Nhl Playoff

Whether it's Mike Richards' wayward elbow to Pat Kaleta's coconut in Game 4 or Kris Versteeg and Tyler Ennis trading crosschecks at the end of Game 3, the Flyers and Sabres have shown a healthy dislike for each other. The Daily News compared the Flyers-Sabres with the other five series that had played four games heading into last night and saw the chippiness is just about the same across the board. Keeping in mind that credited hits vary depending among arena stat crews, here's what we found.

Here is a look at the NHL playoffs that begin on Tuesday. Eastern Conference No. 8 seed N.Y. Islanders vs. No. 1 Pittsburgh Pity the Islanders. They get into the playoffs for the first time since the Kennedy administration - OK, it's only been six years - and they have to face an explosive Penguins team that outscored them, 16-5, in their last four meetings. The Penguins will use last year's first-round embarrassment to the Flyers as incentive. Pick: Penguins in five.

Flyers vs. Pittsburgh Penguins   Ed Moran: Flyers in 7 Rich Hofmann: Flyers in 7 Sam Donnellon: Pittsburgh in 6 Ed Barkowitz: Pittsburgh in 6   Boston Bruins vs. Montreal Canadiens   Ed Moran: Boston in 5 Rich Hofmann: Boston in 5 Sam Donnellon: Boston in 6 Ed Barkowitz: Boston in 7   Washington Capitals vs. New York Rangers   Ed Moran: Washington in 6 Rich Hofmann:...

THE RESULTS from our primary convinced me that the Flyers should've dropped out of the playoffs. After all, they were ahead three games to one and lost twice in a row. They should have known enough to throw in the towel right then. They won the final game, but come on - it was on a power play. That doesn't count. The Caps won more games in the regular season anyway. For the sake of unity, the Flyers should've withdrawn and let the Capitals move on. Sharon Ward Philadelphia VIRTUALLY unnoticed by the media was Bill Clinton's cryptic early campaign remark that a Clinton-McCain matchup would be quite civil, the most civil in the history of electoral politics.

On the eve of the Stanley Cup playoffs, George McPhee, the Washington Capitals general manager, pondered the tortured relationship between the Caps and their fans, whose hearts have been broken more often than captain Dale Hunter's nose. Although a rookie GM, McPhee knew why fans were reluctant to fill the spanking new MCI Center in downtown Washington, and why the Capitals were overshadowed in popularity by the Redskins and the bumbling Wizards. "You have to win in this business, and this team hasn't won anything," said McPhee, 39. The Caps still haven't won anything, but the stunning series of first-round upsets in the Eastern Conference have left them with a clearer path to the Cup finals than at any other time in the 24-year history of the franchise.

Mike Finocchiaro has a job that many hockey fans would commit a high- sticking penalty to get. Finocchiaro is the coordinating producer for SportsChannel America's NHL telecasts. The Archbishop Carroll High and Villanova graduate sees hockey pucks in his dreams, but he isn't complaining. During the Stanley Cup playoffs, Finocchiaro has kept killer hours. He was on duty in SportsChannel's control center, in Floral Park, N.Y., until the West Coast games ended. "We got all 16 overtimes on live," Finocchiaro said proudly before heading to Pittsburgh for the start of the Stanley Cup finals (Game 2 is tonight at 7:30)

This has been a season of firsts for Claude Giroux. He made an NHL team, scored his first goal, is recognized as one of the up-and-coming rookies in the game and now he is looking forward to his first NHL playoff series. "I'm very excited," Giroux said. "I've been watching playoffs since I was a little kid. It was my favorite hobby. I wouldn't miss a game, even the late games on CBC. I would never miss them. It's just exciting hockey and I can't wait to get my first crack at it. " If Giroux's first playoff experience goes as well as his first NHL regular season, he should be more than just a kid in his first postseason.

TORONTO - Like the colorful flags that hang outside most major league ballparks to depict the day's standings, the Flyers have a whiteboard just feet from their dressing room at their Voorhees practice facility, a constant reminder of the sacrifice it takes to remain on top. For the NHL, it might as well be a Wheel of Fortune board. The colors - and teams - can move from top to bottom from night to night. Take, for instance, Los Angeles. Terry Murray's Kings entered last night's action in eighth place in the Western Conference.

Jim Diamond knows that good hockey players need good ice. But there is only so much he can do. All over the NHL, guys such as Diamond, who is paid to deliver smooth ice at the First Union Center, are always hearing the same complaints from players and broadcasters and fans. The ice is chippy. Soft. Rough. Bumpy. In short, "The Coolest Game On Ice" is getting plenty of heat about its surfaces, particularly with the evolution of the bigger, multipurpose venues. "There has always been lots of bad ice surfaces around," said Craig Ramsay, the Flyers' interim head coach.