Going for Three: Coburn, Kennedy and MT

For the Flyers, misery loves company.

It looks like they are going to have to do without Brandon Coburn in game 3 of the Eastern Confernece Finals against the Penguins tonight. He has been listed as "doubtful" by Flyers coach John Stevens because the swelling around his eye has not subsided. Basically, he can't see.

Of course, that makes him no different than almost every Flyer forward in this series except Mike Richards. But I digress.

Losing oburn on top of Timonen is another big blow for the Flyers defense. Rookie defenseman Ryan Parent is expected to play in Coburn's place tonight. He's a speedy, skilled defenseman. Maybe he'll help the Flyers transition game. That's one of the biggest reasons why so many of their forwards haven't had any impact on the scoreboard in this series. The Flyers defense simply can't get them the puck.

If the Flyers lose tonight, they're staring down a 3-0 series hole and an almost certain defeat, which basically makes tonight a must win game for them. I'd be surprised if we didn't see their best game of the series. The Penguins will have to raise their game to win.

Tyler Kennedy did that in game 2. Ask Flyer forward Scottie Upshall. That's the type of intensity that gets your team going. Ask George Laraque:

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08134/881354-61.stm

On a different note, Michael Therein deserves some credit for sticking with the Letang/Whitney pairing in this series. They've done well together, despite suspicions from many Penguin followers -- myself included -- that the weren't the best pairing. Therrein's logic for putting them together? It forces both to be committed defensively since that's not the main strength of either play. In other words, by not having them play with a defensive partner, they know they can't cheat in their own zone. It's hard to argue with the results. Again, Therrien pushes the right buttons.

As we get ready for game 3, tell me who you think has the best playoff beard among the Penguin players. Go above right for the poll.