Did Carter, Richards injuries cause loss to Penguins?
The Philadelphia Inquirer Blog - Flyers Report: Broad Street Bull
Did Carter, Richards injuries cause loss to Penguins?
Sam Carchidi, Inquirer Staff Writer
And so now the Flyers have come clean: Mike Richards played virtually the entire season with two bad shoulders that will require surgery, and Jeff Carter played most of the last four playoff games against Pittsburgh with a separated right shoulder that will not need surgery.
Give both players cedit for their gritty efforts, but it doesn't change the disappointment of the first-round exit.
Carter's injurty occurred early in Game 3. With the Flyers holding a 2-1 lead late in pivotal Game 2, Carter appeared to have an open net but was robbed by goalie Marc-Andre Fleury with 8:30 left. He then committed a penalty in the waning minutes _ though it appeared Jordan Staal grabbed Carter's stick _ that led to a Pittsburgh power-play goal that tied the score and led to an eventual Penguins win.
Carter and Richards each scored just one goal in the playoffs in a combined 51 shots.
If they were healthy, would it have made a difference?
Doubtful, but it does explain some of the faceoff deficiencies. It should be noted that the Penguins were bothered by lots of injuries, too. The bottom line: Pittsburgh produced in the clutch and deserved to advance.
And when you cough up a 3-0 lead in an elimination game at home, you don't have the right to make excuses.
AreaMan - you make it sound like other cities don't give a free pass to their star players or captains. Compare the way Richards is regarded to the unwavering worship Sydney Crosby got from before he was drafted, and it makes it look like Richards is being run out of town on a rail. This bit of attacking Richards is just the latest attempt by johnny-come-lately Penguins fans to deflect the very legitimate criticisms of Sydney Crosby, the golden calf they started worshiping 4 years ago, having all but forgotten about hockey.— Pelti
Let's all remember that Sam has to write something (true or false) to get paid. He has being doing that for a long, long time. Maybe when he starts reporting the facts (like most of the readers want to read) instead of his opinions, the reporting will take a step forward. :)— vafarmer
Comment removed.- I laughed last night as I watched Crosby get tossed around by the Caps. He kept looking at the refs as if he couldn't believe that every tap and tug on him deserved a penalty that wasn't handed out. If if was a Flyers logo on their chests, there would have been a record number of penalties handed out....— Ticogringomike
