Philly should have ...

Three NHL conference semi-final series saw the first three contests won by the same team, with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Dallas Stars, and Detroit Red Wings all going up 3-0 in their respective series.

Of course, the Red Wings polished off the Colorado Avalanche with ease to complete the sweep, while the Penguins and Stars both lost their fourth games and have to win one more to advance.

What about the Montreal-Philadelphia series?

The Flyers are up three games to one after winning three in a row following their Game One collapse.

Yes, the Habs have dominated the series, and with a few breaks could actually be up 3-1 instead.

In fact, there are some in the media who think the Habs have a chance to make a comeback, based on their strong play thus far.

However, my contention is that this series might well have been over already.

All four series should have been 3-0 after three games.

Don't forget, the Flyers jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in Game One, saw the Canadiens rally to tie it, before going back up early in the third thanks to Joffrey Lupul.

But a questionable penalty call late in regulation put the Habs on the power play, and the NHL's best PP team capitalized. Alexei Kovalev tied it with 28.6 ticks remaning, and Montreal went on to win in overtime.

If not for that collapse by Philadelphia, the series might well have ended in a sweep for the Flyers, as they've been riding the hot play of Martin Biron the entire series.

Also, the Flyers have gone up 2-0 in every single game thus far, forcing the Habs to have to play catchup in every game.

Of course, in the third game the Habs totally outplayed the Flyers and outshot them 34-14, including a 17-2 edge in the final 20 minutes, had a long power play thanks to Derian Hatcher's ejection, and still lost.

Still, give the Flyers a lot of credit. They've been able to win three games already, although it should have already been over.

We'll see what they can do when the series resumes Saturday at the Bell Centre.