Flyers will ride Giroux to Stanley Cup

The Philadelphia Flyers will win the Stanley Cup because forward Claude Giroux's MVP-caliber play will continue all the way through June, bringing the organization its first championship since 1975.

Giroux had his best offensive season in his 11th in the NHL, and shows no signs of slowing.
The Flyers captain is a proven playoff performer, averaging 0.98 points per game during the postseason (62 points in 63 games), up from 0.91 during the regular season. That's third among active players to skate in at least 60 playoff games, behind Pittsburgh Penguins forwards Sidney Crosby (1.11) and Evgeni Malkin (1.05).
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Giroux won't have to do it alone. The Flyers had five 20-goal scorers, including Sean Couturier, who had 31 goals second to Giroux's 34. Also reaching 20 goals were Travis Konecny (24), Wayne Simmonds (24) and Jakub Voracek (20).

Philadelphia's offense also comes from its defense, with Ivan Provorov (17 goals, 24 assists, 41 points) and Shayne Gostisbehere (13 goals, 52 assists, 65 points) each contributing.
The Flyers showed the resiliency a champion needs, coming from 29th in the NHL standings Dec. 4 to reach the playoffs.
To get into the playoffs in 2010, the Flyers needed a regular-season finale win against the New York Rangers. To clinch their playoff berth this season, they won against the Rangers in their final game.
That 2010 run ended with a loss to the Chicago Blackhawks in the Stanley Cup Final, with Giroux as a complementary piece. This time he's the star, one of the top players in the NHL, and this season he'll be the first player to lift the Stanley Cup.