Broad Street Bull

Penguins steal series from Flyers; what's next?

The Philadelphia Inquirer Blog - Flyers Report: Broad Street Bull

58 comments

Penguins steal series from Flyers; what's next?

POSTED: Saturday, April 25, 2009, 11:23 PM

Sam Carchidi, Inquirer Staff Writer

     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.

58 comments

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Comments (58)

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 8:47 AM, 04/26/2009

OMIGODEAGLES, Perhaps the Pirates don't "play past September" but The City of Brotherly Hate has no pro sports being play when the Phillies are idle. You don't have the onions to admit it, but Sid the Kid cut your city's heart out with that empty netter! By the way, the Phillies WILL NOT repeat this year.

— hockeyjockey

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 9:22 AM, 04/26/2009

I agree they missed Hatcher too Sam, although think I am in the miniroty..this does NOT come down to the goalie - ( you see his stats) nor to Stevens....you can't coach heart and that started w/ the loss to the Rangers..First Flyer fans blame Keenan that he was too much of a hockey nazi...waaa the coach is yelling at us - he gets the ax...NOW Stevens is too easy on them ???? These players are adults !! Not pee wee hockey players - man up and show some heart...and to the loss?? I blame the lawn cutting, tree cutting, gutter cleaners wife !!! We are celebrating the 3-0 lead - and SHE brings the HEX out - between HER and the refs, and lack of heart...we knew CIndy would make it to the second round...Good Night and Good Hockey !

— poshnspice

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 9:31 AM, 04/26/2009

Hey yahmpy, speaking of Bouwmeester, have you ever actually watched him play? He's a good skater, and a pretty good offensive defensman (though definitely not in the NHL's top 10), but he's not much of a physical presence. Bouwmesster is definitely not tough. Komisarek's a 6'4" guy who plays small, an irritating hit-after-the-whistle type who seldom drops the gloves. Think Ulffie, think Claude Lemieux. They both played dirty, slew-foot, sneaky games, then turtled (for the most part) when they drove someone to the point of dropping his gloves. And when he does drop 'em, Komisarek's not a good fighter. Next.

— Kharlamov

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 9:56 AM, 04/26/2009

Great Series. All the Crosby Sucks chants are really making a difference, huh girls? Might want to take a page from the Book of Class and get back to supporting your own team and players instead of wasting air while screaming at "Public Enemy # 1" as your hometown cable channel, Versuckass, puts it. Crosby just gave you all cash money payback. Moving on in the next series is worth more than a late April tee time. BTW. Take a look at the stats of your top two lines for this series. That will tell the story. Jokes.

— Wooooo

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 9:59 AM, 04/26/2009

Worst collapse in sports since the '64 Phillies. Haven't the Flyers ever heard of "dump and chase"? Gotta wait another 6 months now to watch my Flyers, and hopefully see a new coach.

— hoverer

Comment removed.

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 10:07 AM, 04/26/2009

The Pens stole that series? Right! Just like the Flyers stole the series in 2000. No one wants to hear it.

— phillyinq

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 10:12 AM, 04/26/2009

Flyers won't win until they get a young PP QB defenseman a la Gonchar and an A1 goalie (Gee, where have we heard that before? Clarkie? Homer?) Richards stays. Briere and Gagne are pretty much untradeable due to salary and injury history. That leaves Carter and possibly Giroux ("a young Bobby Clarke" according to windbag Snider), Coburn, Lupul and JVR as trade bait. Go do your job Homer.

— Kharlamov

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 10:31 AM, 04/26/2009

Sam, There are no longer "crease-clearing" defensemen, the rules of "the new NHL" don't permit it. Today, you can't touch a guy in the crease unless or until he touches the puck, at which point frequently it's too late. That's why most teams place a premium on blocking passes intended for the crease area. This means that the most effective and desirable defensemen today have wing span and can skate (like Chara for instance). Derian Hatcher? Not under these new rules. The new rules are also the reason, as Pat Burns noted in a radio interview this past week, that teams can no longer effectively intimidate the opposition. Burns said the game's changed drastically and many coaches haven't adapted yet. Carcillo? 2 goals in 26 games and an ill-timed fight in the playoffs. Get rid of him.

— Kharlamov

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 1:06 PM, 04/26/2009

This column should be called Broad Street Bull*hit. Stole the series? The Pens beat the Flyers TWICE on their ice you simp. The Flyers and their fans need to accept this fact: The Pens are BETTER. Since Crosby was drafted this "rivalry" has been very one sided. So continue with your ridiculous Crosby chants people, that's about all you have at this point.

— keithjfro

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 1:27 PM, 04/26/2009

I know its hard for you Flyer fans to accept but the bottom line is that the Flyers were soundly beaten by a much better team (again)!

— nerocat

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 4:16 PM, 04/26/2009

Pens4Life - Was just about to congratulate your Pens for their resilience and pluck in a series full of energy and featuring two evenly matched - yes, evenly matched, d-bag - teams. But your classy comment about Pelle Lindbergh made me take notice, given how you corn-fed, white bread dorks complain about those big, mean Flyer fans. Coming from you, a laugh will do. Welcome back to hockey after years of Sega in the basement, when your team was a fixture in the league's basement. Keep living in a boring, second-class city, milk cows for your morning Cookie Crisp, and sport your Steelers jersey and finest pair of sweatpants while spending those Saturday nights at the bowling alley. End your night with your crew-cut, "big-boned" buddies feeding the bellies at the local Steak n' Shake while reviewing an evening once again wondering where the heck the girls hang out. Watching your teams is all "yins" have. Enjoy your simple life. Come hang in society some time. Good luck to those Buccos - they should contend this year in Triple-A.

— EaglesWest

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 5:40 PM, 04/26/2009

briere isnt going anywhere he has a no movement clause in his contract. he cannot be traded, waived, or bought out unless he gives his pernission. the deal is frontloaded to make a buyout later easier so good luck trying to find anyone to take him especially if the cap flat lines or goes down. good luck with the jaybo pipe dream and fitting him under the cap without gutting part of your team

— pens08

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 12:19 AM, 04/27/2009

game 1 Philly simply doesn't show up,maybe they were wondering why game 1 was in the BURGH.Game 2 Philly actually shows up and plays extremely well.However the horrible(all series)officiating calls Hal Gill for a ridiculous penalty.Common sense tells you(Knuble)theres going to be a make-up call coming.So knuble cross checks Orpik(who definetly embellished).Then for whatever reason Giroux two hands Kunitz.So now we are on the PP and Geurin ends it.Game 3 the flyers simply show why Philly is a hard place to place in.They dominated the game and despite Kunitz almost knocking off Timmo's head the pens just can't seem to get ahead.Game 4 Fleury just stands "on his head",and the pens win.Game 5 Biron plays his best game of the series and stops all 15 shots in the first period.Asham beats Fleury with a rocket,and the flyers play their best defensive game of the series.The result is a dominating win by the Flyers.Game 6 Philly up by 3,Max Talbot decides to try and make up for his first period turn over.After the game Talbot doing an interview with WPXI in Pittsbugh says he asked Carcillo to fight him.Carcillo seemed reluctant too do so,until according to Talbot "the whole Flyers bench told him to drop the gloves".Talbot changed the momentum by getting his a** beat.Then Pens then score.Then Mark Eaton doing what you should goes to the net and bats one out of the air.Then the kid does the same,and all of a sudden the rowdy Wachovia center becomes a funeral home.Then Gonchar delivers the dagger.Crosby finishes it with the empty netter,quieting the "Crosby s*cks" chanters.Philly's lack to score on the PP,and inability to win faceoffs I think was the big difference in this series.Trust me I'm from PGH,and really don't like the Flyers,but after seeing some of the comments they aren't getting a fair shake.They got plenty of calls through out the series but just couldn't seal the deal.A rugged D-man to slow us down and you might have won.

— pghforlife