Blowing out the candles

Flyers 3, Canadiens 0

Game 3, tomorrow, 7 p.m. (VS.) at Montreal

1. The birthday boy — Michael Leighton, in his first NHL postseason, looks like the second coming of Ken Dryden (circa 1971), when Montreal rode an unlikely backstop all the way to the Stanley Cup. The Flyers hope to do the same with Leighton, who has now stopped an unheard of 120-of-124 shots in his first five playoff games. His shutout streak stands at 165.50 minutes. Such success is not new to Leighton — the goalie stopped 98 shots in an AHL game and pitched a shutout in his first NHL game. By the way, Leighton turns 29 today.

2. Danny for MVP — Like cherry blossoms in April, springtime hockey and Danny Briere seem like a perfect match. In his career, Briere has averaged almost a point-per-game (77 games, 75 points). Considering that he quietly potted 26 goals in the regular season, Briere has been a force this postseason with nine goals and 18 points. His first-period goal was the third playoff game-winner this year and his seventh as a Flyer.

3. Keeping ‘em honest— Thank the Flyers’ special teams play for bailing them out a little bit. The Flyers have scored at least one goal in 12-of-14 playoff games, including a pair last night. Those stats make teams think twice about matching the Flyers’ physical style of play.