Penguins steal series from Flyers; what's next?
The Philadelphia Inquirer Blog - Flyers Report: Broad Street Bull
Penguins steal series from Flyers; what's next?
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.
Somehow, the Philly fans will find a way to blame everybody on earth for the loss of the series.— jamski3- Somehow,the Philly fans will find a way to blame everybody on earth for the loss of the series.— jamski3
- The Flyers need to take a hard look at their coaching situation. There is a systemic problem with a team that 1) blows home ice by sleepwalking through the third period of their regular season finale 2)mails in their playoff opener and 3) virtually stops skating for large stretches of the final 35 minutes after building a 3-0 lead on home ice in an elimation game. The Flyers may well have lost to a better team in the Penguins, but a lack of preparation at key junctures made Pittsburgh's victory easier than it should have been.— PAStringer
- how is blowing a 3-0 lead stealing? typical whiny article!,...sometimes you get the bear sometimes he gets you!!!— lilj
- They lost fair and square, better luck next year. The days of Bernie Parent, Bob Kelly, Reggie Leach, Dave Schultz, Rick MacLiesh, Ed Van Impe, etc. and the like this isn't.— Liberty4All
- How do you all like Sydney Crosby now? Cryer Fans. You got what you deserve. A long off-season to think about "who we can blame now".— bill_the_sore_loser
- i just want to go on the record now...before anybody in Philadelphia says,,,well, it's probably already been talked about,,,but,,,there is NO way that Carcillo totally destroying whoever that dude was from Pittsburgh right after the Flyers took a 3-0 lead made the Flyers lose...if so,,,then there could be job openings finally in the near future...i want a job as the guy who get's sent in to get his @&%# kicked...when the team is down and we need a momentum change, instead of working harder, finishing checks, winning individual battles, beating people to the puck,,,we'll send you in...you go out there and get your @&%# kicked,,,and then it's all over,,,we win!!!!!...I WANT THAT JOB...it'll hurt, but it pays well— theglue
- Actually bill we just roll into baseball mode. We also don't think about the Flyers again until July 1 when FA begins and then forget about them again until November. I forgot Pittsburgh does have a baseball team too, but it never plays past September so who really cares.— OMIGODEAGLES
- marty biron was not at fault for this series loss he played well enough for the flyers to win. saying the penguins stole the series is a bit of a reach since both teams were evenly matched. game one the flyers were outplayed along with stupid penalties. game 2 the flyers gave away with stupid penalties and spare me the whining gill had a crosscehck penalty in ot before thoe 2 calls that you could have won the game on. game 3 the pens got out played along with their own stupid penalties. game 4 fleury stole. game 5 brion stole the. game 6 was a train wreck for the flyers. why was carcillo fighting with his team up 3 goals and the game in hand? that was just plain stupidity on his part. john stevens is not the coach to take this team to the next level and should be removed. quite frankly stevens came off as a cry baby when he complained about the crosby goal then turned a blind eye as the flyers mowed fleury down through out the third period of game 4. you can't have it both ways john. even though dumping upshall was for salary reason that loss did hurt the flyers as he is 3 times the player carcillo will ever be.— pens08
- Please Flyer fans, please keep hurling insults and taunts at Crosby every time he enters your building. It is so classy and works like a charm every time! I guess you'll be seeing the number 87 in your dreams for a long long time! LOL— PensOwnU
- wow...so lettin' go of upshaw did it (no disrespect scottie)...good point pens08,,,and PensOwnU,,,Crosby is a great player,,,I did wonder why at first,,,but now i see why everybody get's on him,,,— theglue
- Lets see... Healthy Timmonen? Check. Healthy Coburn? Check. Healthy Gagne? Check. Different year, same result. Same AWESOME feeling!! Go Pens!!— LGP
- Well at least Bettman is happy. Got his wish for Cindy and his girls to advance.— TJR
- This team just does not have the high-caliber talent to get into playoffs. They were never on even ground with the Pens. It always felt as if the Pens could score just about anytime they wanted...even when they were down three goals. Philly has always succeeded when there is that one marque player to build around. Ask yourself, who is that player on the flyers? Richards? Carter? Gagne? Briere? Giroux? No. These guys are all great players, but not Malkin/Crosby good. Sorry. It just seems there are a lot more Hextall/Clarke/Lindros jerseys in the crowd...still.— sassuass
- I agree with Sam that there needs to be a greater physical presence in the defensive zone, but I think more of it has to come from the forwards. There are too many forwards trying to play the puck instead of taking the body. Skilled players like Crosby and Malkin will expose that routinely. The problem with big, physical defensemen is that they are slow and get beat up ice for odd-man rushes. I just wish we could trade Briere and use his large salary on an elite goalie. Biron's performance reflects the rest of the team -- brilliant one minute and brutal the next.— Snap Crackle Propp
