The Eastern Conference Finals matchup was determined over the weekend and NBH athletes had a big say in who advanced.

The Flyers were once again led by Mike Richards and R.J Umberger during their series clinching 6-4 victory against the Canadians on Saturday night. Umberger scored two more goals and picked up an assist, while Richards picked up a goal and an assist.

Umberger finished the five game series with an incredible eight goals, and has nine total for the playoffs. Both of Umberger's goals brought Philly back into the game by tying the score each time. After the game, Umberger reflected on his hot streak. "Well, maybe someday I'll tell my grandkids or something like that, that would be fun," Umberger said. "I'm just going to take a moment, enjoy it but stay focused. There's plenty of time after it's over to celebrate it and enjoy it, but right now we have one thing on our minds."

Trailing 3-1 in the second period, Richards helped lead the comeback. He first scored his fourth goal of the playoffs to cut the lead to one, and then set up Umberger's goal to tie the game at three. The Flyers will be going to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2004 when they lost to the Lightning in a tough seven game series.

Meanwhile, across the state, Evgeni Malkin and the Pittsbugh Penguins were punching their ticket to the Eastern Conference Finals by defeating the New York Rangers 3-2 in overtime to win their series in five games. This will be the first all-Pennsylvania conference final.

Malkin scored on an impressive backhanded shot that went top shelf to give the Penguins a 2-0. It was Malkin's sixth goal of the playoffs to go along with his eight assists.

The two teams are certainly a story of bouncing back, as the Penguins finished with the worst record in the league two years ago, while the Flyers were an NHL worst just last season. It is certainly telling of the clubs young talent and determination to turn things around. During their eight regular season matchups, Philly was able to come away with five wins.

The series will kick off on Friday night in Pittsburgh, but you've got to wonder how much of a home ice advantage they will actually have.

Posted By: Luke Ventura