One way or another, one of the NHL's longest championship droughts is about to end. The Philadelphia Flyers, who haven't won since 1975, wrapped up the Eastern Conference title Monday night by beating Montreal in five games. They'll face the owners of the longest Stanley Cup drought -- the Chicago Blackhawks, who haven't won since 1961 -- in this season's Final.
Here are some of the key numbers as the teams prepare to drop the puck at the United Center Saturday night (8 p.m. ET, NBC, CBC, RDS):
0 -- Career games played against Philadelphia by Antti Niemi, who has started every game for Chicago in this year's playoffs. Niemi, a rookie, did not play against Philadelphia in this season's only meeting between the teams.
1 -- Previous playoff meetings between the Blackhawks and Flyers. They met in the 1971 Stanley Cup Quarterfinals, with the Blackhawks sweeping the Flyers in four games.
2 -- Regular-season games between the teams that have been decided in overtime -- both of which took place in a four-day span. Chicago won 5-4 at home in overtime on March 13, 1988, and 4-3 at Philadelphia on March 17. Those games were decided under the winner-take-all format; since the rules were changed to give overtime (and shootout) losers a point, the Hawks and Flyers have never even gone to overtime.
3 -- Shutouts by Flyers goaltender Michael Leighton in his seven playoff starts. Only Bernie Parent (6) has more career playoff shutouts as a Flyer. Parent also holds the team's one-year record with four in 1975.
3 -- Consecutive trips to the Final by Marian Hossa -- who's doing it with his third team. Hossa was on the losing side with Pittsburgh (against Detroit) in 2008, and with Detroit (against Pittsburgh) last year.
4 -- Meetings between the teams since play resumed after the 2004-05 work stoppage. The Flyers have won three of the four; overall, Philadelphia has won seven of the last eight.
5 -- Consecutive losing trips to the Final for both teams since their last Cup. After winning the Cup in 1975, Philadelphia lost to Montreal in 1976, to the Islanders in '80, to Edmonton in 1985 and '87, and to Detroit in their last trip in 1997. Chicago last won in 1961, then lost to Toronto the next year, Montreal in 1965, '71 and '73, and to Pittsburgh in 1992.
6 -- Times in 16 games in this year's playoffs that the Blackhawks haven't outshot their opponents, including three times in four games against San Jose. In contrast, the Hawks failed to outshoot their opponents only 12 times in 82 regular-season games.
7 -- Consecutive road victories by the Blackhawks entering this year's Final, tying the record for the longest road winning streak in one playoff year. Three of the first four teams to win seven consecutive road games won the Cup.
8 -- Consecutive losses for the Blackhawks in Philadelphia. The Hawks won their first visit to the building now known as the Wachovia Center, leaving with a 4-1 victory on Nov. 9, 1996. The Flyers have won the last eight meetings in Philadelphia, including a 3-2 win on March 13 in the only meeting this season.
9 -- Power-play goals allowed by the Blackhawks (in 67 opportunities) in this year's playoffs, one fewer than the Flyers have allowed in 10 more opportunities. Philadelphia is second with an 87.0 percent penalty-kill rate, barely ahead of Chicago's 86.6.
10 -- Wins by the Flyers in as many games in this year's playoffs when leading after two periods. Philadelphia has lost all three times when trailing after two periods and is 2-2 when the game is even after 40 minutes.
11 -- Shutouts in this year's playoffs -- and more than half of them belong to the two finalists. Philadelphia has four -- three by Leighton and one combined, while Niemi has a pair for Chicago.
12 – Number of goals the 'Hawks outscored the Flyers by in their one playoff meeting. Chicago had 20 goals to Philadelphia's 8 (2 in each game) in its 1971 quarterfinal sweep.
13 -- Points-scoring streak that Chicago captain Jonathan Toews takes into the Final, the longest of any player in this year's playoffs, and the longest in Blackhawks history. Toews passed Stan Mikita's previous mark of 11 games during the semifinals.
14 -- Shots by Philadelphia in its playoff opener against New Jersey, the fewest by any team in the 83 games in this year's postseason. The Flyers allowed only 24 shots and won the game 2-1, triggering a five-game series victory over the Devils.
16 -- Overtime games in this year's playoffs, one more than last year. Chicago has won both of its overtime games this year, while Philadelphia is 2-1.
19 -- Consecutive penalty kills at home by the Flyers entering the Final. Philadelphia hasn't allowed a power-play goal at home since the third period of Game 4 in the second round against Boston. The Flyers' penalty-killers actually outscored Montreal 1-0 in their three games at the Wachovia Center in the Eastern Conference Finals.
24 -- Regular-season point differential between the Hawks and Flyers. Chicago was second in the West and third in the NHL with 112 points; Philadelphia was seventh in the East and 15th among the 16 playoff teams with 88.
26 -- Points by Toews, the most by any player on either team entering the Final. Mike Richards is tops on the Flyers and secod in the League with 21 points.
36 -- Number of bench minors assessed for having too many men on the ice in the 83 games played in the first three rounds. The Hawks have been caught four times; the Flyers have been tagged for five, including one in their clincher against Montreal on Monday.
37 -- Years since the Blackhawks won a game in the Stanley Cup Final. Chicago's last victory was an 8-7 triumph at the Montreal Forum in Game 5 of the 1973 Final. The Hawks lost Game 6 at home and were swept by Pittsburgh in 1992, their last trip.
42 -- Victories by the road team in the 83 playoff games played so far this year, one more than home teams have managed. Philadelphia (7-1) is the best home team in the playoffs; the Hawks are 5-3 at home but a League-best 7-1 on the road.
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