from Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer,
Since they finished with 24 fewer points than best-in-the-NHL Washington in the regular season, conventional wisdom says the Flyers have no pressure in the opening-round playoff series.
The Flyers, who needed a late-season surge just to reach the playoffs, are playing with house money. All the pressure should be on the Capitals.
"It's easy from the outside to say that, but when you go into the playoffs, there is pressure because we want to win," said Ron Hextall, the Flyers' second-year general manager. "We're not satisfied. A lot of people were pretty excited when we made the playoffs . . . but we haven't won anything, so I think our team, going in, feels like we want to win the first round of the playoffs.
"There is pressure," Hextall added. "Not as much as the No. 1 seed, or Chicago, which won last year. Not that type, but we'll feel pressure. It's going to be a great experience - and we need to play the game the right way probably more than ever against a team like Washington."
Create an Account
In order to leave a comment, please create an account.