Somehow, the Flyers aren’t going to Pittsburgh on Monday.
     Somehow, they blew a 3-0 lead and dropped a season-ending 5-3 decision to the resilient Pittsburgh Penguins before a stunned sellout crowd at the Wachovia Center Saturday.
      Somehow, they lost the series, four games to two, even though they outplayed the Penguins from the second period of Game 2 until early in the second period of Saturday’s Game 6.
     They lost, in part, because the Penguins’ marquee players, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, totally outplayed Flyers’ stars Mike Richards and Jeff Carter. And because the Flyers, with their season on the line, were outshot by a 28-14 margin in the final two periods Saturday.
     Outshot and outplayed.
    So where do the Flyers go from here?
    Well, because a $29 million cap hit next year will be tied to five players _ Carter, Richards, Danny Briere, Simon Gagne and Kimmo Timonen _ the Flyers won’t have a lot of flexibility in the off-season.
    That said, it’s important to remember that this series was virtually even, that the Flyers could have easily won it with a call here, a save there.
    Wholesale changes aren’t needed. But the team needs more physicality from its defensemen.
    Never was that more evident than Saturday, when two of the Penguins’ goals were scored when players batted pucks out of the air and into the net.
    I’m in the minority of people who think the Flyers can compete for the Stanley Cup with Marty Biron as the goalie.
    Biron wasn’t why the Flyers lost this series. He had a 2.29 goals-against average before Saturday, and only two of the Game 6 goals were his fault.
    Re-sign Biron and get a crease-clearing defenseman like Montreal’s Mike Komisarek, a potential free agent. The    Flyers missed the injured Derian Hatcher this year more than they will admit.
    They need to sign or trade for a player with that type of grit, that kind of physical presence in front of the net.

 

   PITTSBURGH _ The Flyers are still alive.

   For that, they can thank Marty Biron (28 saves) and a surprising cast of characters.

  Some of the other main contributors in tonight's 3-0 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins were Arron Asham (game-winning goal), a revived Dan Carcillo (plus-2), Matt Carle (two asssists, four blocked shots), Darroll Powe (key assist) and the irrepressible Claude Giroux (goal).

   What do those five players have in common?

   None were with the Flyers last year.

   It was a gritty, determined effort by the Flyers, who also got a goal from veteran Mike Knuble and six hits from Braydon Coburn.

    The Penguins still lead the series, three games to two.

    Only 8 percent of NHL teams have overcome a three-games-to-one deficit and advanced to the next round.

   In Flyers history, the odds are even worse. The Flyers have never won any of the 13 series in which they fell into a 3-1 hole.

    That said, the Flyers have been the better team since the second period of Game 2.

    They lost Game 2 in overtime _ a late, questionable penalty on Jeff Carter gave Pittsburgh a power play and they tied it with less than four minutes left _ and they lost Game 4 when Marc-Andre Fleury made 45 saves and looked like the scond coming of Bernie Parent.

    Put it all together and you have reason for optimism.

    The Penguins also are upbeat.

    "We knew they would come out and play a great game tonight and they did," Penguins coach Dan Bylsma said. "They pushed it to a Game 6 and it's back to their building. We have the knowledge that we've won in that building the last time we were there."

   But can Fleury repeat his Game 4 heroics?

   Stay tuned. This series is getting more and more interesting.

     It sounds like sour grapes when Danny Briere says the Flyers could have a three-games-to-one lead in their best-of-seven series with the Pittsburgh Penguins, but it happens to be true.

     It's also true that Marty Biron has given a strong account of himself in the series, but that the Penguins' Marc-Andre Fleury has been the better goalie.

    And that, in a nutshell, is why the Flyers are staring at a three-games-to-one deficit after Tuesday's closer-than-it-looks 3-1 loss to the Penguins at the Wachovia Center.

    The Flyers outshot the Penguins, 46-26 and had twice as many hits (24-12) as Pittsburgh.

    But Fleury was sensational, stopping one-timers, deflections, rebounds and almost every shot fired his way.

    "If you're going to have success in the playoffs, you need performances like that from your goaltender," said Penguins interim (but not for long) coach Dan Bylsma, whose team iced the win with an empty-net goal with 52 seconds left. "He certainly gave a memorable one tonight."

    Fleury also was the difference in Game 2, a 3-2 overtime win by the Pens. In that contest, he made a superb stop on Jeff Carter with about 8:30 left to keep Pittsburgh within 2-1. If Carter scores there, the Flyers almost assuredly win.

    Tonight's loss may have been Biron's final home game with the Flyers. He can become a free agent and the Flyers will probably try to re-sign him, but there are no guarantees. Florida's Craig Anderson, another potential free agent, interests the Flyers.

    But I'm getting too far ahead. Game 5 is Thursday in Pittsburgh and the Flyers are certainly capable of bringing the series back to Philadelphia. Three of the Flyers' last five games in Pittsburgh have gone into overtime.

    Theses teams are very evenly matched. They each had 99 points and each scored 264 goals duirng the regular season _ and were one apart in goals allowed (239-238).

     But in these playoffs, the difference has been goaltending.

    The Flyers are 0-13 in series in which they have faced a three-games-to-one deficit.

    "It's going to be a tough test, but to be successful, some times you have to overcome some challenges,"  Briere said. "This is a tough one, but we're not quitters. We have to keep working hard. We could easily be up 3-1, but we're not. It is what it is and we have to keep showing the same urgency we showed in the last couple games."

    Even if they do, it still may not be enough. Not with the way Fleury is playing.

     NOTES.  The Flyers were 0 for 8 on the power play, failing to score during the 12:47 in which they had an extra skater. The Penguins were 0 for 5 on the power play and had an extra skater for 6:55.....Over the last two periods, the Flyers outshot the Penguins, 34-13....The Pens' first goal deflected off Sidney Crosby's body as he slid into the net. Flyers coach John Stevens thought it should have been goalie interference.

    No matter how I say it, it's going to sound like I'm being a homer.

    Trust me, I'm not.

    I'm for fairness. And Colin Campbell, the NHL's discipline czar, is not being fair with the way he is handing out suspsensions.

    Or, more to the point, NOT handing out suspensions.

    Campbell should have suspended Pittsburgh's Chris Kunitz for his violent hit to the head of the Flyers' Kimmo Timonen in Sunday's playoff game.

    Not only wasn't Kunitz suspended, but as of Monday night, there was never even a hearing scheduled on the matter.

    In another playoff incident, Calgary's Mike Cammalieri also should have been suspended for hitting an unsuspecting Martin Havlat of Chicago across the jaw and sending him down on a faceoff.

     The Flyers' Dan Carcillo was suspended, rightfully so, for hitting Pittsburgh's Max Talbot acorss the head in Game 1 of their current playoff series.

     I tried to talk to Campbell Monday and discuss the incidents. An NHL PR guy just laughed. Apparently, I'd have better luck getting Barack Obama. Colie won't talk about it, I was told.

    Campbell did a CBC interview the other day and looked foolish as he tried to explain why some players are suspended and others aren't. For proof, check out this link. Flyers coach John Stevens is one of the subjects in the interview.

    Campbell said Cammalieri was not suspended becaue he was not a repeat offender. By that twisted logic, he will NEVER be suspended because he will never be a repeat offender.

    Campbell also said Carcillo "has a history" and that's part of the reason he was disciplined.

    In other words, only the players with bad-boy reputations will be punished.

    As I said, Carcillo deserved his punishment _ especially when you consdier the referee had just warned him not to do anything stupid. 

    But Kunitz and Cammalieri deserved punishments, too. There's no consistency in Campbell's decisions. And, because of that, he is leaving the impression that the NHL is trying to control which teams advance in the playoffs.

   Playing before a roaring orange-clad crowd at the Wachovia Center, the Flyers climbed back into the Eastern Conference quarterfinals with a hard-earned 6-3 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins Sunday in a series that feels like it’s going to go seven games.
     “You saw the desperation that carried on through the game,” goalie Marty Biron said of the Flyers’ effort. “The emotion was definitely there and that’s the way we’ve been successful all year. Just being able to control it and we did a good job of that.”
     The Penguins have a two-games-to-one edge, with the home team winning each contest.
    For the Flyers, the best development Sunday was this: Marc-Andre Fleury resembled the goalie who wasn’t overly impressive against Philly in the regular season.
    Fleury was superb in the first two games of this series, posting a 1.30 goals-against average and .955 save percentage. Coupled with his 1.61 playoff GAA against the Flyers last year, he was starting to get into the Flyers’ collective heads.
     And even though most of the goals Sunday weren’t his fault, the six goals (including an empty-netter) give the Flyers some much-needed confidence.
    “There were some bounces, too many goals for sure, and it’s tough to win games when you give up five goals,” Fleury said. “But we’ll try to forget about it….It stinks tonight, but tomorrow is a new day and Tuesday’s a new game.”
    The Flyers got solid all-around efforts from their veterans and rookies.
    Jeff Carter had been without a goal despite 13 shots in the first two games. He scored Sunday’s first goal after making two slick moves and depositing a backhander.
    Mike Richards had just two goals in his previous 14 games before scoring a power-play goal on a shot that deflected off the stick of Penguins defenseman Hal Gill.
    “It’s a big win for us, obviously,” Richards said. “It’s nice to play at home _ you feed off a lot of energy from the crowd.”
    Rookies Claude Giroux and Jared Ross scored their first playoff goals. For Ross, a fourth-line center, it was the first goal of his career. Darroll Powe, another rookie, contributed an assist and some punishing hits.
    Giroux was the game’s best player. He made it 3-2 after taking a pretty second-period feed from Danny Briere (two assists), and he made a series of breathtaking moves before setting up Simon Gagne (two goals) for a shorthanded goal that made it 4-2.
    “His hockey sense is incredible,” Richards said.
   “The key to every game _ especially the post-season _ is special teams, and we came out on the short end of that tonight,” Penguins interim coach Dan Bylsma said.
    The Flyers were 1 for 6 on the power play, while the Penguins were 1 for 7. The Flyers also scored they key shorthanded goal.
    So now the series is as close as possible after three games. The Flyers have another must-win game on Tuesday at the Wachovia Center.
    “We’re going to have to continue to play better as we move through the series,” Flyers coach John Stevens said.
* * * * * * * * * * 
     Breakaways. Giroux, Andrew Alberts and Kimmo Timonen were each plus-2…..Penguins center Jordan Staal, who was impressive in the first two games, was a minus-3….The Penguins won 53 percent (29 of 55) of the faceoffs. Sidney was 14 fo 20 (70 percent)…..The Flyers had 29 hits _ 11 more than the Pens…..Carter and Richards combined for 10 shots, two goals and zero assists. Crosby and Evgeni Malkin combined for nine shots, two goals, and two assists….The Penguins outshot the Flyers, 9-2, in the first 14 minutes. After that, the Flyers had a 28-20 shots advantage.
 

    PITTSBURGH _ Just like last year, the Flyers have lost the first two games in a playoff series against their bitter rivals, the Pittsburgh Penguins.

    But unlike last year, you get the feeling the Flyers still have a chance to advance.

    They dropped a crushing 3-2 overtime decision to the Penguins here Friday night in a rivetting Eastern Conference quarterfinal.

    The Flyers held a 2-1 lead in the late in regulation, but a fluke power-play goal _ it deflected off the leg of Evgeni Malkin and past goalie Marty Biron with 3:37 left _ tied the score and set the stage for the overtime.

    The Flyers had more chances in the OT, but penalties to Mike Knuble and Claude Giroux gave the Pens a 5-on-3 power play and veteran Bill Guerin deposited game-winner _ his second goal of the night _ with 1:31 left.

    There were 26 sconds remaining on Knuble's penalty when Guerin moved from the left goal line and whipped a shot past Biron.

     For the Flyers, however, there is hope. They were much more energized, much more efficient than in their 4-1 opening-game loss and they slightly outplayed the Penguins in their own building.

    The Flyers' passing was much sharper _ they had just two giveaways, eight fewer than Pittsburgh _ and they were  more disciplined than in Game 1.

     That's looking at the glass half-full.

     If you look at it half-empty, the Flyers, despite their discipline for most of the game, committed penalties at the worst time and surrendered power-play goals that enabled the Penguins to tie and win the game.

     "We did a lot of good things," Flyers coach John Stevens said. "It's tough, but we'll be ready" in Game 3 on Sunday.

     The outcome would have been different if Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury hadn't made two critical saves on Jeff Carter.

    Carter, who finished second in the NHL with 46 goals, was stopped on a first-period breakaway that would have given the Flyers a 2-0 lead.

    With 8:30 to play in regulation and the Flyers holding a 2-1 lead, Carter appeared to have an open net in front as he tried to finish a two-on-one. But Fleury, who was out of position because of a deflection in front, lunged to his right and somehow got his right skate on the shot.

    "It gave us a second life," Guerin said.

     Now the Flyers have the task of trying to overcome a 2-0 series deficit. They have done that just twice in 11 playoff series in their history _ once against Toronto, the other against Pittsburgh.

     I don't see it happening, but I still see a long series.

    * * * * * * * * * * *

    In Sunday's Inquirer, Flyers' defenseman Kimmo Timonen said the referees are favoring Sidney Crosby.

   * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    Game 3 is Sunday at the Wachovia Center at 3 p.m.....Scott Hartnell (power play) and Darroll Powe scored for the Flyers.....The Flyers were outshot, 49-40, but most of the Penguins' shots were from the perimeter as Philadelphia clogged the middle......The Penguins had 50 hits _ 21 more than the Flyers. Mike Richards had seven hits. The Pens' Brooks Orpik was credited with 14 hits......Braydon Coburn had two assists and was arguably the Flyers' best player. Coburn (33:46), Matt Carle (30:54) and Timonen (30:15) each played 30-plus minutes for the Flyers.....Carter has 13 shots on goal in the series and is still looking for his first goal......Last year, Pittsburgh defeated the injury-plagued Flyers in five games during the conference finals. 

   PITTSBURGH _ The Flyers are in denial.

   After Wednesday night's 4-1 loss to Pittsburgh in a first-round playoff opener, some of the Flyers talked about all the "bad bounces" that contributed to the Penguins goals.

   And before the game, when asked how how the Flyers could regain their form for the playoffs, coach John Stevens smiled and said: “I don’t agree with everybody else’s analysis of how we finished the year. I think we played a lot of good games…I thought there were some games where we were the better team and didn’t win. Our special teams were strong down the stretch....We tightened up defensively; we out-chanced teams, so in my opinion, we did a lot of things we needed to do down the stretch."

     Am I watching a different team?

     Didn't the Flyers limp home 4-5-1 and blow the fourth seed to the Penguins?

     The Flyers have been mediocre for six weeks now, plain and simple.

    On Wednesday, they were called for four first-period penalties, one which led to the tone-setiing first goal.

     All told, they had 12 penalties _ six more than Pittsburgh. And this was after they preached all week about playing with more discipline.

     On the bright side, Jeff Carter (eight shots) had numerous chances, and Mike Richards had a lot of "jump" in the final period, when he clanked one shot off the crossbar and another off the post. Richards fired 12 shots (two were on goal) and had four hits.

    On the flip side, Claude Giroux was minus-3, while Braydon Coburn, Matt Carle, Darroll Powe and Danny Briere were each a minus-2.

    The worst news of the night might have been this: Standout defenseman Kimmo Timonen suffered a charley horse when he was checked by Chris Kunitz in the first period and looked a shell of himself. He says he'll play Friday, but no one knows how effective he'll be.

* * * * * * 

   The NHL announced Thursday that Flyers LW Dan Carcillo was suspended for one game for his conduct in the closing seconds of the Game 1 defeat. In addition, Stevens was fined $10,000 because of the incident.

   Carcillo will miss Friday's game against the Penguins.

   With seven seconds left in Wednesday's loss, Carcillo hit Pittsbrugh's Max Talbot in the back of his head with his stick, but he was not assessed a penalty. Carcillo said his hand was on the stick and that he hit Talbot with his glove. Talbot, who was not injured, said he was hit with the stick.

       To replace Carcillo, the Flyers plan to move D Luca Sbisa to LW for Friday's game.

     The Eastern Conference series between the Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins seems too compelling to be an opening-round playoff matchup.

     But here it is. A matchup between teams that, if they play to their capabilities, are good enough to reach the Stanley Cup Finals.

   In other words, one very talented team is going to have an early playoff exit.

     But not before a long, grueling series.

    Oddsmakers have made the Flyers slight underdogs in the best-of-seven series, which gets underway Wednesday in Pittsburgh.

     Each team has two bonafide stars _ Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby for the Penguins, Jeff Carter and Mike Richards for the Flyers _ who could neutralize each other.

     The Flyers appear to have a little more firepower and get the edge on special teams.

     The Penguins look a bit stronger on defense and have a more consistent goaltender.

     They also have momentum and the home-ice advantage on their side, which is why I'm picking the Pens in seven entertaining games.

     This series will be much closer, much more dramatic than last year's conference final, won by Pittsburgh in five games.

    But the Flyers will have an early summer _ unless Marty Biron stands on his head.

   Hey, he did it in last year's first two rounds, so anything is possible.

* * * * * * * * * * * 

   The Flyers will be trying to avenge last year's conference-final loss to the Penguins.

"We kind of got a little taste from last year with these guys," defenseman Ryan Parent said after today's practice in Voorhees. "I think there's going to be a lot of fire and a lot of emotion. We have something to prove here, coming in as kind of the underdog."

* * * * * * * * 

   Jared Ross will center the Flyers' fourth line Wednesday, with Darroll Powe moving to right wing and Dan Carcillo playing left wing.

   Ross, who was promoted from the AHL Phantoms, said coach John Stevens told him "not to be afraid to use my creativity, because that's my game. But at the same time, you have to be smart and make sure I'm not making any mistakes or turnovers and to be strong defensively."

* * * * * 

  Staying out of the penalty box and not giving the Penguins' power play many opportunities looms as the key, winger Scott Hartnell said.

"Whoever wins this series is the team that is the most disciplined," said Hartnell, who led the NHL with 54 minor penalties this season.

* * * * * * 

   Biron said the first five or 10 minutes Wednesday night "will be like they always are when you start the playoffs. It's going to be crazy."

He said the Flyers needed to play with patience.

"You have to stay the course. This is not one game or one period or one shift where you win it all," he said. "It's a seven-game series."

* * * * * * * * *

Numbers Department

In all of their playoff series, the Flyers are 38-30, the Penguins 23-21. The Flyers have an all-time 189-174 playoff record, while Pittsburgh is 124-109.

* * * * * * * * 

  Breakaways. The Flyers are in the playoffs for the 13th time in the last 14 years. . ...Luca Sbisa, who returned to the Flyers after stints with Lethbridge and the Phantoms,  has lost about nine pounds since he left the club, and Stevens wants him to gain it back.

- Sam Carchidi

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    The Flyers didn't deserve to win the fourth spot in the Eastern Conference. Not the way they played tonight in a 4-3 loss to the Rangers. And not the way they've played for the last six weeks.

   Tonight's loss left the Flyers and Penguins tied for the fourth spot _ which gets the home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs _ but Pittsburgh gets the No. 4 seed because of the first tie-breaker, most wins. The Flyers finish at No. 5.

   Both teams finished with 99 points, but the Pens had one more victory than the Flyers. (Remember that Feb. 21 game in which Marty Biron made a late blunder that gave Sidney Crosby a gift goal in a 5-4 Pens win? Well, in retrospect, that point helped give Pittsburgh home ice in the playoffs.)

     The Flyers, 2-2-2 against the Penguins this season, will begin the best-of-seven series Wednesday in Pittsburgh.

    Earlier this month, captain Mike Richards downplayed a 3-2 loss in Toronto, saying it was just one game and there wasn't a need to panic.

    Well, it's never time to panic, but there IS a time for urgency.

    And the Flyers haven't had it for the last six weeks, going 11-10-2 in that span.

    Oh, there have been spurts of impressive play _ including a 3-1 win in Pittsburgh on on March 22  and a 4-2 victory over New Jersey the next night.

    But other than that, the Flyers have been a mediocre team since late February.

    The soft-spoken captain needs to step up and light a fire. If not, a very good season could be over in one playoff round.

    That seemed unthinkable in mid-February. Back then, the Penguins were in 10th place in the East.. But the Pens changed coaches and finished on an 18-3-4 run. The streak, coupled with the home-ice advantage, makes the Penguins slight favorites in this intriguing playoff series.

    Can the Flyers win it?

    Absolutely. Compared to last year _ when the Flyers lost to the Pens in five games in the conference finals _ the Flyers have improved and the Penguins have taken a few steps back.

     It will come down to goaltending, special teams and who plays with the most desire.

    From here, it seems the Flyers lost some hungriness around the same time they lost Glen Metropolit and Ossi Vaananen on waivers. (Salary-cap reasons were behind the moves.) Metropolit and Vaananen weren't stars, but they were well-liked teammates and their departures seem to have altered the team's chemistry in a negative way.