Round 3 Game 3: Pens v Flyers (W 4-1)
A bit of sad news to start today's post: John Staal, the grandfather of Eric, Marc, Jordan, and Jared, passed away on Monday. Jordan did play in tonight's game, and former Penguin Mark Recchi has chartered a plane so Jordan can join his family for the funeral and not miss any of the playoffs. (The Recchin' Ball is one classy guy.) Our condolences to the entire Staal family.
I have to start out with saying the Versus announcers are almost unbearable to listen to. They are bar none the worst I've ever heard. Simply awful. They made me long to hear Paul Steigerwald's misidentifications and Bob Errey's wackiness again. What happened to Doc Emrick and Eddie Olczyk?! UGH. And I can't even use my XM Radio when games are on Versus because there is about a 3 or 4 second difference.
The boo-birds were out in the Wachovia Center tonight, no more so than when Derian Hatcher was called for hooking Evgeni Malkin early in the first period. Flyers coach John Stevens had to be held in check by Jim Dowd because he was so upset. This would be just the beginning though - the refs were calling everything. On the ensuing Pens power play, Ryan Whitney bounced the puck (probably inadvertently) off Jason Smith and into the goal. [Pens 1, Flyers 0]
A little while later, Marian Hossa made an unbelievable move and shot the puck between the Lasse Kukkonen's legs (he was skating backwards right in front of Hossa, who was using Kukkonen as a screen). It was a lightning quick shot that Martin Biron likely never saw coming. [Pens 2, Flyers 0] The crowd became almost silent.
Okay, now you're going to have to pay attention here because, as I said, the refs were trying to call everything: Tyler Kennedy was given a delay of game penalty after he popped the puck up and over the glass. 27 seconds into TK's penalty, Daniel Briere was called for hooking. 25 seconds after that, Hossa was called for hooking. While the Flyers had the advantage on the 4-on-3, Mike Knuble threw the puck through the blue paint behind Marc-Andre Fleury. Lady Luck was on the Pens' side as the puck didn't slide into the goal. TK was then back on the ice, and then Briere came back to the ice. The Flyers didn't score on their advantage, but just as Hossa returned to the ice, Vinny Prospal centered a pass from behind the net that Pittsburgh native Penguin-killer RJ Umberger buried in the net for the even strength goal. [Pens 2, Flyers 1]
Right after Ryan Malone missed a chance, he was called for hooking (⇐ Seeing a pattern here?). The Flyers didn't score on their advantage. With less than 5 minutes left in the period, Sid and Geno made a series of passes that I can't even begin to describe. Then MAF went behind the net to play the puck. A Flyer was bearing down on him, so he attempted to get back into position, but he fell as he did so. He scrambled while the Flyers were trying to put it in, but somehow MAF managed to stretch his legs out, keep the puck out, and freeze it. (WHEW!) Sid was skating like a beast in the last minutes while he tried to add to the Pens' lead. The period ended with the Pens ahead by a goal.
The second period saw the Saint working like a champ. He did basically everything - but score. Biron made a nice save on Sid to keep the Flyers within one. Just after Jeff Carter took a good shot that Flower answered with a better save, Scottie Upshall used his leg to trip Geno. On the ensuing Pens power play, Mike Richards went on a shorthanded breakaway. Sergei Gonchar (who was unreal again tonight) made a beautiful diving poke check. Despite the fact that it was a textbook play, the fans began an "ASS-hole!!!" chant. The Pens didn't score on their advantage.
Versus then showed Braydon Coburn in one of the luxury suites. WOW, that looks awful! He required 50 stitches after taking a puck to the face early in the last game. His eye is still swollen shut, but he vows to return to the ice as soon as it opens up again. I assume he'll be sporting a cage if he's cleared to return, because that is one nasty cut. (It was hard to look at!)
The Flyers turned the puck over to Geno, who was screaming down the ice with 2 teammates. Randy Jones was the only Flyer back, and as much as it pains me to admit, he made a sweet diving block to prevent Geno's pass from getting through. (I think his teammates owe him a drink for that move!) Later the whistle blew for an offsides call, but for a split second we thought it would be for a penalty to Briere for slashing Brooks Orpik's wrist. (The Versus announcers actually suggested that Orpik was embellishing until they saw the replay. Does anyone know - are these the Flyers regular announcers? They were awfully biased.) The second period ended with the same score as the end of the first.
Flower made another near blunder when he gave he puck right to Joffrey Lupul. Ah, but who needs luck when you've got all that skill?! He quickly regained his wits and made the save. Briere later tripped over himself, but the crowd (and the announcers) wanted a penalty. The Flyers sealed their own fate when they gave the puck away to Geno, who had Petr Sykora and Bugsy close by. Geno fired a shot. Biron blocked it. Syko fired a shot off the rebound. Biron blocked it. Bugsy fired a shot - it went in!!! [Pens 3, Flyers 1] Syko, however, had to be helped off the ice after taking a big (late?) hit from Steve Downie as the goal was scored. (I'm not sure if Syko was hit before or after the whistle.)
On the very next play, TK had a break, but he was back checked well, so his shot was blocked by Biron. Staal's attempt on the rebound was blocked by Biron as well. Syko came back for his next shift, so that was a big relief. Mario Lemieux was shown in the stands looking very focused. Later, a wider shot of Le Magnifique was shown that revealed that he was sitting beside his wife, Nathalie, and behind them was Sidney's father, Troy Crosby.
Mad Max Talbot lost his stick in his own zone, and we were able to hear a Pen yelling, "Maxi, Maxi, Maxi!!!" as he offered Max a new stick from the bench. At this point, the Pens brought out their trademark defensive shutdown strategy. They held the Flyers shotless until 1:12 left in the game when Biron was pulled in favor of the extra attacker. Less than 20 seconds later, Hal Gill sent a perfect tape-to-tape pass to Hossa, who then easily launched the puck into the empty net. [Pens 4, Flyers 1]
The game ended giving the Pens a 3-0 lead in the series. They are only the 4th team in NHL history to win 11 of their 1st 12 playoff games. (The last team to do so was the 1983 Edmonton Oilers.) The Saint was awarded the night's First Star honor, and with the assists from tonight's game, Sidney is now the playoff scoring leader!!! :)
One more game in Philly will be played on Thursday at 7:30pm Eastern. Then (if necessary), we're coming back to the 'Burgh! But let's hope we can avoid that. ;)
GO PENS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I have to start out with saying the Versus announcers are almost unbearable to listen to. They are bar none the worst I've ever heard. Simply awful. They made me long to hear Paul Steigerwald's misidentifications and Bob Errey's wackiness again. What happened to Doc Emrick and Eddie Olczyk?! UGH. And I can't even use my XM Radio when games are on Versus because there is about a 3 or 4 second difference.
Wow. That's just gross.
The boo-birds were out in the Wachovia Center tonight, no more so than when Derian Hatcher was called for hooking Evgeni Malkin early in the first period. Flyers coach John Stevens had to be held in check by Jim Dowd because he was so upset. This would be just the beginning though - the refs were calling everything. On the ensuing Pens power play, Ryan Whitney bounced the puck (probably inadvertently) off Jason Smith and into the goal. [Pens 1, Flyers 0]
A little while later, Marian Hossa made an unbelievable move and shot the puck between the Lasse Kukkonen's legs (he was skating backwards right in front of Hossa, who was using Kukkonen as a screen). It was a lightning quick shot that Martin Biron likely never saw coming. [Pens 2, Flyers 0] The crowd became almost silent.
Okay, now you're going to have to pay attention here because, as I said, the refs were trying to call everything: Tyler Kennedy was given a delay of game penalty after he popped the puck up and over the glass. 27 seconds into TK's penalty, Daniel Briere was called for hooking. 25 seconds after that, Hossa was called for hooking. While the Flyers had the advantage on the 4-on-3, Mike Knuble threw the puck through the blue paint behind Marc-Andre Fleury. Lady Luck was on the Pens' side as the puck didn't slide into the goal. TK was then back on the ice, and then Briere came back to the ice. The Flyers didn't score on their advantage, but just as Hossa returned to the ice, Vinny Prospal centered a pass from behind the net that Pittsburgh native Penguin-killer RJ Umberger buried in the net for the even strength goal. [Pens 2, Flyers 1]
Right after Ryan Malone missed a chance, he was called for hooking (⇐ Seeing a pattern here?). The Flyers didn't score on their advantage. With less than 5 minutes left in the period, Sid and Geno made a series of passes that I can't even begin to describe. Then MAF went behind the net to play the puck. A Flyer was bearing down on him, so he attempted to get back into position, but he fell as he did so. He scrambled while the Flyers were trying to put it in, but somehow MAF managed to stretch his legs out, keep the puck out, and freeze it. (WHEW!) Sid was skating like a beast in the last minutes while he tried to add to the Pens' lead. The period ended with the Pens ahead by a goal.
The second period saw the Saint working like a champ. He did basically everything - but score. Biron made a nice save on Sid to keep the Flyers within one. Just after Jeff Carter took a good shot that Flower answered with a better save, Scottie Upshall used his leg to trip Geno. On the ensuing Pens power play, Mike Richards went on a shorthanded breakaway. Sergei Gonchar (who was unreal again tonight) made a beautiful diving poke check. Despite the fact that it was a textbook play, the fans began an "ASS-hole!!!" chant. The Pens didn't score on their advantage.
Versus then showed Braydon Coburn in one of the luxury suites. WOW, that looks awful! He required 50 stitches after taking a puck to the face early in the last game. His eye is still swollen shut, but he vows to return to the ice as soon as it opens up again. I assume he'll be sporting a cage if he's cleared to return, because that is one nasty cut. (It was hard to look at!)
The Flyers turned the puck over to Geno, who was screaming down the ice with 2 teammates. Randy Jones was the only Flyer back, and as much as it pains me to admit, he made a sweet diving block to prevent Geno's pass from getting through. (I think his teammates owe him a drink for that move!) Later the whistle blew for an offsides call, but for a split second we thought it would be for a penalty to Briere for slashing Brooks Orpik's wrist. (The Versus announcers actually suggested that Orpik was embellishing until they saw the replay. Does anyone know - are these the Flyers regular announcers? They were awfully biased.) The second period ended with the same score as the end of the first.
Flower made another near blunder when he gave he puck right to Joffrey Lupul. Ah, but who needs luck when you've got all that skill?! He quickly regained his wits and made the save. Briere later tripped over himself, but the crowd (and the announcers) wanted a penalty. The Flyers sealed their own fate when they gave the puck away to Geno, who had Petr Sykora and Bugsy close by. Geno fired a shot. Biron blocked it. Syko fired a shot off the rebound. Biron blocked it. Bugsy fired a shot - it went in!!! [Pens 3, Flyers 1] Syko, however, had to be helped off the ice after taking a big (late?) hit from Steve Downie as the goal was scored. (I'm not sure if Syko was hit before or after the whistle.)
On the very next play, TK had a break, but he was back checked well, so his shot was blocked by Biron. Staal's attempt on the rebound was blocked by Biron as well. Syko came back for his next shift, so that was a big relief. Mario Lemieux was shown in the stands looking very focused. Later, a wider shot of Le Magnifique was shown that revealed that he was sitting beside his wife, Nathalie, and behind them was Sidney's father, Troy Crosby.
Um, that doesn't look like preferential treatment to me, LOL!!!
(This picture was a great find by good Friend of The Show Michelle B.)
(This picture was a great find by good Friend of The Show Michelle B.)
Mad Max Talbot lost his stick in his own zone, and we were able to hear a Pen yelling, "Maxi, Maxi, Maxi!!!" as he offered Max a new stick from the bench. At this point, the Pens brought out their trademark defensive shutdown strategy. They held the Flyers shotless until 1:12 left in the game when Biron was pulled in favor of the extra attacker. Less than 20 seconds later, Hal Gill sent a perfect tape-to-tape pass to Hossa, who then easily launched the puck into the empty net. [Pens 4, Flyers 1]
The game ended giving the Pens a 3-0 lead in the series. They are only the 4th team in NHL history to win 11 of their 1st 12 playoff games. (The last team to do so was the 1983 Edmonton Oilers.) The Saint was awarded the night's First Star honor, and with the assists from tonight's game, Sidney is now the playoff scoring leader!!! :)
Check out that sign on the left...
...I think a 3-0 series begs to differ.
One more game in Philly will be played on Thursday at 7:30pm Eastern. Then (if necessary), we're coming back to the 'Burgh! But let's hope we can avoid that. ;)
GO PENS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Labels: Mark Recchi, playoffs, recap
posted by snoopyjode at 8:22 PM
Roaming Penguins 
Contact snoop 
37 Comments in The Friends' Zone:
I love that picture of Sidney backin' his junk up and nailing Lupul.
Baby got back.
i believe they call that "skater's ass" hahaha!
Downie's hit should've been called charging. Sykora had already let go of the puck long before Downie hit him. AND he took a few strides too.
Empty nets do NOT work in favour of the team who has the empty net.
(Okay, I understand that sometimes they do, but i am trying to illustrate a point here).
Hey Snoop, i just wanted to say how much I love reading your blog! I found it back in January and have been visiting every day since! Your recaps are so fun and witty and I love the captions you have to go with it.
SO thank you and keep up the great job! :)
thank YOU, vee! i really appreciate your compliments! :) :) :) i'm glad you like TSCS!!!
stephanie b. - i totally agree, especially in the post-season; i can't actually think of a single time these playoffs when it's resulted in a game-tying goal. (actually, there may have been one in the flyers-habs series, correct me if i'm wrong)
stellar game tonight, Gonch was incredible. it restored my faith in playoff reffing that he wasn't unfairly called for tripping.
also... sid's playoff beard (can it be called that yet?) is beginning to grow on me :)
In response to the picture with the Flyer fan holding up the sign that says "You're not that good", if the Pens aren't that good then the Flyers must flat out suck.
That's probably the worst sign to be holding up when your team just lost 4-1....not to mention for the third CONSECUTIVE time.
Snoop, love the comment about Versus. I cannot deal with it anymore. I miss Paul and Bob so much. But its hard watching the game on mute cause you miss the calls.
Meredith, I think there may have been on in the wings-predators series too.
All I have to say is 3-0.
The so-called fans (Who left before it was even OVER, a huge NONONONO in the Mellon) just were FLAT. Orange = CRUSHED. . . and classless!
And yes, sir, they are that good. . . and then some.
I love that last picture of Sid. The look on his face seems to be saying "Why are you asking me the same fucking question for the 12th time?"
But he's biting his tongue like the diplomatic boy he is. :)
Hey, i tried posting this link here the other day but I do not think it worked. Here it is again http://www.cbc.ca/national/blog/video/sports/the_kid_2.html
it's a Sid interview which was done last summer and CBC actually showed it tonight during their news broadcast after the game. The interview is done by Peter Mansbridge from CBC news. enjoy everyone!
Lorie:)
AMEN ALLIE!
I don't know about you but I do NOT like the versus announcers they don't know how to say the penguins names for example its Scuderi not SCOOderi!
One would think that since Versus is the go-to station for hockey, especially the playoffs, that they would provide some decent unbiased announcers for the game.
On that note...Let's go Pens!! 3-0baby....yeah! Bring out the brooms everyone, it's going to be a sweep!
Thank god for Tivo! I never listen to the tv announcers. I pull up the Dallas station on my computer...they are usually 30 seconds to a minute behind. Then I pause my tv, let them catch up, and hear my beloved Ralph and Razor instead of the yahoos on Versus....
And boy did Versus enjoy showing the disappointed faces of the Flyers fans throughout that game! And then talked about it ad nauseam toward the end. :)
that's another good reason i should to pony up the cash and get tivo!!!
i missed downie charging syko because i got a text message. i literally only looked away for like 2 seconds and missed it!!! then versus never replayed the hit in its entirety. but i had a pretty good feeling it was probably a cheap shot when the versus announcer gleefully described it as they went to commercial: "malone scores and downie takes out his frustrations" with a shot of syko down on the ice.
VERSUS = JOKE
anyhoo, my sabres lovin' supervisor came in and was like, "how did they not call downie for charging?! that was a classic charging call if i ever saw one." now i need to go youtubin' to find it so i can see it.
Doc and Eddie are calling the Detroit/Dallas series, and as the "A" team, I'm sure they'll be calling the Cup Finals series.
Joe Micheletti used to report for the Bolts in Tampa and when I lived there, I have suffered through many, many games. I was so happy to hear that he'd left, and then dismayed to learn that he was on Versus! =\
Personally, I miss Gary Thorne and Bill Clement. =(
*sigh* i kind of figured doc and edzo were in the west. (those games are on past my bedtime, LOL!) i hope you're right about them calling the cup finals - i don't know how much more of these clowns i can take.
Maybe you'll get Doc and Eddie after tonight :(
You Eastern Conference people are so spoiled with your ONE time zone :P. The only thing I actually LIKE in this series is that playing Detroit means none of our games starts at 9:00 (being in the Pacific Division SUCKS!!!)
Hey Snoop!
Quick correction - The 1983 Oilers did not win the Stanley Cup. They ended up losing to the Islanders in the finals, but began their dynasty the following year.
eighty-two, OOPS! i was close - but i know, i know: close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades, LOL! thanks for the correction. :)
I'm a Flyers fan first and a Sid fan second, so that should be made perfectly clear so you all realize the importance of this post.
I know my team. I know my boys, I know how they work.
Since we lost last night, the series will be over in four games. Nitty could've won this series for us, just like he did against the Habs, but he's fading. The time off didn't work in our favor. We had so much momentum and it's all gone now.
And in response to calling Flyers fans classless...Well, we aren't. We didn't throw beer and pizza boxes at you. I assure you that every team boos at penalties. It's hockey. We're Philadelphia Hockey fans. We love our team and we hate when we lose. We'll leave early to avoid seeing the painful play they've stooped to.
It's difficult enough to stomach a loss to the Pens when we deserve it, but to lose to them and play this terrible? It's disgraceful. You can't blame Philly fans for that.
As for the Versus announcers, I guess we're lucky here in Canada. CBC's Hockey Night in Canada is the BEST. Can you get it on satellite in the US?
Go Pens!!!
Re: the Versus announcers
I'm not sure if it will be available for you guys down south - sometimes streaming Fox doesn't work in Canada - but cbcsports.ca has been streaming all of the Pens games since round 1.
It can be a bit dodgy at times, but it's free and the announcers can't be worse than versus. (Also, wicked if you're stuck at work but want to catch the game :P)
Oh and it's only cbcsports.ca NOT cbc.ca/sports/ and sometimes typing in cbcsports.ca will redirect you to the other - finicky website, but it always seems to work when a game is about to start.
Meredith, we can't get CBC online broadcasts in the States. Thanks for trying though.
Snoop, Joe Beninati is the Caps' announcer. It's probably killing him to call the Pens stomping on the team that beat his team. When the Caps-Flyers games were on Versus, Balto would still get the local broadcast so that's what I had to watch...let me tell you Beninati nearly cried on air after Philly beat them in game 7.
What's driving me crazy is the Versus guys acting like Philly's playing well. As the Flyer fan above flat-out says, they're not. They've had a few good moments among a sea of ineptitude and they seem, except for Richards, to be rather apathetic. I thought after game 2 that maybe their playing three games more than us was a difference, but it seems now like there's more to it than that. But if you listen to Versus, they're playing fantastic hockey and we're barely squeaking by. I don't know what series they're watching. Has any Pens fan felt like our team has been in danger of losing any of these games? I sure haven't. If Philly was in it to win it I'd have been nervous at least once in the series.
Last night was an interesting night, for me at least and I didn't get home until the start of the second period. I was listening to the broadcast on XM of the first period and oh my goodness are they so much better than those announcers on Versus. I get home and turn on the game and immediately I hear them complimenting the playing style of the Flyers. Hello? They weren't at all spectacular at that point in time (or rather they didn't play all too well at all. There was just a couple plays were they were alright).
Now about the no-charging call. I agree that it should have been called on Downie. Syko let go of the puck and Downie took strides toward him. Bad call on the refs who seemed to be catching everything last night.
Can't wait for tomorrow's game! Tension will be high.
GO PENS!!!
Sid's beard gets such a bad wrap, but it is not that bad!
what dose the black cat symbolize?
um... how do i put this delicately? here goes nothing: the creator of the sign was using the cat to replace the word "pussy" to convey a very vulgar message.
i'm still pretty amazed that getty editors let this one go through.
Anonymous - you are completely right about CBC's announcers! CBC is the BEST for hockey! It IS Canada after all....
The Big K - I also agree that Sid's beard is not THAT bad. There are others that are just as bad (ie - Danny Briere), it's just because he is the NHL's poster boy that it gets so much attention.
Tensions won't be high at game 4. Philly fans are bailing fast. They won't be able to GIVE away tickets to that game in Philly.
BTW, this is Flyers fan from before.
flyers fan, i wish i didn't have to work tomorrow!! i'd go!!! though, i'm not sure how i'd fare showing up wearing black and gold in orange country! ;)
you're absolutely right, though. last night the flyers already seemed beaten before the game was even over. i don't know much about john stevens, but it sure doesn't look like he did a good job rallying his troops during this series. his attitude reeked of defeat at the presser after the flyers' home loss last night. if the coach has such a poor attitude, how can the players possibly believe they can win?
but credit has to be given to the pens, as well. they're playing a different kind of hockey in these playoffs. they're clicking well offensively and defensively, and MAF is without a doubt playing the best hockey of his career. i really think the pens have got what it takes to go all the way.
Nevermind....you can't have Doc and Eddie just yet!
Let this be a lesson, Pens....the Stars had pretty much checked out and then we forced a game 5 tonight. While I would LOVE to see the Pens clinch at home, I'd be more than happy to see them sweep tomorrow :)
Go Pens!!! (and Stars....who have lived to see one more day....)
Stephanie B. and anon@3:31- "we love our hockey, we love our beer, we love our arts" need I say more?
Stephanie the Stars fan - I'm pulling for the Stars in the Western Conference, so big high fives to your boys tonight for showing Detroit who's boss! (Mind you my reasons for wanting to see Detroit go down are probably not ones you'll appreciate... but we can ignore that for another few days.)
GO PENS!!!
Morale is low here in Flyers country looking towards tonight's game--let's hope it isn't too painful. Personally, I could probably handle a loss with a game well played (and of course a few goals from my sweetie Sid). I just don't see my boys showing up though.
Post a Comment