Magical Moments: Top Flyers Playoff Performances vs. Montreal

For the first time in a decade, the Philadelphia Flyers will take on the Montreal Canadiens in a playoff series. This will be the seventh meeting between the teams in their franchise history. The Habs won the first two series, while the Flyers prevailed in three of the last four.

Here are the top performers and memorable moments, from a Flyers' standpoint, in each of the five previous playoff series.

1973 Stanley Cup Semifinals (Canadiens win in 5)

For the first time in the Flyers' six-season existence at the time, the team advanced beyond the quarterfinals. After toppling the Minnesota North Stars in the quarterfinals, the underdog Flyers found themselves up against the powerhouse Canadiens in the semifinals.

Prime-Time Performers: Rick MacLeish and Simon Nolet

The series was a learning experience for the upstart Flyers, who would go on to win back-to-back Stanley Cups the next two seasons. In terms of this series specifically, the Flyers pulled off a 5-4 upset overtime win in Game One.

Rick MacLeish, who tallied 50 goals and 100 points during the regular season, scored at 2:56 of overtime to life Philly to a surprise victory. Meanwhile, two-way role player Simon Nolet scored twice in regulation as the Flyers took a 2-1 lead and later tied the game at 3-3 in the third period.

Gary Dornhoefer, who also scored in the Game 1 win tallied again midway through the first period of Game 2. Unfortunately for Philadelphia, the more experienced Canadiens pulled out a 4-3 overtime win after the Flyers led 2-0 and held a 3-2 lead midway through the third period.

The Flyers did not win again in the series. The next year, after the Flyers reacquired Hall of Fame goaltener Bernie Parent, Philly had the final piece in place to win the Stanley Cup.

1976 Stanley Cup Finals (Canadiens win in 4)

The Flyers' quest for three straight Stanley Cup championships came to an end in a hard-fought final series in which the Habs prevailed by a single goal in Games 1, 2, and 3. In Game 4, the score was tied at 3-3 with less than six minutes left in the third period before the Canadiens scored twice to win the game and the first of four straight Stanley Cups. Neither Parent nor MacLeish were available to the Flyers in the Cup Finals, due to injury.

Prime-Time Performer: Reggie Leach

Although the Flyers did not win the Stanley Cup, Leach won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP. His 19 goals in the 1976 postseason is still tied with Hockey Hall of Famer Jari Kurri (for the Edmonton Oilers in 1985) for the NHL record for most goals in a single playoff year. During the Cup Final against Montreal, Leach tallied four goals: one in Game 1, two in Game 3, and one in Game 4.

1987 Wales Conference Final (Flyers win in 6)

Tweet from @billmeltzer: Memorable @NHLFlyers vs. @CanadiensMTL playoff moments: Pre-game brawl before Game 6 of 1987 Wales Conference Finals. pic.twitter.com/mzxMEHuSHb

This war of a series is best remembered by many for the pregame brawl that took place at the end of warmups before Game 6 at the Forum. Subsequently, the Flyers went on to earn a 4-3 victory in the deciding game to advance to the Stanley Cup Final for the second time in three seasons.

Prime-Time Performers: Pelle Eklund, Rick Tocchet and Ron Hextall.

Eklund, best known as an elegant playmaker and fleet skater, much preferred passing the puck to shooting it. In this series, however, the diminutive Swedish forward was a goal-scoring force. Eklund racked up five goals and seven points over the course of the series, including a hat trick in the Flyers' 6-3 road win in Game 4.

The beginning of Tocchet's full emergence from a player known mostly for his toughness into a prototypical power forward took place in this playoff run (11 goals and 21 points in 26 games played). Tocchet compiled seven points in the Montreal series, including the series-winning tally that broke a 3-3 deadlock at 7:11 of the third period.

On his way to winning the Conn Smythe Trophy as well as the Vezina Trophy during his rookie season, Hextall outplayed Montreal counterpart Brian Hayward during the Wales Conference Final series. Most notably, the Flyers Hall of Fame was outstanding in a 36-save performance that earned him first-star honors in Game 3 at the Forum.

1989 Wales Conference Final (Canadiens win in 6)

The Flyers fell two wins short of their third trip to the Cup Final in a five-year span. This series is primarily remembered for Hextall's attack on Montreal defenseman Chris Chelios late in the third period of Game 6 at the Spectrum. The goalie's actions were done in retaliation for a controversial hit by Chelios on Flyers left winger Brian Propp earlier in the season, which left the five-time All-Star concussed.

Prime-Time performers: Dave Poulin and Derrick Smith

Poulin, the Flyers' captain and a former Selke Trophy winner, practically willed the series to get to Game 6 with a gutty performance in Game 5 that he capped off by scoring the game-winner (2-1) off a rebound at 5:02 of overtime.

Smith, an underrated role player on the Flyers' teams of the mid-to-late 1980s was never particularly noted for his goal-scoring but produced double-digit tallies in five of his seven seasons with the team. In this series, Smith's shorthanded goal in Game 1 and even-strength tally that broke a scoreless tie in the second period of Game 5 were pivotal to the Flyers' two wins in this series.

2008 Eastern Conference Semifinals (Flyers win in 5)

The Canadiens had a territorial advantage for most of the series -- prompting Montreal head coach Guy Carbonneau to vehemently insist no significant adjustments were needed -- but the Flyers were by far the more opportunistic team on the way to a five-game victory.

Prime-time Performers: R.J, Umberger and Martin Biron

Third-season NHLer Umberger was a one-man wrecking crew in this series. The winger/center torched the Habs for eight goals and nine points in the series. He tallied at least one in every game, including three separate two-goal games. Umberger saved the best for last as he racked up three points (2g, 1a) in the series clincher on the road in Game 5.

Biron outplayed both rookie Carey Price and young Canadiens goalie Jaroslav Halak over the course of the series. The French-Canadian netminder made 30-plus saves in every game of the series. Biron was chosen as the First Star of Games 2 and 4 and the Third Star of Game 3.

2010 Eastern Conference Finals (Flyers win in 5)

Tweet from @billmeltzer: Memorable @NHLFlyers vs. @CanadiensMTL playoff moments: @MRichie\_10's Game 5 shorthanded goal in 2010 Eastern Conference Final. pic.twitter.com/bj5UCOcV6G

On the heels of their historic comeback from a 3-0 series deficit to Boston (and a first-period 3-0 deficit in Game 7) in the Eastern Conference semifinals, the Flyers took out Montreal in five games in the Conference Final. Three of the Flyers' four wins were by margins of three or more goals.

Prime-time Performers: Mike Richards, Danny Briere, Michael Leighton

A two-time winner of the Bobby Clarke Trophy as Flyers' team MVP, team captain Richards had back-to-back 30-goal seasons in 2008-09 and 2009-10. He was outstanding in the Eastern Conference Final against Montreal on both sides of the puck. Most notably, Richards' iconic short-handed shift and eventual goal after sprawling over a gambling Halak and tucking the puck into a now-vacated net is one of the most famous Flyers' moments of the 2000s.

Briere was a machine throughout the 2010 playoffs, compiling an eye-popping 30 points (12 goals, 18 assists) in 23 playoff games. Along with linemates Scott Hartnell and Ville Leino, Briere was instrumental in giving the Flyers' an early jump in this series. Briere posted two goals and an assist as Philly earned 6-0 and 3-0 victories at home in Games 1 and 2.

The high point of Leighton's NHL career came in this series, as he recorded shutouts in Game 1 (28 saves), Game 2 (30 saves), and Game 4 (17 saves).