There are some people around the National Hockey League who think the-powers-that-be really, actually wanted to see a Canadian team win the Cup for the first time in 15 years.

But despite some pretty dicey calls during their second-round series, the Flyers did away with that dream in quick order.

Meanwhile, over in the Rangers-Penguins second-round series, anyone with functional eyes could see the NHL's brightest star, Sidney Crosby, flailing his arms and losing his footing at every choice opportunity to draw penalties. He often actually succeeded in fooling the most established of referees, and he wasn't the only Penguin to benefit from some dubious calls.

In the series-deciding game, Ryan Malone from the Pens clipped Chris Drury in the face and drew significant volumes of blood yet somehow no call was made and the game was lost by one goal. Conspiracy theorists start your engines, because this tomfoolery will not end when Philly and Pittsburgh square off starting this Thursday night.

Amazingly, the Flyers come into a series with their in-state rivals in a wonderful position. Unlike most years in Philly, nobody thought the Flyers could get to where they are, and they are certainly not done learning, growing and fighting as a team to realize their potential. Unlike past Flyers teams and most every year's Eagles teams — the Flyers are playing in a consequence-free environment much as a golfer always performs better in a "scramble" tournament, where each shot isn't so pressing.

"Why not win?" is this team's mantra. Blow a two-goal lead — "who cares?" — we've won like that before. Down a few goals? We have the firepower to fight back. Moreover, the Flyers have the mental advantage over Pittsburgh in that many on the team think that by benching Crosby for the last game of the regular season, Pittsburgh coach Michel Therrien was purposefully tanking to avoid playing the bruising Flyers (especially the angry Derian Hatcher, who is always looking for No. 87). Paul Holmgren says there is no way the Penguins tanked to avoid the Flyers to instead play the flailing Senators. Conspiracy theorists, back to your blogs.

The Flyers have to know that their early season suspensions and Broad Street Bullies reputation from over 30 years ago will likely follow them into this series. Crosby will dive until some referee makes a point of calling him for it and he stops. The Flyers' second-ranked power play from the regular season could make that meaningful point with a few pucks behind Fleury if so desired.

And with the dead and rotting carcasses of Washington and Montreal waiting for burial, the Flyers have every reason to believe they can beat (and beat up) a young and highly talented Pittsburgh team. Crosby is good, but they already know they could shut down Alexander Ovechkin.

At the same time, the Flyers must crank up their preparation to another level if they have plans on playing in the Finals against one of the powerhouse teams from the West. The idea of blowing a game like they did in Game 1 vs. Montreal isn't going to fly when you are eight playoff wins from hoisting the hardware. The Flyers need to adopt the idea of playing the game with high energy without gross stupidity (see: Derian Hatcher's hit on Francis Bouillon).

The refs will be looking for reasons to get Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Marian Hossa on the power play, and so ultimate discipline will be an absolute key to the series. If the Flyers can accomplish this, there is no reason the league shouldn't be calling PETA to report some animal abuse, because the Penguins can be beaten.

My first post on this site is about The Flyers vs the Penguins 2. Penguins vs. 6. Flyers Series Outlook: It's a battle for state supremacy, as the dynamic Pittsburgh Penguins take on the Philadelphia Flyers. Last season, the Penguins were quickly eliminated from the postseason, falling in five games in the first round to the Ottawa Senators. Meanwhile, the Flyers -- perennial contenders prior -- finished with the NHL's worst record and embarked on an aggressive rebuilding effort. So while the Pens have taken a natural step forward in their impressive construction of a Cup contender, the Flyers' meteoric rise back to prominence has been truly remarkable. Regardless of what happens in this series or the Cup Finals, Philadelphia GM Paul Holmgren should be a shoe-in to win Executive of the Year for his stellar work in the Flyers' front office. This will likely go down as the fastest -- and most effective -- rebuilding effort in professional sports history. Forwards Penguins: Evgeni Malkin was, in a word, magnificent against the New York Rangers in the quarterfinals. An absolute force on the power play, Malkin's laser like shot and ability to bull his way through the Rangers' defense made him the unequivocal difference-maker. If Malkin can continue to play dominating hockey --and if he gets the expected level of support from fellow wunderkind Sidney Crosby -- the Pens should have no trouble generating offense against the Flyers. Flyers: It was no secret that the Flyers were going to lean heavily on Daniel Briere in these playoffs, and he's certainly delivered (14 points in 12 games). But the key to the Flyers' success has been their depth of scoring, the contributions they've gotten throughout the lineup from their less-heralded forwards. Most notably, R.J. Umberger has seemingly come out of nowhere to score a team-leading nine goals in 12 games (to go along with a stellar plus-six rating). And with the likes of Vaclav Prospal, Mike Richards, Jeff Carter, Mike Knuble, and Scottie Upshall all chipping in with timely goals, the Flyers' offense is impressively deep. Advantage: Flyers Defense Penguins: It would be too easy to credit the Pens' second-round win over the Rangers to goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury. For while Fleury was quite solid between the pipes, it was Pittsburgh's diligent shot-blocking that was the biggest factor. And the biggest eye-opener of all is that Sergei Gonchar -- known for his entire career as an offensive defenseman -- is leading all Penguins players with 22 blocked shots in these playoffs. Brooks Orpik, Hal Gill, Rob Scuderi, Ryan Whitney and Kris Letang have all demonstrated an unerring willingness to also throw themselves in harm's way, and that, much more than the blue line corps' offensive skill, has been the key to the Pens' defensive success. Flyers: Like the Penguins, the Flyers boast a tough-as-nails blue line corps similarly willing to help the cause and dive in front of opponents' shots. From veterans Jason Smith, Kimmo Timonen and Derian Hatcher to youngsters Braydon Coburn, Lasse Kukkonen and Randy Jones, the Flyers' defense is solid from top to bottom. Perhaps the most interesting storyline in this series will be how the Flyers' rearguards match up against Crosby and Malkin, for if the Flyers are to win, they'll need to come up big in containing the Pens' superstar duo. Advantage: Even Goaltending Penguins: Though Fleury didn't need to outplay Henrik Lundqvist to advance to the Conference Finals, he was unquestionably solid between the pipes for the Penguins. He's posted a miserly .938 save percentage and 1.76 goals-against average through the first two rounds, losing only one game in nine tries. Fleury is lightning-fast at moving from post to post, and he'll definitely need to be at his best against the Flyers' fast and physical forwards. Flyers: Martin Biron has been excellent in these playoffs, helping the Flyers pull off upsets in the first two rounds. The Pens represent a deadly combination of the Flyers' first two foes, boasting two superstar forwards (Crosby and Malkin) as compared to the Capitals' one ( Alexander Ovechkin) and a tic-tac-toe power play at least as dangerous as the Canadiens'. Without question, the Flyers need for the gutsy Biron to steal a game or two; if he doesn't, this will be a short series in the Penguins' favor. Advantage: Even PREDICTION: Flyers in Seven