”Do you think your team will be a little bit intimidated by starting out in Philadelphia`s rink?”
The question was put to Edmonton general manager and coach Glen Sather on the eve of Tuesday`s opening game of the best-of-seven Stanley Cup finals.
”Are you kidding?” sneered Sather, who sneers almost as often as Wayne Gretzky scores. ”Do you know where we just came from?
”If you like nickels and cigarette lighters hitting you in the back of the neck and beer poured all over you, then where we came from (Chicago) is great.
”We survived that, so I`m sure we`ll be okay here. I`m sure fans in this building will be more controlled than they were in Chicago.”
No, the defending Stanley Cup champions don`t figure to be intimidated by the Philly hockey fanatics. But the freewheeling game the Oilers flaunted while eliminating the Black Hawks may be inhibited by the Flyers.
Except for Edmonton, no other team has the speed the Flyers do. Philadelphia, however, lacks the Oilers` explosive scoring ability, so it channels its speed and uses it as an integral part of its defense.
Forechecking nonstop, the Flyers held high-scoring Quebec to 15 shots in the 3-0 victory in the sixth game of that series, which advanced them to the finals. In the six semifinal games, Peter Stastny, the Nordiques` 100-point producer, was limited to six shots.
”It`s as if they don`t really need a checking line,” said Stastny.
”They forecheck you so well. The first forward comes in, followed by a second and a third. And sometimes even the defenseman moves up. Everybody covers.”
In stark contrast, Edmonton averaged 38 shots in its six-game semifinal series with Chicago. Gretzky took 10 shots in one game.
Although the Oilers are the defending champions and are finalists for the third straight year, a case can be made that Philadelphia should be the favorite.
Never mind that the Flyers have made early playoff exits since 1980, when they reached the finals with an almost completely different cast. They had the best regular-season record in the National Hockey League, and their conference is much stronger than Edmonton`s. The Oilers had the second-best defensive record in the Campbell Conference, but they would rank seventh in the Wales Conference.
Perhaps the most important statistic of all is the 7-0-1 record the Flyers have compiled against Sather`s team since November of 1982. This season`s scores were 7-5, 5-2 and 5-4.
In those games, the Flyers used zone coverage with modifications designed especially for Edmonton.
Rookie Philadelphia coach Mike Keenan is expected to ask Ron Sutter, who did so well against Stastny, to cover Gretzky. Rookie center Peter Zezel probably will shadow Mark Messier.
The most dangerous of several resourceful Flyer attackers is right wing Tim Kerr, who excels on the power play. He had 54 goals in the regular season, plus eight more during the first five games of the playoffs. But he reinjured ligaments in his right knee, causing him to miss the final five games against the Nordiques.
Kerr is returning, but won`t be at his best. Center Dave Poulin also came out of the semifinal series banged up (bruised ribs and a sore knee), while defenseman Brad McCrimmon is out for the series with a separated shoulder.
Against Quebec, Keenan relied on five defensemen, but he fears that tactic won`t work against Edmonton`s attack. The key to the series, Keenan believes, is containment, keeping the Oilers from controlling the puck.
”If we play at the level we did against the Nordiques, we have an opportunity to shut them down,” said Keenan.
