. Boston would continue to threaten late but was unable to tie the game. Tuukka Rask made 25 saves in the loss.

For Boston, it marks a major failure to close out a series and now they’re faced with an “anything goes” kind of situation in Game 7. Only two teams in the NHL have ever come back after being down 3-0 in a series to win it: The 1975 New York Islanders in the quarterfinals against Pittsburgh and the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs against the Detroit Red Wings in the Stanley Cup Finals.

Boston fans know all too well about the last team to come back from an 0-3 hole to win, the 2004 Red Sox did it in the American League Championship Series. If you’re looking for your potential cruel twists of fate, I don’t imagine you’ll have to look any further than that.