Coach Roger Neilson is back with his team. Back from a two-month battle with cancer during which he underwent a bone marrow transplant. He was diagnosed in December with the same disease that killed his sister two years ago.

Following a meeting with Neilson after Monday's practice, Flyers general manager Bob Clarke announced that interim coach Craig Ramsay will lead the team in its second-round match against Pittsburgh, with Neilson assisting -- presumably from the press box.

Neilson, 65, wanted to return to the team for the first round, but the Clarke and Neilson's doctors felt he wasn't yet strong enough to work the series. Philadelphia eliminated Buffalo 4-1 after a 16-8-1 run to close the season under Ramsay, during which the Flyers overcame a 15-point deficit to claim the top seed in the East.

Neither Neilson nor Clarke answered questions following their meeting, but this much we know: Neilson may not be entirely thrilled with this arrangement, but his friends in and out of hockey are just thrilled to see him get this far.

Seventh heaven

Here's what the hockey guys mean when they talk about fighting for home-ice advantage for 82 games of the NHL's relentless regular-seasons schedule: It's a huge statistical advantage if a series gets pushed to seven games.

Of the 93 series that have stretched to the full seven-game limit, the home team has won 58 of those games, or 62 percent, while the visiting team has won 35 (38 percent).

So history favors the St. Louis Blues in Tuesday night's Game 7 with the San Jose Sharks, which once held a 3-1 advantage in this series.

Should the game go into overtime, however, the odds shift dramatically.

Home teams have posted a 15-11 record in the 26 Game 7s that have been decided in OT, but the visitors are 7-7 since 1990.

There has been a Game 7 overtime in 15 of the past 17 Stanley Cup tournaments.

Ask a stupid question ...

The worst question a reporter can ask in these playoffs, because the answer is so dreadfully predictable:

"Which team would you rather play in the next round?"

Colorado center Peter Forsberg, Dallas or Detroit? "It doesn't really matter who we're going to get, it's going to be a tough series."

Detroit defenseman Steve Duchesne, Colorado or St. Louis? "Whoever we face will be a quality team."

Dallas winger Kirk Muller, Colorado or San Jose? "It'll be a tough, physical series either way. We all know that."

Newspapers actually waste good ink and newsprint printing these remarkable quotes.

Stars finally have that healthy feeling

The Dallas Stars are as healthy as they have been since the second game of the regular season with defenseman Sergei Zubov a likely participant for the opening game of the second round and Jere Lehtinen close to rejoining the team. Both are former All-Stars; Lehtinen is the two-time defending Selke Trophy winner as the NHL's top defensive forward.

Zubov missed the entire first round with a knee injury but skated hard with teammates on Monday. He ranked second only to St. Louis' Chris Pronger in average minutes played per game (28:50) this season, and his absence was glaring -- especially on a dysfunctional power play.

"He's a kind of defenseman who can control a game," Stars coach Ken Hitchcock said. "Some guys do it from a physical base, some guys do it from a skill base. But when you're able to control the tempo of a game, that's pretty awesome."

And the Stars -- like the Blues with Pronger and Al MacInnis -- have two of them. Captain Derian Hatcher can control the game with his dominating physical presence.

"Hatcher has to do it so Zubov can do it," Hitchcock said. "Zubov can't do it without Hatcher doing it first. What's interesting is if we wind up playing San Jose in the next round. We're watching the way they're going at Pronger and MacInnis. Hatcher is probably looking at the same stuff Pronger has seen in this series."

Also, feisty checking winger Blake Sloan, who suffered a broken jaw in the opening round, was cleared to play with a guard that protects his face.

The final word

"It's two months of the toughest hockey you can play. You've got to go to the well for each other every game. There are no nights off. Momentum swings back and forth. It can swing from shift to shift, period to period, game to game." -- St. Louis defenseman Al MacInnis.