Gobsmacked!

It was beautiful and shocking, done with lightning quick precision.

A five-goal first period by a team firing blanks against a team with plenty of firepower.

Watching last night's Flyers win over the second-best team in the NHL clouded my brain a little bit - was this 2006 or 1986?

Whatever - it shut me up, Mr. Negative himself.

It reminded me of the arse-kickings Mike Keenan's clubs laid on the hapless Kings and Canucks, when I was so young I had to keep both ears and one eye on the hallway, in case one of my parents figured out I was awake at 12:30 am, when they'd inevitably come in and shut the TV off.

12 Flyers posted at least one point. The reunited top line combined for six points. Kapanen recorded his first 2-goal game since November of 2003, coincidentally, in a game in Toronto where the Flyers also scored 7 goals.

But, with every ray of sunshine, there is some shadow in that amazing 7-4 triumph over the Ducks in Anaheim. After that five-goal explosion in the opening 20 minutes, the Flyers reeled off an equally dumbfounding four shots in the last two periods. The Ducks rebounded from a 5-1 deficit to cut it to 5-3 at the end of two, and, with some late-game power plays, even leads of 6-3 and 7-4 did not really feel safe.

The suddenness and timing of the goal spurt is troubling - from not scoring more than four games the whole season, scoring two against an offensive-minded Penguins team, then hitting seven. It's also troubling that the Flyers did this on the road, but it's not so surprising since that seems to be the M.O. of plenty of teams in pro sports - get away from home and with the "pressure" off, perform to or beyond all expectations.

The cynic in me also wonders "what next?" Tonight's game is against a bottom-feeding, but young Los Angeles Kings. This has 4-1 letdown loss written all over it. And what of the Sharks on Saturday? Even minus Johnathan Cheechoo, San Jose has plenty of weapons at their disposal. And what happens when they do well on the road, come home, and play inconsistently?

Until that all happens, I'm going to be content with this win, for once. There is still 6 1/2 hours left in that 21 1/2 hour glow between the end of the game early this morning, and the drop of the puck tonight at the Staples Center. We might as well enjoy it for all its worth.