Bring It on Home - Game Day (3 - 3)

vs.
7:38

Tonight the series comes home to the Wach for a promisingly intense game.

The Flyers are down 2 - 0 in the series thus far, and they have nothing but blood on their minds.
Well that, and the fact that Marc Joanette is calling the game tonight, ugh.

This is the biggest game of the playoffs so far for the Flyers, especially after such a disheartening loss on Sunday.
We were unable to split the series at the Igloo which would have been a huge moral boost.

The game was rocky to say the least, and the Flyers have some work to do.
Without Timonen and possibly Coburn in the line-up they'll have to work double time.

Despite this, my Flyers senses are tingling for a win.
The Flyers simply aren't bad enough to get swept, even in their current state.
If they were to play the game the way we know they can, they could even pull off a Game 6 or 7 victory.

We even think Malkin might actually come to the game tonight, so look out for him.
He was too busy getting laid out by Richards on Sunday to be of any importance.

Not to mention, Cindy Crosby is being slowed down by his thick manly beard.
(Yes, I lied when I said I wouldn't say anything else.)


[Mike L.]

Let's not get ahead of ourselves though, tonight is the focus.
The team needs to have chemistry, stay out of the box, and hope that Biron is on his A game.(A-Team?)



[ eager to go psycho ] gives us another key to the game - we need less of these.


(It's a turnover)

We're stuck watching the game on Versus, so we'll definitely have some complaints in the recap, don't worry.

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

What Ya Drinkin'

Alright people, for tonight's game we're hoping to get some What Ya Drinkin' submissions.
If you don't know what What Ya Drinkin' is, refer to the bottom-ish of the [ FAQ ]

Bottom Line:
Just send us a picture of what you're drinking, next to something Flyers related and we'll post it up.

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



Being the humane people we are over here at tOC,
we've allowed Pensblog Charlie to write a quick note to The Pensblog to give them an update on how he's doing.

Head over to [ The Pensblog ] to find out exactly what the letter said.

We will say however, that we've been pretty good to him,
and we found out that his second favorite blog is [ Mondesis House ]
As it turns out, he's also the only visitor this month... weird.

Anyways,

Charlie is fast on his way to 1,000 friends.
We'll miss the brownies.

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



:: Marty Biron was iffy about the curve of a broken stick on Sunday[ gloveandmail.com ]
I kind of doubt it was illegal, but the Flyers may call for measurments now.

:: Hartnell's plan is to play hard [ NHL.com ]
One would hope... but I did mention Harnell playing hard.
Someone needs to step up, might as well be him.

:: Richard's is the man [ Philly ]
We know.

:: Even more common sense [ Philly ]
They're running out of things to write about.

:: Downie will be in tonight [ PG ]
He played well, can't be upset with this decision.

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



:: To no surprise Mark Eaton won't be back [ PG ]
They're desperate for news.

:: Fleury flowering at precisely the right time [ PG ]
Couldn't have worded that any gayer (Charlie allows it)

:: Penguins honor Beaver County teenager with cancer [ PG ]
This is actually really cool.

The Penguins official site sucks for news.

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



The Red Wings pulled ahead 3 - 0 in the series, and all sings point to sweep.

[ NHL.com Recap ]

We just hope the winner of the East doens't get totally swept.
Then again, the Flyers do not get swept... period.

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

StatOWNED

Quick update with some more statue ownage.
This one is from [Ryan]

Union Pitt Panther:


[Ryan]

Peterson Event Pitt Panther:


[Ryan]

LET'S GO FLYERS!

So Much for The Split. Flyers Lose.

[ Sportsline ]


[ NHL.com Recap ]

Well what can I say, it was a hell of a game.
I was on the hockey roller coaster from hell.

This was a big game for the Flyers, a big game to win.
If they had split the series, they would have shown they can win on the road.
That wasn't the case.

The Flyers now have to come back to the Wach and give the Pens a beating.
It'll take all the drive and determination they've got.

Carter and Richards were the big names of the game,
both of them had good games, and Briere is still nowhere to be found.

The refs, to say the least, were terrible.
Most of the bad calls were against the Flyers, but they were just bad in general.
A bad hook call here, a horrible goalie interference there, and a no call roughing to boot.
Malkin - You're slowly losing our respect.

For the Pens, they called off a goal and... well that's about it.
Not to mention you really couldn't SEE the puck cross the line, so it wasn't conclusive.

===================Pre-Game===================

Versus is the Worstest - they shouldn't do game intros, it was lame and unexciting.
The puck didn't drop until 7:40, and there were enough commercials that I thought it was an infomercial for the magic bullet.
Except for the Versus Stanley Cup commercials because those are badass.

There's a quick interview with Crosby and some close-ups.
He is still sporting that ridiculous neck beard and mustache.

Last thing I'll say about his face until chest hair grows in.

On the other hand, Jeff Carter is going for the Grizzly Adams look and we applaud him.

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

Thanks to Versus the first 2 minutes of the game were all about how warm the Igloo is.
We all know it's the worst arena in the NHL, just say the ice sucks and be done with it.

Game starts off without anything really special going on, a few back-and-forths but meh.
Then, just 1:51 into the game a slap shot from the point get redirected and hits Coburn right between the eyes.

He wouldn't return, but they said he was hopeful to return early in the game.
We're just hoping he's alright to play by next game because watching Hatcher play for more than a half hour was just torture.

Just a minute or so later, Laraque flips a puck into the Flyers bench and we're pretty sure it clipped someone in the helmet.
The sad part is that's the best snipe he's had all year.

Then our favorite little scrapper Scottie Upshall and Kennedy square off.
We'll admit that Kennedy definitely had the edge in the beginning of the fight, but Scottie did a good job holding his own.

Aggressive play picks up big time. Flyers really start throwing their weight around.
At 15:38 Laraque gets sent to the box for roughing.

The powerplay that ensues is weak, and there are two shorthanded shots but no powerplay shots.

Versus continues to go try to sound unbiased against he Flyers.
They're better off just admitting it.

Carter gets sent to the box, and with :04 left in that power play Knuble gets a weak call for cross-checking and is sent to the box.
Cheifs dominate the power play and Crosby sneaks one in off Kukkonen's leg. Lame.

1 - 0

There's a few chances by the Flyers in the next few minutes, and Hartnell is picking up his game.

Smith and Dupois get concurrent minors off a face off for interference and hooking. 4 on 4 ensues.

As the Pens set up a shot comes across the crease in mid-air and snags Hatcher in the helmet. The puck horribly drops into the crease and is on its way over the line when Marty reaches back and snags it while screaming "L'eggo My Eggo!"

The Flyers survive a penalty to end the period.

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

The Flyers come out with a little jump in their step, looking good.

There's some back and forth hockey when Briere finally makes an appearance in the game and has an open goal chance only to be poke checked way, sigh.

We're headed to the power play after a holding call on Hossa.
There are some decent chances, MAF looks decent though he's giving up more of those Fleurebonds (tm).
He almost gets caught out of his net, but the Flyers can't execute.

Orpix then gets called for an interference on Kukkonen at 15:05.
45 seconds in, Carter gets an awesome dish from Lupul from across the net and puts it home!

1 - 1

Flyers are amped and you can tell. Jeff Carter steps up in a big way.

For the next 10 or so minutes, Versus decided that talking to Tom Glavine, the Atlanta Braves pitcher who was once drafted into the NHL, is much more important than giving us a play by play.

That's fine and dandy, except when you do an interview with him during the game, and he's even more focused on the game than talking.

The game continues pretty fast paced, definitely entertaining to watch.
Biron is kicking ass in net, some really solid saves.

Malkin skates up and Hatcher stands him up pulling him off the puck.
The ref decides to some how call a hooking, for one of the more BS calls of the night.

Pens go on a power play 5 on 4.
Just 9 seconds in Hossa puts one past Biron to make it 2 - 1.

So far, every goal in the game has been on a power play which was one thing the Flyers did not need.

Richards lays into Malkin for a nice hit, we have to love Richards for his heart.
A little after, Hatcher gets called for a cross-check that was pretty weak, and both Harnell and Ruutu get minors to make it a 4 on 3.

This is when Richards decides to become Iron Man.

He steals a sloppy pass from Malkin at the blue line and takes the puck all the way down the ice.
He shoots top shelf glove side and takes Fleury to town with just 23 seconds left in the period.

2 - 2

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

This period was make or break for the Flyers.
They had the momentum coming in, and Richards was en feugo.
Not to mention, he looked pretty good on playoffs (don't have an official stat)

There's some back-and-forth hockey with a lot of hits and intensity all over the place.
Briere even gets a wrap-around chance, but he kind of loses it/misses... surprise all around.
Then he's called for goalie interference despite the 180-pound Briere getting man handled (not by Pensblog Charlie) into MAF.

ANOTHER weak call on the night.

Lucky for us Biron was looking strong and they held off the powerplay.
They come back with vengeance after the kill, and Hatcher throws his weight around like a call girl.

Even Biron gets into the mess and pulls a play out of Hextall's books.
He basically cross-checks Ruutu in the neck, and Ruutu flops like a fish.
Minor for Biron and Embellishment for Ruutu.

We head to 4 on 4 hockey with Hartnell serving for Biron.
Biron does a good job and Modry isn't looking as bad as we expected.

Just want to note that Kapanen is the Pitbull of the team, and he never stops working hard.

Anyway, the Pens drive up the ice and Laraque takes a slapper that goes wide (told you) but gets a nice bounce off the boards.
Gary Roberts tips it out in front of the net and Talbot crushes all hopes of a split, or even a good night.

3 - 2

Some more garbage happens, we have some chances but no finishers and somebody lands an empty netter making it 4 - 2.

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

Notes:
- Biron was looking a little better tonight
- Richards continues to play awesomely, and Carter stepped up, now it's time for Briere.
- Intensity was awesome, can't wait to come back to the Wach.
- Malkin was effectively shut down tonight.
- If Coburn is out for any decent period of time that's another ridiculous blow to defense
- Biron isn't afraid to throw down.
- Power plays played a huge part in the game, we have to stay out of the box.
- Along with a few others, Sir R.J. of Umberger wasn't a presence.

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



The ransom has been negotiated by [ The Pensblog ]
down to getting [ Pensblog Charlie ] 1000 friends on Facebook.

If Cheifs fans refuse to comply, you will see a new face around The Orange Crush.

All Your Gay Are Belong to Us

Dear [ The Pensblog ], we have your precious Charlie.

After picking him up at the bar the other night while hanging out with the Flyers
(he has a thing for Danny Briere I guess), we kidnapped him.

At first Pensblog Charlie was a good guest, he cleaned the house and loved to bake.
Unfortunately, things took a turn for the worst when he attempted to sneak into Briere's house.

Due to this we have had to tie him up... Oddly, he doesn't seem to mind and may be enjoying it.
(He keeps asking for the ropes to be tied tighter)

If you ever want to see Pensblog Charlie again,
and don't want him to become Orange Crush David,
we suggest that you come up with Sidney Crosby's Salary for next season $9,000,000.

We expect payment by money order for two reasons:
1) Paypal is awful.
2) Gas prices aren't worth driving somewhere to meet you.

If you fail to comply with our demands, you can kiss your gay jokes goodbye!

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

vs.
7:30

Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals tonight.
The Flyers lost the first game on the road Friday night, and we'll be looking to split the series tonight.

The Flyers have lost the first game of every series so far, so we're really not that worried.
That just means it's time to talk about some Pens media.

:: Therrien has learned a lot about coaching! [ PG ]
Good thing your coach is still in the learning process...

In the west, Detroit upped the series to 2 - 0 even though Osgood is a bitch.



In case you couldn't tell, Osgood hits Ribeiro in the face with the butt of his stick.
Then when he gets hit in the chest, he has a seizure and wins Bitch of The Year.

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

What Ya Drinkin'

Now I present to you the new Orange Crush game called What Ya Drinkin'.

The rules are simple:
- Take a picture of what you are drinking during the game next to something Flyers related (Jersey, Puck, Hat, Bag, etc. etc.)
- Send that picture to OrangeCrushBlog@gmail.com
- Get your pictures posted on the home page after every game, or whenever we have enough to post.

It's that simple. So here is the first



[Mike R.]

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

Cindy has refused to listen to us about his ridiculous face blob.



This reminds us of something...



====================News===================

7:30 tonight, nothing else matters.

It's Only the First Game. Flyers Lose.

[ NHL.com Recap ]

Rough game, rough game.

The Kansas City fans came out roaring in their white wash, I gotta give them credit.
The Flyers looked alright for a bit but slowly fell apart.

Can't blame the loss on the lack of Kimmo, he couldn't have helped much.
Marty Biron the god didn't play as well as he has been lately, and played the puck too much.

I'm not too worried, we've loss the first game of every series so far,
not to mention it looks like Richards is here to play this series.

The game was bad, I don't want to talk about it.
No Crosby didn't dive like he normally does and the refs were fine, I admit it.

==================First Period==================

This recap will be short because I am bitter.

The game didn't start out too bad, both teams looked pretty decent.
Then Pens killed off a delay of game PP, and Sykora scores soon after because Modry is out of position.

1 - 0

Soon Richards - the only player on the team last night - puts one in on a wrap-around.

1 - 1

The Flyers start looking a bit better, and Versus coverage continues to be gay and not tell us anything.

The Flyers get the puck on the doorstep, and after some attempts to poke it home, it pops out and Richards again scores.

2 - 1

Just when the Flyers fans have a little bit of hope, and ounce of happiness, and a bucket of pride,
Biron gives it up to Hossa behind the net who dishes to Crosby for a goal. LAME.

2 - 2
(Is that Briere? For some reason we thought he was a healthy scratch... hmm)

The Flyers have a couple of chances while MAF gives up his signature Fleurebounds™, but no money.

The KC Cheifs, erm... Penguins come out and start to look comfortable.
With less than 10 seconds left in the period Malkin socks it to Marty and puts one in the back of the net.

3 - 2

At this point I'd rather be eating a french fry sandwhich at Primanti's.

==================Second Period==================

Flyers lost any momentum they may have had, and are playing like Rudy... with even less heart.

Flyers are on a Powerplay.

Richards lays into Malkin, and he's slow getting up and decides to sit back and cherry pick at the blue line.
He lets a slap shot rip from all of 5 feet away, good thing he missed Marty and hit the net... :(

4 - 2

I don't feel like mentioning the rest of the period.

==================Third Period==================

(Yes baby, I feel the same way)

Fleury looks good in the period, but the Flyers continue to be awful.

There's a bunch of garbage that I don't feel like typing out, but I do want to note Hatcher yelling something along the lines of "He's touching me with his gloves off!"

The Flyers lose.

NOTES:
- Biron didn't look as good as he has lately.
- No one on the team showed up for the game except Richards.
- Briere would be just as successful as a healthy scratch.
- The Flyers have lost the first game in every series and still won the series.

Average Pens Fan

It's Clobbering Time

Alright it's been an anxious week to say the least.
There's been enough feces thrown between Flyers and Pens fans to impress a monkey.

Now it all comes down to who gets work done.
All the smack talk doesn't mean anything when you're down by 2, got that Pens?

Game is tonight at 7:30pm at the Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh, and we figure since it starts there,
the Flyers will stun them in their own house.

The Flyers have been thirsty for the cup since 1975 and this year they've got a real shot.
We've got a young team, with some deep scoring (Only team in the league with seven 20+ goal scorers).

Any Flyers fan knows what we're talking about... you can just feel it.

Don't get caught on your heels Pens, we're out for blood.

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



There has been a ton of discussion on Kimmo in the past few days.

There has been a lot of speculation as to who will replace Kimmo in the line-up.
Modry will probably take his place, and Parent is the other candidate.
We're honestly hoping it's not Modry at this point unless he steps up his game and plays like a vet. (heh)

:: Quick Interview with Kimmo: [ Hockey Buzz ]
We'll post the entire thing because everyone wants to know.

Interview

Q: What is your reaction to what has happened?
Timonen: “Hugely disappointed obviously. I was not expecting to get this result this morning. It’s the most disappointing thing in my hockey life for sure.

Q: What are the doctors telling you?
Timonen: “It’s a blood clot. They were able to see it really well. They were thinking about a couple of options, either having surgery and try to remove it, but the best option for me I think is going on clot thinners and hopefully those things help.”

Q: Are they telling you how long it might take for the blood clot to thin out?
Timonen: “Nobody knows that, but I started today and we are going to have a check up at the end of next week. Nobody really knows. It’s probably individual how that blood thinner works.”

Q: Emotionally what is this like for you?
Timonen: “It’s an awful feeling. I was expecting to play tomorrow and you go into the hospital to make sure everything is all right and come out knowing that the season is over pretty much. How many times in your life do you get the chance to play in the Conference Finals and maybe the Stanley Cup Finals? So it is the most disappointing moment in my life hockey wise.”

Q: Your team has overcome injuries before. You have been a real key to your team’s success. What do you see happening here?
Timonen: “Exactly like you said, we had some key guys out of the lineup the whole year and now hopefully somebody can take my role. I am sure there is going to be somebody playing really well. I am just hoping this is not a huge distraction for the team because now we are talking about the (Eastern) Conference Finals and hopefully those guys can focus on winning the game tomorrow. I am sure everybody is really focused and ready to go tomorrow.”

Q: How big is the clot?
Timonen: “I was not able to see. It is noticeable, but I cannot say how big it is.”

Q: You have been through a similar injury like this before in Nashville haven’t you?
Timonen: “Like five years ago in a similar situation, I got hit by the puck, same ankle. A lot of pain came and there was a blood clot.”

Q: Do you remember when this injury happened in the game?
Timonen: “It happened the last shift of the game. I think we were killing a penalty or it was 6-on-5 and I think it was (Andrei) Markov who shot it from the point and it hit my ankle.”

Q: What did they do after that?
Timonen: “We treated it like it was a normal bone bruise and it felt like it too. We iced it down and did the exact same thing we do with this kind of injury. In Game 5 in Montreal, I started feeling a little numbness in my toes and I was able to play through it that game and it was a little painful. Sunday we had a day off and Monday we practiced, same kind of feeling, a little numbness on my toes and Tuesday we had a day off and yesterday same kind of feeling and we decided to do a check up and see what is going on there and today we found out.”

Q: Did you have any idea, with a past similar injury, that this could be what it was?
Timonen: “Not at all because last time when I had it five years ago it was really painful, I couldn’t sleep at night and this time I have been sleeping pretty well. This has not been as painful at all like it was five years ago. I wasn’t expecting to get this kind of result.”

Q: What did the doctors tell you in terms of the risk factor if you tried to play and got hit in the same area?
Timonen: “I asked the doctor the worst case scenario what could happen and he said, ‘if you get hit there again the blood clot might break up and go down to your toes and then we have to cut off your toes’ so that is not a very good scenario.”

Q: Where are you right now?
Timonen: “I am at home right now.”

Q: Are you allowed to do any exercise?
Timonen: “I didn’t ask anything about exercise. We are going to do a check up next week and see if it’s any better and kind of go from there.”

Q: What is the best-case scenario?
Timonen: “That hopefully it is better next week. I honestly asked the doctor do you have any hope playing this series and he said only if it really goes well the next week and a half to two weeks.”

Q: Have you spoken to any of your teammates?
Timonen: “I have a lot of text messages, but it’s been a busy day, so I have not had the chance to talk to anybody besides my parents and my brothers. I am going to talk to Sami (Kapanen) probably tonight and I am going to give John Stevens a call tonight too.”

Q: Are you going to make any trips to Pittsburgh or are you going to stay home?
Timonen: “I actually talked to our team guy and I would like to be there tomorrow, but we will see if that is a possibility. I would like to be there that’s for sure.”

Q: Do you still have to ice it?
Timonen: ” No.”

So there you have it. Here's to a healthy and speedy recovery Timonen.
Would love to see him back to kick some Pens ass, unless Crysby is diving like always.
Yes, bitch about this in the comments... I know you will :)



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

Statue Owned = Statowned

On a much lighter note, we just want to send a big "You're a CHAMP!" to a reader of TOC.
He owned the statue of Art Rooney, founder of the Steelers, in front of Heinz Field.





So much for the Crosby jersey business, our payback is just so much more... sincere.
Not to mention, we think he looks better in orange and black.
(Then again what doesn't)

Craiglist ad has been fulfilled [ Craiglist ]
Seems like we've beat the Pens to any real Rocky posting what's up [ The Pensblog ] ?
Sure you guys got a jersey at the feet of the statue... but no pics?
=========================================

Dear Pens, The Orange Crush would like to offer you a quick message:


[Jürgen J.]

Call in your tee times now for next week boys, you'll want to get out early to beat the Caps.

You can check out [ Golf Philly ] for some information on a local club since you'll be in Philly after the sweep.

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



:: John Stevens is the man, and one hell of a coach [ Philly.com ]
The idea, as Stevens said the other day, "is that all the ingredients by themselves aren't that appealing.
But when you mix them with some fire you come up with a better product in the end. That's kind of who you are.

:: Crosby dislikes Hatcher - no one cares [ Philly.com ]
It's not even a competition, favorite quote from article:
"Sidney Crosby has not forgotten losing three teeth, courtesy of defenseman Derian Hatcher's high stick,
during his rookie year in the NHL."
High stick... or shear power?

:: Flyers are deep with four good lines [ NHL.com ]
We know, but just to further back us up.

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



The Wings came out to walk all over the Stars last night unfortunately.
If this continues our King Leonidus vs. Messenger story will prevail, and no one wants that.

[ NHL.com ]

We just hope to see more close games in the Conference Finals, everone knows the Wings are good,
but they aren't unstoppable.

Detroit leads the series 1 - 0

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



:: Crosby and Hossa are becoming butt buddies [ Penguins ]
Malkin cried to himself last night as Crosby snuck into Hossa's room.

:: Crosby is worried about Sir R.J. of Umberger [ PG ]
He damn well should be.

:: The Mellon Arena plays the game on a huge Jumbo [ PG ]
That's actually cool as shit, a huge drunken tailgate party just outside.

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LET'S GO FLYERS

Don't forget to submit any and all pictures, photoshops, stories, or writing you may want posted to our email at orangecrushblog@gmail.com