PHILADELPHIA, Pa - During the recent presidential election coverage, Pennsylvania came to be known as a “Battleground State.” Well, that moniker will never be truer than during the upcoming battle in the Eastern Conference Finals between the Philadelphia Flyers and the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The only thing missing between these two teams would be if they had it out in Gettysburg. OK, so the real battle was between the North and the South, but you know what they say, never let the facts get in the way of a good story.

Usually, hockey fans don’t get jacked up for a playoff series unless their team is involved or is in the Stanley Cup finals. But even if you are not a fan of ether team, here is my advice to you:

Sit down, relax, put the remote away, put your favorite beverage in one hand, grab a handful of munchies in the other, and watch what will no doubt be one of the most fun playoff series in recent years. And if you plan to watch the series in HD, do yourself a favor and get a towel, because the blood from someone’s jersey will come right through the screen.

Some might not think of these two teams as having that great a rivalry, but after this series, you will come away truly feeling the bitterness between these two teams. Oh, there have been some great rivalries that have hooked up in the playoffs over the years: Red Wings vs. Avalanche, Flames vs. Oilers, Rangers vs. Islanders, Maple Leafs vs. Canadiens, and Red Wings vs. Blackhawks. Heck, pit any two teams from the Original Six era and you are practically guaranteed a barn burner.

Well, the battle for the Eastern Conference crown is about to begin. Here is a look at why we think the Flyers will win the series over the Penguins in six games.

Flyers Have More Balance on Offense

The Flyers have virtually lived off of their power play for the most part this season, and the playoffs have been no different. Philadelphia finished the regular season second overall, and are third overall in the playoffs.

Daniel Briere has continued to lead the Flyers in offense with eight goals and six assists, and is only one point behind Jaromir Jagr for the league lead. Needless to say, that will change with Jagr and the Rangers getting the boot thanks to Pittsburgh. Still, Briere must still contend with Johan Franzen of Detroit and three other players who also have 14 points.

R.J. Umberger made a name for himself during the Montreal series and is having a Keith Primeau-esque playoff season with nine goals and two assists in 12 games. Umberger is in the same mold as Primeau, a rough, solid, physical player who was known more as a two-way player than as a prolific goal scorer. Umberger is also a native of Pittsburgh, and has practically owned the Pens during the regular season with six goals and five assists in eight games.

Vaclav Prospal, Jeff Carter, and Mike Richards have continued to play well in the playoffs, and Scottie Upshall has upped their games of late which will only bode well heading into the Penguins series. If the Flyers can continue to get balanced scoring as they have all season long when 7 players had 20 or more goals, it should be able to offset Pittsburgh’s own high flying attack.

The Flyers' Defense is At Its Best

The Flyers defense has been the Flyers Achilles Heal all season long, and have allowed way to many shots on goal. Despite winning the Montreal series, in most of the games the Flyers were out-shot. Jason Smith and Derian Hatcher however, have upped their games if only because they have been put on the penalty killing unit for the most part. The PK was very good in both playoff series so far and will need to be once again in order to keep Pitt off the scoreboard.

In order to do that however, the Flyers will need to stay out of the penalty box. Something they have yet to do in the playoffs. Still, this will be a long series so you can bet this will test the Flyers mettle on defense. Randy Jones and Braydon Coburn’s size must come into play in order for the Flyers to withstand the Pens offense. Lasse Kukkonen has played well blocking shots and has earned the right to stay in the lineup as the Flyers’ sixth defenseman.

All in, the Flyers’ defense, while they could still be better, is playing some of its best hockey. And if they can withstand the Penguins onslaught, they will be more than enough to win the series with this defense. They don’t have an offensive defenseman like the Penguins do with Sergei Gonchar, but Kimmo Timonen has been solid from the point on the power play.

Biron Gets the Edge in Goal

Despite the success that Marc-Andre Fleury has had so far in the playoffs, he has not faced the kind of offense that the Capitals and the Canadiens possess. The Rangers, despite all of their high priced talent, were for some reason offensively challenged all season long. And the Ottawa Senators went back to their old ways of underachieving, despite boasting tremendous talent as well.

The key to the Flyers’ success will of course have to continue to be Marty Biron. He must out duel Marc-Andre Fleury. He is playing the best hockey of his career, and was the Flyers’ best player in the Montreal series. If he can lead the Flyers to the cup, either he or Briere should be considered for the Conn Smythe award.

Biron is eighth in goals-against average at 2.72, and is sixth in save percentage at .914 percent. He has faced tougher opponents than Fleury, and is not going to be intimidated by Pittsburgh’s high-profile forwards. Still, it will be up to the Flyers collectively to reduce the amount of shots Biron is seeing in the playoffs. If they can do that, give the edge to Philly in the series.

Leadership

No offense to Sid the Kid, who has come a long way in a short period of time as a leader, but one major reason for the Flyers’ turnaround this season is the amount of leadership the Flyers added to the roster in the off-season. Last season, the Flyers lacked leadership. This year, they have an abundance of it. Mike Richards will eventually be the Flyers captain, Jason Smith currently is (and was for the Edmonton Oilers for a number of years before coming to Philly in the off-season). Hatcher was the last American-born captain to lead a team to a Stanley Cup title (with the Dallas Stars in 1999), and Timonen was the captain for the Nashville Predators last season.

One of the main reasons this team has overcome adversity during the season is due to the leadership. This team could have folded when they went into a couple of long slumps, but the core leadership group had not let the bad times become worse times for the team. If they Flyers are to win this series, they will need of it to win.

Well, there you have it sports fans. Three pretty good reasons why we think the Flyers will win this series in six games. Why not in seven you ask? Because to win a seventh game on the road in two different playoff series in the same season might be a bit too much for one team, but no matter how they Flyers win the series, it will be because of all of the reasons mentioned above.

So sit back, relax, and enjoy yourself. This is going to be one hell of a ride.

Contact the author at bjennings@insidehockey.com. Brian’s articles can also be found at prohockeynews.com.