Team Page | Roster | Stats
Regular Season Record: 47-27-8, 102 pts
Head-to-Head Record: 3-5
Last Stanley Cup Win: 1992
Last Stanley Cup Final Appearance: 1992
Last Postseason Appearance: 2007
Players with Stanley Cup Rings: Petr Sykora, Gary Roberts, Darryl Sydor (2)

How they got here: The Penguins advanced to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time in seven years after winning their second-round series 4-1 over the Rangers. Pittsburgh's dynamic offence was just too much for the New York to handle. Evgeni Malkin led the way with four goals and three assists in the series. Marian Hossa had four goals and one assist while Sidney Crosby had six assists. The Penguins and their next round opponent, the Flyers, haven't met in the post-season since Philadelphia's six-game victory in a 2000 second-round series. The first round was a little easier for Pittsburgh as the Penguins drove the final nail in the struggling Ottawa Senators' coffin, breezing to a 4-0 series sweep.

2nd Round Series Pages: Penguins vs. Rangers
1st Round Series Pages: Penguins vs. Senators

What They Bring To The Table: The Penguins didn't have much time to develop chemistry after the trade deadline because of injuries to newly-acquired winger Marian Hossa and captain Sidney Crosby. But with so many weapons up front, including Evgeni Malkin, Ryan Malone and Petr Sykora, offence should not be a problem. Where their defensive game is concerned, the rest of the forward ranks feature good two-way players in Max Talbot, Jordan Staal and Pascal Dupuis. Veteran Georges Laraque will make opponents think twice about taking liberties with Sid and Malkin, and Gary Roberts - if healthy - provides a stable veteran presence. The question marks going into the postseason are defence and goaltending. Toughness on the blueline has been an issue, and GM Ray Shero thinks Hal Gill will fit that need - he did well against the Senators. Marc-Andre Fleury and Ty Conklin lack playoff experience, but both netminders held up well down the final stretch of the regular season. Fleury was solid in round one but needs to continue at that level to prove his worth as a former top pick.

Team Page | Roster | Stats
Regular Season Record: 42-29-11, 95 pts
Head-to-Head Record: 5-3
Last Stanley Cup Win: 1975
Last Stanley Cup Final Appearance: 1997
Last Postseason Appearance: 2006
Players with Stanley Cup Rings: Jim Dowd, Mike Knuble, Derian Hatcher

How they got here: The Flyers ended the Canadiens' season in a convincing 4-1 fashion, advancing to the NHL Eastern Conference final for the first time since 2004. They defeated the Washington Capitals in a dazzling seven game series in the first round that required overtime in the final game to decide the outcome. Forward R.J. Umberger's stellar series against Montreal is a huge reason why the Flyers have a few extra days of rest before the series with the Penguins, ending the series with eight goals.

2nd Round Series Pages: Flyers vs. Canadiens
1st Round Series Pages: Flyers vs. Capitals

What They Bring To The Table: The Flyers bring a sound blend of skill and character into the playoffs. Daniel Briere took a step back in productivity this season, but still has all the tools to elevate his play in the postseason, which he did in round one. The team also missed having Simon Gagne up front, but forwards Mike Richards, Jeff Carter, Mike Knuble, Joffrey Lupul and Scott Hartnell made up for it with strong forechecking and 20+ goal seasons. The Flyers also excelled on special teams with the second-best power play and a penalty-killing unit ranked in the top half of the league. The blueline struggled for stretches during the year, which could spell trouble for Martin Biron. The 30-year old veteran netminder will finally get his first taste of postseason play as a starter. He has built up solid regular season numbers, and the pressure's on him step up his performance in the second season. The Flyers also earned a reputation for some dirty play this season and had to deal with several suspensions.

Statistical keys to the series

- Philadelphia ranks second in the playoffs with 3.52 goals per game. Pittsburgh ranks third in the playoffs with 3.44 goals per game.

- Pittsburgh ranks first in the playoffs with 1.89 goals against per game. Philadelphia ranks tenth with 2.83 goals against per game.

- Philadelphia ranks third in the playoffs with a 24.0% power play success rate. Pittsburgh ranks ranks fourth at 24.0%

- Pittsburgh ranks second in the playoffs with an 89.5% penalty killing success rate. Philadelphia ranks 12th at 77.2%.

- Pittsburgh ranks second in the playoffs with 33.9 shots on goal per game. Philadelphia ranks sixth with 31.3 shots on goal per game.

- Pittsburgh ranks fifth in the playoffs with 28.6 shots on goal against per game. Philadelphia ranks 12th with 32.9 shots on goal against per game.

- Philadelphia's R.J. Umberger and Daniel Briere rank second and third in the playoffs with nine and eight goals, respectively.

- Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby leads the playoffs with 12 assists. Philadelphia's Vaclav Prospal is tied for fourth with nine assists.

- Philadelphia's Daniel Briere and Pittsburgh's Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby are tied for second in the playoffs with 14 points.

- Philadelphia's Randy Jones ranks third and Pittsburgh's Rob Scuderi ranks fourth in the playoffs at plus-8 and plus-7, respectively.

- Pittsburgh's Brooks Orpik ranks fifth in the playoffs with 44 hits.

- Philadelphia's Jason Smith and Kimmo Timonen rank third and fourth in the playoffs with 37 and 34 blocked shots, respectively.

- Philadelphia's Braydon Coburn ranks fifth in the playoffs with 17 giveaways.

- Philadelphia's Mike Richards is tied for third in the playoffs with 13 giveaways.

- Philadelphia's Vaclav Prospal is second in the playoffs (min. 50 face-offs) with a 61.8% faceoff winning percentage.

- Pittsburgh's leaders in playoff power play ice time (per game):
Evgeni Malkin 6:33
Sergei Gonchar 6:32
Sidney Crosby 5:53
Marian Hossa 5:01
Ryan Malone 4:26
Petr Sykora 3:41

- Philadelphia's leaders in playoff power play ice time (per game):
Kimmo Timonen 4:47
Daniel Briere 4:41
Vaclav Prospal 4:21
Mike Richards 4:14
Mike Knuble 3:33
Braydon Coburn 2:40

- Pittsburgh's leaders in playoff penalty killing ice time (per game):
Rob Scuderi 3:44
Hal Gill 3:34
Sergei Gonchar 3:12
Jordan Staal 3:08
Brooks Orpik 3:00
Max Talbot 2:33

- Philadelphia's leaders in playoff penalty killing ice time (per game):
Kimmo Timonen 3:32
Jaroslav Modry 3:10
Mike Richards 3:00
Derian Hatcher 2:51
Jeff Carter 2:45
Sami Kapanen 2:37