But this time, Timonen's role will be slightly more difficult, if there is anything more daunting than hanging stride-for-stride with the dangerous Russian, because the Canadiens are a far deeper team.
"I think they're a more balanced team throughout the lineup," Flyers center Daniel Briere said. "They don't have the superstar like Washington does in Alex Ovechkin, but they probably have more depth and more speed than Washington. On defense they have a lot of guys that can move the puck really well, where Washington was bigger and always trying to punish you.
"It's going to be a tough one. We know that. There's a reason why they finished first in the Eastern Conference."
Montreal's Mike Komisarek (6-4, 242 pounds) leads all defensemen in blocked shots during the playoffs (26), and in nasty quotes.
"You want to play with a mean streak," he said. "You want to play with an edge out there, but at the same time you want to be under control and tough to play against. You're looking for a happy medium. You have to be on the edge, trying to find out how far you can push it.
"It's not a glamorous thing. It's blocking shots, hitting guys, but it's something I enjoy doing.
"It's using this body for trying to get in the way, breaking up plays, blocking shots. Making guys on the other team pay the price and taking away the will to play and compete."
Up front, the Canadiens have scoring across three forward lines, in addition to a solid and offensive backend. Their most potent line will be centered by Saku Koivu.
Montreal coach Guy Carbonneau switched Koivu to a line with Alex Kovalev and Chris Higgins for their Game 7 shutout of the Boston Bruins in the first round, trying to get Kovalev going. The Montreal regular-season points leader was stalled and Carbonneau was looking for answers after being pushed to the brink.
