Playoff-like atmosphere as Flyers fall to Caps, 2-1

by Travis Hughes on Mar 12, 2009 9:46 PM EDT in 08-09 Game Recaps

AP Photo via d.yimg.com

I missed almost all of the game, so thoughts will be coming in the morning after I get a chance to watch it. Feel free to add your thoughts in the comments, though.

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I had a chance to make it to the game

and I have to say, the nearly three minutes of chanting “Hey ref you suck” during the pauses between the Chicken Dance instrumentals following Knuble’s disallowed goal was absolutely classic.

I think Biron was STELLAR and I cannot fault him for either goal…you can probably pretty much chalk both up to defensive lapses in fact. He made some pretty big saves.

Also, I’m glad I got to watch Alex Ovechkin live. The guy’s amazing. Unlike the Flyers tonight, he did not wait with the puck. Once he gets it, he immediately does something with it and often plays a step ahead of the competition. I find it amazing how it seemed that the D nearly forgot he was on the ice on both goals. I’ve seen it in games against other teams as well. He always seems to sneak in somewhere unnoticed. That and the Alexanders combination (Ovechkin-Semin) is downright lethal. It was just frustrating to see some of the Fly guys try to outskate these boys…it just couldn’t be done on this night.

All in all, pretty good performance. Not anything excellent, but the shots were there.

I’m interested to see what you have for us in the morning as well as your thoughts on the ~~second Knuble goal~~, the second disallowed goal of the game.

by phantom818 on Mar 13, 2009 12:03 AM EDT reply actions

The a-hole chant was the longest i have ever heard.
and i was starting to think us penn state fans could hold a candle to flyers fans. glad to see there are still real fans in the building

by Rambo89 on Mar 13, 2009 1:08 AM EDT up reply actions

While I love a player trying to make something happen, I felt like Matt Carle was trying TOO hard every time he had the puck, wasting a number of chances by trying to skate through the whole caps team. anybody else notice that?

by Rambo89 on Mar 13, 2009 1:07 AM EDT reply actions

head scratching

we outplayed them. we just lost due to powe panicking below the goal line, and one caps defenseman diving off of token contact from knuble.

can’t fault biron one bit.

also, as much as I hate those commie bolsheviks (i am a flyers fan), i just can’t bring myself to dislike, or even boo, oveckin.

World F#$king Champions

by psudrozz on Mar 13, 2009 10:46 AM EDT reply actions

Really? Outplayed? What game where you watching?

by Ovechwin on Mar 16, 2009 3:54 PM EDT up reply actions

i hate ovechkin as a rival and as someone who celebrates like a 6 year old girl when he scores…but as a pure hockey player hes a beast. the puck just seems to snap off his stick with the flick of a wrist…traveling at 100 MPH. hes involved in every thing that happens for washington offensively, it almost seems like he never leaves the ice.

by njh3293 on Mar 13, 2009 2:03 PM EDT reply actions

That was one of the best games I have been too in a long time. The Flyers seemed a bit tentative to me, although I thought we deserved a little bit better in the first period. The refs really blew that call on the Gagne breakaway, although at first I didn’t see a penalty because I though Ovechkin’s sweep was legal. Although on the replay it was pretty clear Gagne was hooked by Green. While I am a proud Penn State fan, we cannot do an “asshole” chant for our lives, it becomes absurdly fast. We Flyers fans know how to keep a slow and steady one going. It was like a playoff game out there tonight, every fan was into it. I have to disagree with booing Ovechkin or yelling “Ovechkin sucks” though. You can obviously tell Ovechkin loves the game of hockey, and he is an incredible all-around player. His skill is unreal, his skating phenomenal, and his physical element impressive. At least when we yell that Crosby and Malkin are pu**ies its the truth, especially with Crosby who tries to start issues he cannot back up. Ovechkin brings it every game and you have to respect a player for that. Definitely my favorite player in the league who has never worn the orange and black.

by krice1989 on Mar 13, 2009 7:07 PM EDT reply actions

i think the booing of Ovechkin is all done in good spirit. The fans are respectful and mindful of the fact that hes the best player in the NHL, heckling him is the only way they know how to try and get in his head. obviously it doesnt work, but its still fun.

by njh3293 on Mar 13, 2009 8:38 PM EDT up reply actions

As it is fun for us Caps fans to listen to the booing know that it just motivates Ovie to play even harder.

by Moonage Daydream on Mar 14, 2009 12:29 PM EDT up reply actions

This was a fantastic hockey game, and in no way were the Flyers outmatched. I agree that Ovechkin is scary good, and with Semin, it’s an incredible combination, but the fact of the matter is that the Flyers should beat the Caps, because the Flyers are deeper. Ovy may be able to win a game or 2 putting the team on his back, but in a 7 game series the Flyers are going to win, so long as they simply put a line out that takes on the unglamorous challenge of shutting down the Caps 3 (Ovy, Semin, Green). It’s really that simple, but you’re not going to see that in a game like this. If anything, it looked like Stevens decided to just roll the dice and see how the Flyers played straight up, and the fact of the matter is, that if I were the Caps, and I was barely able to squeak out a 2-1 win in this type of game, I’d be very worried.

Also, in regards to the 2 end of game calls — while you hate to see a goal negated, it’s still a dumb penalty by Knuble. No, the call that absolutely infuriated me was the non-call on Gagne’s breakaway. I had to then sit and listen to the announcers fawn over the amazing defensive play made by Ovechkin. Sorry but when a guy is ahead of you on a shorthanded breakaway, and you get your stick in and impede him with a hook, and another guy dives in under your legs and pokes the puck away while also taking your legs out that’s not a great defensive play it’s a frigging hooking call at least. With that said, the Flyers power play was not very good.

by Gizmoitus on Mar 14, 2009 11:55 PM EDT reply actions