WWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOO. Flyers Win.

Series 2 - 1 Flyers lead.

[ NHL.com Recap ]


The parts of the game not spent in the penalty box were great.
I felt like I was watching an episode of Prison Break,

except no one had a good tatoo.

Yes, that is seriously the penalty summary.

I'm not even complaining about how bad the calls were,

most of them were justified,

but there's a point where you have to let em play.

The Flyers got away with a penalty call on Clarkson for interference.

The game was pretty evenly matched throughout,

but we will admit that Brodeur was playing so well

we aren't sure he wasn't cheating...

BOOSH was playing on fire,

he only let a pair in, and he played really well.

The man of the night is Carcillo.

Cannon is a completely applicable nickname.

His goony goal celebration was just awesome,

he was so excited he couldn't decide who to hug first.

Gagne was the lucky winner of the who to hug game,

and he probably needed one after hitting the post with an

open net the size of Tiger's repertoire.

Recap isn't going to be detailed,

but it'll get the job done.

=============1st Period=============

First period was full of some decent hockey play.

Jersey scored first, Rolston with a slapper to beat Boucher on the power play

for something or other. Dirty.

1 - 0

Lame.

Couple minutes later, Giroux gets the tip in.

1 - 1

Some back and forth and more penalties until the period ends.

=============2nd Period============

The Flyers came out looking pretty good in the second.

It's nice to see Carter at least putting some effort in, now he needs some more.

No picture, but Carcillo get's a nice assist to Richards.

Let's make it

1 - 2

The guys seemed to lose a little speed here, and the Devils were putting the pressure on.

BOOSH was looking good, gotta give him props for that.

Brian Rolston get's another goal 3:30 or so left in the period to tie it up.

2 - 2

=============3rd Period=============

This is the period where Sister-in-Law Banger really made his appearance.

He looked good all game, but now he decided he was going to be a brick wall.

Gagne misses a grossly open net midway through the period.

There are a few power plays here and there that don't prove fruitful for either team.

At this point, the Devils deserve to lose, and Brodeur is looking like he'll save the game.

Luckily we were well endowed in net at the other end.

There are a few chances that get me excited enough to almost change my pants, but no goald (witty I know).

=============OT Period=============

The Flyers came out and decided they didn't care how many of his wife's family members

Brodeur had slept with, he wouldn't be getting away with another win.

They were all over him, Richards had a few shots right into Brodeurs pads,

and then caught just enough of a rebound to get the puck over to the well positioned Cannon.

Carcillo buries it and then proceeds to give us an awesome celebration.

He's just too excited.

2 - 3

The Carbomb pulls 2 points, a goal and an assist.

[credit to whoever actually made this]

NOTES:

-Obviously Carcillo showed up to play. Love it.

-Still mad at Gagne for that miss.

-Richards has stepped up so far in the playoffs, looking good.

-Brodeur can be beat, it just takes some patience

-Having BOOSH playing this well is nice.

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Sign Guy Sighting:

We love how awkward Hartnell finds a way to look:

LET'S GO FLYERS

It Continues. FLYERS WIN.

[ NHL.com Recap ]

Ahhh, isn't it nice?

Seeing the Flyers win a first round, first game.

Hasn't happened since 2004 against Toronto.

A first game win was exactly what we needed,

it got a little tense at times, but they pulled it through well.

It's great to win away, and get all the confidence.

Also, the Jersey crowd sucks.

People were leaving with 3 minutes left in the playoffs,

don't they know anything can happen?

Boucher showed up, oh hell did he show up.

=

Boucher played like the goalie he was 10 years ago.

Great game.

Little upset that the Devils fans had a bit of a presence at the game,

it wasn't amazing, but it was more than expected.

Excuse me for the write-up.

I missed the entire first period,

caught most of the 2nd,

and the very end of the third.

=============FIRST PERIOD=============

From what I can tell the first period was pretty balanced.

Good saves from both goalies, each team playing decent, a little bit of a Flyer's advantage.

No goals, nothing too amazing.

============SECOND PERIOD============

Here's where the game got interesting.

The Flyers kicked it up a notch, and started playing well as a team.

There were a few good Debbies chances early, but nothing too big.

Boucher was playing well.

The Flyers capitalized on a bit of a mess up and Richard's headed down ice with the puck,

Pronger crashed the net, and ended up getting a bit of a sloppy goal of a defender's skate

1 - 0

A bit of time goes by with the Flyers clearly having the advantage

and before you know it Lappiere to Richards, done & done.

2 - 0

From now on Boucher will always be referred to as BOOSH because he really picked it up.

The rest of the period went with some more Flyer's Dominance.

=============END OF THIRD PERIOD=============

So I came in to this period at just about the right time to see the Debbies score.

3 minutes left in the game, they get somewhat of a a lucky bounce,

and put one past BOOSH

2 - 1

No, that picture does not have anything to do with anything.

Then the Devils really kick it into gear.

What's left of the crowd starts to get into the game

and they pull ol' Sister-in-Law Banger.

He hobbles to the bench saying "Where's your sister, woman?"

A close call with 10 seconds left,

but to no avail thank to BOOSH.

NOTES:

- Pronger had an awesome game (woo fantasy)

- Hartnell played pretty much like Hartnell

- We can definitely win this series

- Richards shows some good effort with the goal

- I need a TV that plays the games :(

=====================================

Series Lead!

We're still looking forward to emails with anything to contribute.

OrangeCrushBlog@gmail.com

LET'S GO FLYERS

The Flyers Do. Not. Get. Swept.

[NHL.com Recap]

Oh what a beautiful game it was.

There were some big changes on offense.
Obviously they were good because Danny Briere had his first goal in some way-to-long amount of games.

The game was played once again without Braydon Coburn and the less expect Kimmo Timonen.

Despite this, the Flyers looked absolutely amazinging in the 1st, and most of the 2nd.
There 3rd wasn't exactly A-Game (refraining from making the A-Team reference again),
but it got the job done in the end.

I just want to throw a big "WOOOOOO!" to all [ The Pensblog ]'s out there speaking of sweeps.


[Mike L.]

We understand that the series is far from over,
but this game was the confidence boost needed (yes, duh) , even though it was a little late.

If the Flyers really want to win this series, they obviously have to win 4 in a row.
We think the real test will be Sunday at the Igloo.

If they can pull off the W there,
they will win all 4 games.


[Jürgen J.]

==================================================

The Daily Beard


[Mike L.]

I thought hair was supposed to grow and get thicker.
Hmmm...?

That's all for now.

==================================================

What Ya Drinkin'


[Mike L.]


[Jürgen J.]
Nice action shot.

Keep on submitting guys.

=========================FIRST PERIOD=========================

We hate how the first 10 minutes of the program are commercials.
"Stevens is the coach, and we'll tell you his first name after the break, stay tuned"

The puck drops around 7:42 and right away you can feel the energy.

The crowd looks great with the orange crush sea, this time saying "Most Intimidating Fans in the NHL" or something.

Coburn and Kimmo are still out, Richards is on the line with Briere and Hartnell, and Parent is in.

The Flyers actually look alive, and they start playing some Flyer hockey.
Hartnell gets a nice chance in front with go gold, and Jones lays into Hossa a little after.

The crowd is pumped, the fans are pumped, it's looking good.
They control the puck for the most part.

Then at with 14:03 left in the 1st, Briere takes out Staal's foot digging for the puck and he's off to the box for 2.

Richards once AGAIN, gets an awesome breakaway shorthanded.
He misses the net wide, but that's the third game in a row he's a had a great shorthanded breakaway.

The Flyers fight off the power play with little effort and Briere jumps out of the box with a little initiative.

30 seconds after the penalty kill, Lupul flys up the side and rips one from the far end of the circle.
It may have touched a defender, but it beats Fleury over the shoulder for the first goal of the game.

1 - 0

Game time! The Flyers come out with a vengeance and play hard.

Marty Biron is looking like the Goalie we know he can be.

Next thing you know, Briere draws a penalty on Gonchar for holding.

The Flyers put up some good pressure, but it didn't look to great until Randy Jones threw a shot on net and Briere (YES BRIERE) picked up the trash with a goal.

2 - 0

Looks like moving Richards to the Briere and Hartnell line is making the difference.
Briere is starting to play with confidence, so we're hoping he'll continue playing the way he can.

About a minute later, Letang get's called for a penalty and the Flyers go on the power play again.
2 more players from each side are added the box, making it 4 on 3, but nothing interesting goes down.

Then Dave Mustaine of Megadeth pops up to tell us how awesome we are.




[Mike L. from The 5 Hole ]

Anyway, it all starts to get rough, and we see some more Flyer hockey.
Not to mention, Crosby has been bitching after every single stoppage of play.

The Flyers head to the power play again after a skirmish and this time after some great control, Jeff Carter puts one home.

3 - 0

The Flyers close-up the last 1:10 of the period with some great pressure, and Crosby finishes it up whining to the refs.

=========================SECOND PERIOD=========================

The second period starts off much like the first, with a little less intensity.

The Flyers looks good, and are keeping the Pens generally out of the game.
Briere is definitely a presence in the game.

A few minutes in, Upshall gets a shot to the face and realiates and we go to the 4 on 4.

Usually I don't do this, but I have to say that Fleury made one of the best saves of his career against Briere, essentially keeping the lead to only 3.

The Flyers defense is looking really sharp, and we have to point out that Randy Jones really stepped up to fill the Defensive void throughout the game.

The game progresses, and Kukkonen makes a great play, and Jones follows it by dropping Malkin.

Biron gets some time to shine with a few Pens chances, but because he's a monster, he keeps it out of the net.

Crosby on the other hand, continues to cry up a storm. Sidney Crysby it is.

There's a good amount of back-and-forth hockey, with both sides looking decent, or at least not weak.

With 5:43 left, Carter gets called for tripping, and the Pens get the chance to tie.
They get a few chances, and Biron flashes that awesome glove of his, but no money.

A minute later, Richards fans on a big opportunity, but he's been playing awesome all game.

The period closes out with the Flyers still on a power play after a Sykora slash on Briere with just 1:35 left.

=========================THIRD PERIOD=========================

You gotta love starting out a period with a man advantage, and despite no goals it keeps the confidence.

There's good pressure for the first couple of minute, until the Pens get on deep in the zone and Staal puts it off the side of Biron for their first goal.

Talbot kisses Staal.
3 - 1

Biron doesn't seem too flusterred and continues to play strong.

You can tell the Pens start getting desperate, and they actually start trying for the first time in the game... hmm.
They Pens start to gain some momentum but nothing results.

The Flyers start to get control back in the game and Upshall gets a nice chance.
Just as they're starting to get momentum, the Pens get possession and Staal again puts one past Biron short side to bring the score to 3 - 2.

This is right about the time when Flyers fans start sweating because we've seen so many games end badly from leads.

Play continues, and there is some good defense by the Flyers as Smith stand Crosby up and runs him off the puck.

MAF is pulled at 1:05 and the Pens put up some worrying pressure.
Luckily, Lupul decides to let them know this is our house and lands a nice empty netter.

4 - 2

Knowing that they're going the lose, the Penguins decide to throw a huge hissy fit at the end of the game.

Hatcher lets Malone know that he doesn't appreciate it.
He also turns into satan.


Gonch takes a cheap shot at Richards


Finally, Richards wants to throw with Crosby,
who bitches out and doesn't throw a punch until the ref is between them.
Nor does he drop his gloves.

NOTES:
- Briere decided to show up for tonight's game in a big way.
- Jones really stepped up too.
- Hatcher completely owned Malone repeatedly in the head.
- Crysby whined the whole game, and bitched out against Richards.
- A game 5 win will bring about a 4 game come back.
- Stevens should have made these line changes sooner.
- Timonen is probably going to be back for Sunday! No word on Coburn.

========================================================


Win.

Not Much to Say. Flyers Lose.

[ Presswire ]

[ NHL.com Recap ]
I don't even know what to say.

That little kids expression pretty much sums me up right now.
That is probably the worst game the Flyers have played this post season.

I understand Kimmo and Coburn are out, and of course that hurts.
But it doesn't hurt that bad, this was all about heart, which we obviously have none of.

The Flyers had as many completed passes and even more interceptions than Roethlisberger in '06.



================================================
What Ya Drinkin'


[Jürgen J]


[ Mike L.]


[Mike L.]

We're looking for more submissions. Keep sending them in.

====================GAME RECAP====================




The game started out with some awful Versus-ness, though it wasn't as bad as usual.



Don Cherry was there looking as awesome as always.



There was also a great tribute to Sgt. Stephen Liczbinski who, if you haven't heard,
died Saturday during bank robbery. He was a die hard Flyers fan, and his son started a Let's Go Flyers chant after his funeral.

====================FIRST PERIOD====================

It all started out slow, the Flyers weren't looking too bad by this point though, hopes are high and the Wachovia Center is absolutely roaring.
The Orange Crush looks bad ass as normal and this time the shirts say "Why Not Us?".

The Carter Line was playing especially well, and keeping some good pressure on the Pens.
It was basically back-and-forth hockey, with a little more Pens time than Flyers.

3:33 in, Hatcher is called for a trip and it's kind of a weak call, but every call was weak in the first period so we aren't going to complain.
Then it's all down hill from there.

Whitney (we're not even actually sure if he plays for the Pens this was a first time hearing his name for us) gets a deflection off Smith for an early goal on the power play.
Yes, Jason Smith who plays for the Flyers.

1 - 0

The Flyers look pretty awful after that goal.

A few minutes later we pretty much let Hossa walk up to the top of the circles and let one rip past Marty making it 2 - 0.

MAF isn't looking particularly solid in net, but he's getting the job.
After some pressure by the Flyers, Kennedy decides to throw the puck over the boards out of his own zone, off too the power play we go.

Just kidding, less than 2 seconds in (or at least that's how it feels) Briere gets called for hooking, and makes his first appearance of the game.
The call was week and we were pissed, but what can you expect. Off to 4 on 4.

Just kidding again! The refs decide to call another weak call this time on the Pens, it was so weak that I'll admit to it. Not that I'm complaining.

The 4 on 3 is killed and 4 on 4 end. The Flyers are putting on some decent pressure and Knuble slides one across the back of the crease with a wide open goal.

Disappointment

The pressure continues, but it's killed off.

Just when we Flyers fans had lost all hope, Sir R.J. of Umberger tallies one on off a Fleurebound and we're back in the game.

2 - 1

Don't get your hopes up kiddies, that's as good as it gets.

Pens start to kill us on the fore check, and we get a power play thanks to a hooking call on Malone, but it goes nowhere.

With 1:00 left in the 1st, MAF stops a puck behind his net and misplays it.
Then, after clumsily falling into his own net, the Flyers somehow manage to not put the puck past him.

====================SECOND PERIOD====================

To be honest, the second period was a boring period of hockey.

The refs decided to not call anything this period except one tripping call on Upshall.
Good thing they are being consistent throughout the game...

I will mention that on that penalty kill, Marty Biron did flash that crazy ass glove hand of his.
He could catch a bullet with that thing.

On that same PK, Richards gets another short handed break away and as he come in on Fleury, Gonchar has a diving poke check.
We're sure Mike wants that one back.

Other mentionables are Harnell throwing some good hits and Briere trying too hard to make up for his slump, and in the process he's losing the puck in his fanciness.

====================THIRD PERIOD====================

Ugh. At this point, the Flyers need to turn the game around.
It starts out slow and uneventful.

It's about 5 minutes into the 3rd when it seems like no pass can connect between the Flyers.
While the Flyers are unable to even bring the puck up ice, the Penguins defense is looking even stronger.

In the middle of the period, Versus decides they no longer feel like doing the play-by-play and they throw it over to an interview with Ray Shero.
Shero (The Pens GM) throws out a cliche, unimportant mess of words as the play continues.

Just before the 10:00 mark of the period, poor Steve Downie makes a bad pass in the Penguins zone, and it's taken down the ice for a Malone goal.

3 - 1

Versus decides to show a million shots of Flyers fans practically crying. Get a heart Versus, or go watch a damn rodeo.

Ten minutes of extremely ugly hockey pass before Hossa puts in an empty netter for the kill.

4 - 1

Which is followed by this very awkward hug


Charlie would be proud.

NOTES:
- What a ridiculously ugly game on the Flyers part.
- We almost though Sir R.J. of Umberger was going to return valiantly to save the team, he came the closest.
- Richards didn't have a huge game, but he was a presence.
- Danny Briere once again was not.
- Malking was shut down decently by our defense.
- Kimmo and Coburn being out just makes it all worse.
- The Flyers Do. Not. Get. Swept.

============================================

The ransom for Pensblog Charlie has finally been met.
He has reached all 1,000 friends on facebook in little more than 2 days.

We are satisfied, Charlie will be satisfied when he gets to visit Ottawa this year, and [ The Pensblog ] is of course satisfied (almost nightly).



Let's Go Flyers