(AP)
We knew the Pens didn't have to win every game to win the series, it is a best of seven after all, but it doesn't matter, losses still hurt. Watching the Flyers score two goals in the first few minutes was not the start we had anticipated. That felt like the worst thing that could have happened. When you're on the road it's always a good idea to start fast and score first. That obviously didn't happen. And who wanted to give the Flyers the idea that they could win this game, let alone this series? No, we weren't panicking yet, there was a ton of time left. But in that environment and down by two only a few minutes in isn't exactly your idea of good.
When the Pens scored with only 11 seconds left in the first period, we thought YES! this is exactly what they needed. What better way to get the momentum shifted in your direction than scoring with mere seconds left on the clock? So you can imagine our, and probably everyone else's, dismay when the Pens scored 13 seconds into the second period to tie it. All of a sudden those two Flyers goals didn't look so bad.
Unfortunately the feeling didn't last long. Before you knew it the Flyers scored again to get the lead 3-2. What a downer. But not nearly as much of a downer as the next goal. The Pens had a power play and that should be a good thing, right? Not so much this time. Okay okay, worse than usual, we get it. All of a sudden it's 4-2 after a shorthanded goal by the Flyers. We really couldn't have been the only ones that hoped that this wouldn't happen to the Pens. It seemed like that was all you heard about on their power play. The Flyers scored the most shorthanded goals. Blah, blah, blah. That was a killer.
The third period included two goals by the Flyers, one of those being an empty netter at the end of the game after Fleury had been pulled. Geno would score a second goal but it wasn't enough to beat the Flyers. The Pens would lose 6-3 to put the series at 2-1 Pens.
The random thoughts section of this post should be a long one, partially thanks to NBC.
- What exactly was Geno thinking about before the game? They showed him sitting in the locker room with his arms crossed and doing nothing and looking a little...intense. We just found it kind of interesting.
- What was with the Sidney Crosby questions every five seconds? Is there no one else involved in the game? Ridiculous. The leading scorer in the league and the playoffs is on the same team but who cares obviously. We like Crosby, you all know that, but there is more than one person that plays for the Pens. NBC doesn't know that. And what was with telling Sidney to keep smiling? A little creepy.
- Did anyone actually like that above the ice, behind the net camera angle? We thought that was terrible. We couldn't even see the puck. And then when the Flyers scored on one of their power plays, we didn't know till everyone freaked out. Okay, we know, that's a whole couple of seconds after the puck goes in but it really ruined things for us.
- As for more serious things, what happened to the Pens defense? Things weren't looking so good. Fleury may be the goalie, but there is a defense for a reason and it was not helping MAF out by any means. It's way too late to be making careless mistakes and those things can't happen again in game 4. Tying this series would be the last thing we want.
- Where was the discipline? The Flyers did their usual stupid penalties thing too but that's not the Pens' game like it seems to be the Flyers. As more than one player said, the Flyers sucked the Pens into that style of play and it obviously didn't work for the Pens. There needs to be some restraint in the next game because playing like that isn't going to get them anywhere.
- We still like the hits, just not after the whistle. Chris Kunitz has been an absolute beast on the ice, hitting anything he possibly can. We don't know if becoming a father helped out, but we love it. And it doesn't get much better than his huge hit on Kimo Timonen. Wow. We need to see that a few more times. He also wasn't afraid to take on Hartnell when he had a problem with the hit. We like Kunitz's grit.
- Most people are helping out the team and have done something to stand out so far in this series but where is Petr Sykora? You could usually count on Sykora to take a Geno pass or two and bury it into the back of the net but not lately. He really needs to step up or we think someone else should take his spot on Geno's line.
- We hate talking about the Refs but what are they on? Yes, their jobs aren't easy, but some of these calls or non-calls are a little ridiculous. How did Staal getting a stick to the face end up with him being penalized? And of course a goal was scored by the Flyers on that power play. We can deal with some of the calls, they'll happen in every game, but that was too much.
- We love that Philly hasn't lost it's touch. The Crosby sucks chants started even early that we thought they would and the boos were as loud as ever. The chants about the refs were really classy as well. Fans are fans at times but Philly really takes it to another level. The Crosby and refs chants being encouraged is too low for our liking. Why an organization would let that happen we'll never understand.
- Geno is playing like Geno and we love it. He is playing at such a high level it's incredible. Which is also why we don't think it's fair to have invisible Sykora on his wing when maybe someone else could be a lot better.
- The Pens need to get back to their game. Be aggressive, no after the whistle garbage, and find their defense and they'll be fine.
- NBC sucks.
Go Pens!
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