ECQF Game 5: Back (seriously) against the wall
by Travis Hughes on Apr 23, 2009 11:19 AM EDT
in 2009 Playoffs
34 comments
Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, Game 5
#5 Philadelphia Flyers at #4 Pittsburgh Penguins
Flyers trail best-of-seven series, 3-1
Mellon Arena - 7:00 PM EDT - Pittsburgh, PA
TV: CSN HD, Versus HD, CBC, RDS, FSN Pittsburgh
Radio: 610 WIP, XM 206
Behind Enemy Lines: Pensburgh
So this could be it, guys. The final game of the season for the Philadelphia Flyers. With their backs squarely against the wall, the team could be packing up those lockers come this time tomorrow. I mean, after all, look at the recent elimination games the Flyers have played in.They lost 6-0 in Game 5 of the Conference Finals last year to Pittsburgh while being down 3 games to 1. And then in 2006, they fell flat on their faces against Buffalo in a 7-1 loss to round out the season.
So why should things be different tonight? Well, this isn't even close to the same team as the one that lost in Buffalo three years ago. And last year? That team was absoutely spent -- both mentally and physically.
There is something resilient about the current Flyers bunch. They may not get off to the greatest starts and they may not play their best at all times, but they've had success in digging out of deep holes. An six game winless streak to start the season was a pretty big hole. A 5-1 third period deficit to the Hurricanes in December was a pretty big hole. A 3-1 series deficit to Pittsburgh is a pretty big hole.
But you win tonight at the Igloo, and suddently you're coming home with a chance to tie the series. Suddenly, this series looks a lot more winnable. All it takes is an excellent hockey game from the Flyers tonight and the momentum is, believe it or not, in our favor.
So what has to be done? They need to play the way they've been playing since Game 2. Stay aggressive, especially on the defensive side of things. Get traffic in front of Fleury and get the defense involved in the offensive side of things. On the power play, for the love of God, move the puck. And no matter what happens, do not get frustrated. Just don't let it happen, because that is this teams' kryptonite.
Seriously though, this would be a tied series if it weren't for Marc-Andre Fleury. In fact, it could very well be the Flyers trying to close this series out tonight if it weren't for Fleury. So actually getting pucks past him is the serious problem here. As we learned on Tuesday night, you can get all the offensive pressure in the world, but that doesn't guarantee scoring goals.
There has to be a better job of finishing but there has to be a hope that Fleury doesn't play as great as he played in Game 4. A little bit of luck and a whole lot of skill -- let's get this series back to Philadelphia.
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biron
biron was going to need to steal a game for us in this series at some point….might as well make it this one.
No Sykora or Letang for the Pens tonight.
Miroslav Satan returns for the first time since his minor league demotion in March and Philippe Boucher will man the blue line for only the second or third time since being injured back in Jan/Feb.
Follow the Penguins on SBN @ Pensburgh.com and twitter.
Satan for Sykora is probably a wash, if not an improvement for you.
Boucher for Letang really hurts. Does that mess up your pairings?
by Geoff Detweiler on Apr 23, 2009 1:45 PM EDT up reply actions
Doesn’t hurt that bad. Boucher’s a right handed shot like Letang. Boucher’s a vet.
I assume they’ll slide Boucher into Letang’s pairings to keep the rest the same.
Boucher missed a lot of time with injury, but the Pens got him in two games before the end of the regular season. In those two games he had 1 goal, 1 assist and was a +4. Once Boucher knocks the rest off and gets up to playoff speed, I don’t see it hurting the Pens at all.
Yeah – Satan for Sykora is basically swapping a healthy guy for an injured guy (although Dan Bylsma won’t publicly admit it).
Letang is apparently a game-time decision but it shouldn’t mess up the pairings really. Boucher was finding time on the PP and will likely partner in place of Letang.
Follow the Penguins on SBN @ Pensburgh.com and twitter.
Is this a move to help the Penguins powerpay or are they unhappy with Letang’s play as well? It didn’t seem like he was playing particularly poorly . . .
Supposedly there are whispers that Letang is nursing some sort of minor, unspecified lower-body injury, just don’t expect the team to own up to it!
Letang hasn’t been a world burner on the PP, but I don’t think he’s been an anchor either…If he’s not playing tonight, I would believe it’s based in injury, not performance.
I don’t think there’s any reason for the Pens, up 3-1, to switch the lineup— especially to bring in a 36 yeard old defensemen who’s played 2 games since February 1. No reason to do it unless injury, if you ask me. But I don’t work for the team, so I can’t say for sure.
its fleury's series to loose unfortunately.
when a team wants/wins a cup, they need the goaltending, the forwards in front can play as hard as they want, but it comes down to the goalie.
wings- osgood [playing uncharacteristically well]
giggy – [conn symthe]
ward [insane/ now, not so much]
Khabibulin [killed my spirits]
marty [the best in the business]
hasek, with in my opinion the strongest team to ever win a cup 02’ redwings, id take that team over any in history, they were so stacked [second best in the business]
homer's last pieces for long-standing success [offensive defensemen, goalie]
in addition, unless we get bounced out in this series tonight, i think homer will only try to sign one [nittys gone]
most likely biron to a 1yr deal (nitty can turn it on like the caps game in april, but biron plays better overall] unless other teams go after him aggressively, i cant see him taking anyone’s starting position. he’s played well for the most part. the last pieces of the puzzle is another solid defensemen at the point (coburn is taking longer than expected) so jaybou is huge [25yr’s old], and goalie is just MIA.
sadly i don’t see us having a goalie of fleury’s hype or prestige until i’m like 30, which is when richie will be 34 or something.
I'd change this a little bit
JayBouw would be nice, but any solid d-man would do. Komisarek? We need another solid, proven guy back there just in case Timonen goes down.
As for the rest of the crew: Coburn is taking too long? This was only his second full season, and third in the NHL overall. He is only going to get better. Ditto for Parent and Carle. Randy Jones is Randy Jones, which is to say he’s fine as a 3rd-defensive pair guy.
As for goalies, what about Craig Anderson and his .930-plus save percentages? I’ve liked him for a while. Ultimately though, if we are going to win the Cup we need to draft a star goalie. You know, like we used to do. That’s obviously what Pittsburgh has done with Fleury. That’s what Montreal did with Patrick Roy. That’s what the Devils did with Brodeur. Draft a quality goaltender, and let him come up through the ranks with the rest of your team. The goalie needs to be part of the team’s core.
Do you see what happens when you find a stranger in the Alps?
Hey we need to focus on tonight’s game, not the off season. I caught myself doing this last night, but as Travis pointed out, a win tonight makes things interesting. We’ll have plenty of time this summer to talk about what goalie or defensemen we need.
Lets show our faith in the Flyers that they can get back in this. I know its not likely but it is not impossible, just improbable.
I know, I know...
Aside from the fact that they’re our state rivals, there’s no shame in losing to the Penguins. They’re a good team.
If you want to know why I’m down about things, follow the bouncing puck. We got the bounces in game 3 and we won. The Pens got the bounces in all the other games and won. For the most part, you can tell who will win the series by who’s getting the most luck with the bounces. It is the true X Factor in every series – it is beyond either team’s control, but it determines an awful lot. So our luck would have to change in more ways than one to come back in this series.
Then again, there’s a first time for everything. We’ve never come back from a 3-games-to-1 deficit to win a series before, so maybe we’re due. But all Felury has to do is play one more game like he did on Tuesday, and we’re done.
Do you see what happens when you find a stranger in the Alps?
I’m a firm believer that if you work hard, you usually get the bounces. This series has changed my opinion on that quite a bit.
Broad Street Hockey - SB Nation's Philadelphia Flyers Blog. Makin' it look mean since 1967.
by Travis Hughes on Apr 23, 2009 6:57 PM EDT up reply actions
What’s JVR’s status with the team? Did he graduate from college yet?
Follow the Penguins on SBN @ Pensburgh.com and twitter.
He’s with the Phantoms, yes. Didn’t graduate but is done with the NCAA.
Broad Street Hockey - SB Nation's Philadelphia Flyers Blog. Makin' it look mean since 1967.
by Travis Hughes on Apr 23, 2009 5:18 PM EDT up reply actions
Crowd the net!
We need to keep traffic in front on the net. Much of why Fleury was so good was we were taking straight shots in full view of him. We need one-timers, and lots of visual obstruction.
anyone besides me notice the morale seems down, or are we just a really quiet bunch. I didn’t expect the team to make any joe namath promises, but it would have been somewhat more comforting then references by knuble and richie that it’s a big hole, and to play the exact same way. [after all you didn’t win]
and comebacks like 5-1 going into the third against carolina only happen when its midseason and it’s only 2 pts, theres no way in hell a playoff team takes a third period that lightly.
Its bleak just because it really seems like we should be tied if not winning this series. Its kinda like what more can they do, ya know? They have played well and just been unlucky. Sadly, that happens. Whats more frustrating is that it is the Penguins. Honestly, I acknowledge they are a solid team and if they advance will continue to do well, but at NO point do I ever want anything positive to happen for that franchise. Beyond us, I hope to see a team out West win the Cup. I don’t really care who, just because if it ain’t the Flyers who really cares . . .
I am excited for tonight game. They have nothing to lose so I expect a really hard hitting, physical showing from the Flyers. I hope they come out with reckless abandon and just leave it all on the line. If we play our game, I expect us to be talking about Game 6 tomorrow. Lets hope!
THis can’t be the last game of the season, we gotta come out on fire and steal this one away.
We’ve coughed up 3-1 leads in the playoffs more then once. No reason to think we can’t come back from that deficit ourselves.
Is it over? Yeah pretty much.
I hate to give up but it is pretty much over and you have to tip your hat to Fleury. He won the game the other night and it killed us. Can they win three in a row? realistically, no. I hope I am wrong and everyone can get on me. Nothing would me happier to be proven wrong. Jeff Carter in my opinion, has cost us the series. He had a great year but he is not a great player just a good player, not half the player Richard is.
by Fortune favors the brave(s) on Apr 23, 2009 5:29 PM EDT reply actions
Carter is still young
He still has time and is still developing. He’s made huge strides since last season—remember when he was trade bait? I have a feeling he’s going to get even better.
He has been disappointing in this series, however. But you can’t place all the blame on him. This team prides itself on offensive depth. Where have all the other scorers been? Where’s Lupul? Knuble? Nothing from them whatsoever.
There’s plenty of blame to go around with the (potential) loss of this series. But I’d start with Holmgren and work my way down the chain…
True about Carter's age
You are right, he is very young and sometimes being older you forget how you were at 23. But there are regrets. I doubt Richards will have a career of what if’s, Carter is another story.
by Fortune favors the brave(s) on Apr 23, 2009 5:55 PM EDT reply actions
He is a winner and we will being talking about him for years! Talent and desire cannot be taught.
by Fortune favors the brave(s) on Apr 23, 2009 6:10 PM EDT reply actions
The Flyers are a young team!
Folks,
Even though we may be done in a couple of hours, there’s no reason to panic in the long run. Richards, Carter, Parent, Coburn, Giroux, and other young guys will all continue to improve. But part of improving and learning how to win is learning how to lose. This sucks right now, but it will prove to be invaluable experience down the road.
One bad playoff series does not a bad career make for Jeff Carter. He’ll be fine, and so will the rest of the team. Go Flyers! Please!
Do you see what happens when you find a stranger in the Alps?
Let’s maybe have this talk in a few hours. And not a second sooner. I’m ready for a win. go flyers!
Broad Street Hockey - SB Nation's Philadelphia Flyers Blog. Makin' it look mean since 1967.
by Travis Hughes on Apr 23, 2009 6:58 PM EDT up reply actions
Billy Jaffee is a complete and total moron
Could this guy be any more biased in favor of the Penguins. He spends half his time calling for penalties against the problem, and the other half of the time talking about how great the penguins are and how the flyers suck. Probably the most annoying biased commentators I’ve had the misfortune to have to experience.
I’m guessing he was the color guy on Versus?
I didn’t watch them.
Broad Street Hockey - SB Nation's Philadelphia Flyers Blog. Makin' it look mean since 1967.
by Travis Hughes on Apr 23, 2009 9:43 PM EDT up reply actions
totally agree
he talked up the pens for the first half of the game
but he did say no goal on malkin’s kick
by fitzy first on Apr 24, 2009 11:45 AM EDT up reply actions
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Atlantic Standings
| GP | W | L | OTL | PT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
New Jersey
|
82 | 48 | 27 | 7 | 103 |
|
Pittsburgh
|
82 | 47 | 28 | 7 | 101 |
|
Philadelphia
|
82 | 41 | 35 | 6 | 88 |
|
New York Rangers
|
82 | 38 | 33 | 11 | 87 |
|
New York Islanders
|
82 | 34 | 37 | 11 | 79 |
(updated 4.12.2010 at 9:21 AM EDT)
Flyers Schedule
Next 5 Games
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New Jersey
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Tue 09/21 | 7:00 PM EDT |
|
@
Toronto
|
Thu 09/23 | 7:00 PM EDT |
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@
Toronto
|
Fri 09/24 | 7:00 PM EDT |
|
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Minnesota
|
Sat 09/25 | 8:00 PM EDT |
|
@
New Jersey
|
Tue 09/28 | 7:00 PM EDT |
Last 5 Games
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Chicago
|
Wed 06/09 | OT - L 3 - 4 |
|
@
Chicago
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Sun 06/06 | L 4 - 7 |
|
Chicago
|
Fri 06/04 | W 5 - 3 |
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Chicago
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Wed 06/02 | OT - W 4 - 3 |
|
@
Chicago
|
Mon 05/31 | L 1 - 2 |
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