NEW JERSEY VS. TORONTO BUFFALO VS. PITTSBURGH COLORADO VS. LOS ANGELES DALLAS VS. ST. LOUIS

Thursday, April 26 The year of the rats Joy Russo ESPN.com It was that kind of bizarre postseason for the Florida Panthers. Scott Mellanby kills a rat found in the locker room and South Florida turns it into the newest post-goal-projectile since octopi in Detroit. Panthers 4, Flyers 2 Date Result Goalie 5/2 Panthers 2, Flyers 0 Vanbiesbrouck 5/4 Flyers 3, Panthers 2 Hextall 5/7 Flyers 3, Panthers 1 Hextall 5/9 Panthers 4, Flyers 3 Vanbiesbrouck 5/12 Panthers 2, Flyers 1 Vanbiesbrouck 5/14 Panthers 4, Flyers 1 Vanbiesbrouck If the Panthers were happy to make their first postseason appearance in only their third season in the NHL, they were thrilled to beat the Bruins in the first round. But Florida's next opponent would be more formidable – Eric Lindros and the Philadelphia Flyers. With players like Lindros, John LeClair, Joel Otto and Mikael Renberg, the Flyers had a bigger, more physical team than the Bruins, and they could score as well. But the Panthers' in-your-face style seemed to compliment the brawn. Florida's 2-0 win to open the best-of-seven series in Philadelphia showed just how stingy its defense could be behind its solid forechecking and John Vanbiesbrouck's 18 saves. Lindros didn't register a shot on goal. In Game 2, the Flyers' top line got back into form as Lindros, LeClair and linemate Dale Hawerchuk combined for two goals and five assists in a 3-2 win to even the series. The Flyers handed Florida its first home playoff loss in Game 3, thanks in large part to Brian Skrudland's high stick to Rod Brind'Amour's face that resulted in two power-play goals for Philly. But the series wasn't over for the Panthers, not by the long-shot status they were fighting. The turnaround? One game can shift momentum in a playoff series. For Florida, it was Game 4. The Panthers were outshot 46-32, they gave up two leads in the game and Renberg (two goals) found his scoring touch. But Dave Lowry's redirection gave Florida a 4-3 overtime victory to tie the series at 2. The emotion from that victory in front of the hometown crowd traveled with the Panthers into Philly, where they continued to wear down the Flyers with their forecheck and take advantage of opportunities. Mike Hough – not the likeliest scoring source – netted the winner at 8:05 of the second overtime to give Florida a 3-2 edge. After that game, Lindros would make a daring prediction – "We're coming back here (Philly) and we're going to win." All the captain saw was a shower of rats after a 4-1 win clinched a conference final date with Pittsburgh after six games. The MVP Simply Beezer. John Vanbiesbrouck became a sports hero in South Florida after the 1996 playoffs. He kept his team in the series, and even held the Flyers scoreless over a 116:46 stretch from Game 5 until LeClair scored in the third period of Game 6. By then, the series was all but over. Beezer helped Florida become just the second franchise since the 1970 expansion to reach a conference final. The Panthers surpassed that achievement by the 1981-82 Quebec Nordiques by ousting the Penguins to reach the Stanley Cup finals. But the Panthers' upset of the Flyers made Pittsburgh pay a little more attention in the rat race. Joy Russo is a staff editor for ESPN.com Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories