Article first published as The Bruins are Up 3-0 on the Flyers: Is This a Good Thing or a Bad Thing? on Technorati.
I know, I know, I know. It's deja vu all over again. But guess what? It really isn't. Beantown hearts were achingly broken when the Flyers came back from this identical situation a year ago, but I'm here to put the collective racing pulse of B's fans to rest. It's a new world, people. And it's a completely different team. Names like Peverley, Horton, Marchand, Kaberle and Horton were nowhere to be seen on the backs of Bruins sweaters last year and the new blood has provided an enormous, positive infusion. But the biggest and most significant difference is between the pipes. This year, Boston is riding a healthy Tim Thomas in goal for the playoff run and he's responded like the Vezina Trophy candidate that he is. This 37-year-old veteran is finally healthy this year and is the biggest reason why the Bruins find themselves sitting in the catbird seat right now. Thomas single-handedly stole game two of the series and his acrobatic stops in Wednesday night's game provided the impetus for a decisive victory. Hot goalies can and do win series.
Add to that the B's first power play goal of the postseason (after an anemic and fruitless run of historic proportions), a stronger effort by a lately-questionable Milan Lucic and a goaltending problem for Philly, and what you have is the exact opposite of deja vu. Things have changed, and they've changed in favor of the Bruins. Relax "O ye of little fatih." It says here the Conference Finals await. I guarantee it. I think.
