Things started out well but soon turned very ugly for the Philadelphia Flyers last night as they failed to close out their Eastern Conference Quarterfinal series with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Philly absorbed a 10-3 thrashing and must now regroup for Game 5 in Pittsburgh, leading the series three games to one.
The Flyers had the start they wanted last night. They generated a Scott Hartnell scoring chance in the first half minute of the game (Hartnell's shot from the mid slot did not miss by much). They got a quick power play, and turned it into a Claude Giroux goal.
Philly then got another power play, as Evgeni Malkin went off for hooking just 15 seconds after the Giroux goal. This time, the Pens survived the penalty. Pittsburgh built energy off what happened next. Ilya Bryzgalov left out a bad rebound on the doorstep a routine Malkin shot as he exited the penalty box. Meanwhile, the Flyers' coverage broke down entirely, enabling Malkin to go to the net and put the puck home.
That play set a tone for the rest of the game, emboldening a Pittsburgh team that came out seeming to expect bad things to happen -- which often becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. The Penguins took their first lead shortly thereafter. With Braydon Coburn in the box, Matt Niskanen hammered a shot that found the mark.
Before the game started last night, referees Wes McCauley and Chris Lee warned both teams that they were not going to give much leeway in their penalty calls (something that was a mandate from the NHL following the suspensions and melees in Game 3). Neither side paid attention, and the referees made seemingly endless penalty calls, both legitimate and marginal.
The Flyers got the short end of the stick on this night, but not before they enjoyed a 5-on-3/ 5-on-4 advantage that turned into a pair of power play goals -- Kimmo Timonen and Jakub Voracek -- to briefly create a 3-2 lead.
This should have been a momentum swing in the game. Instead, the Flyers reacted poorly on the shift immediately following the Voracek tally, giving up a Sidney Crosby deflection goal (the play was briefly reviewed and it was apparent the puck entered the back of the net and quickly came out).
Another breakdown by the defense and lack of clutch play by Bryzgalov -- who struggled both with his side-to-side movement and rebound control -- put the team behind again to stay at the 17:29 mark of the opening period. Jordan Staal scored the first of his three goals.
In the second period, the game became a steady parade of Philadelphia penalties and Penguins' power play goals until the game was out of reach even for the Flyers' high powered offense. Bryzgalov was pulled after the fifth Pittsburgh goal, and Sergei Bobrovsky was left to sustain the second half of the Penguins' 10-goal onslaught.
Marc-Andre Fleury was barely tested over the final 40 minutes of the game. He did make a couple nice stops when the Pens were leading 6-3 and 8-3.
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So what can we take away from this game? Here are seven things to keep in mind as Game 5 approaches tomorrow night.
1) As ugly as last night was, it's only one game. For example, in the 2010 Western Conference playoffs, the Detroit Red Wings fell behind the San Jose Sharks, three games to none, in frustrating fashion. In Game 4, the Red Wings laid a frightful 7-1 pounding on San Jose. Then they went down rather meekly in a low-scoring Game 5. While these Penguins are certainly still capable of winning the series, they would gladly trade last night's result to be the team leading 3-1 in the best-of-seven.
2) If Bryzgalov can't move well laterally due to his still-healing chip fracture in his right foot, the team had better find more effective ways to deny those passes before they get across. That has become a clear-cut attack strategy for the Penguins.
3) Bryzgalov needs to do a better job controlling his rebounds and not creating problems for his defense with turnovers when he tries to handle the puck. Conversely, the coverages in front of him need to get better.
4) I think we can expect to see a lot of penalties called again in Game 5. So the Flyers need to play with more discipline than last night. Even in the second period of Game 3, the Penguins started to generate excellent puck movement on the man advantage. Last night, Pittsburgh's power play was every bit as potent as the Flyers' has been in the series.
5) The Flyers stopped skating after the first period. Although there will be a lot of talk about Marc-Andre Fleury "gaining confidence" from the final 40 minutes of the game, the truth of the matter is that Philly didn't generate nearly enough pressure at five-on-five.
6) Both teams' bluelines continue to look vulnerable. The loss of Nicklas Grossmann to a concussion really hurts the Flyers, because he and Braydon Coburn were playing very well together. The Penguins are also in rough shape on defense. The team that wins this series will be the one that gets better puck support from the forwards and at least the occasional clutch save.
7) The Flyers showed no panic after the game. They understood full well what happened on the ice. Now they have to respond properly.
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Grossmann is officially day-to-day with an "upper body injury". Although the Flyers won't officially acknowledge it, the injury is a concussion. He struggled back to the bench after absorbing a hit from Tyler Kennedy in the second period, and did not play at all in the third period.
Early in the game, Evgeni Malkin caught Grossmann behind the net with a questionable hit in which the defenseman's head was the main point of contact. It was hard to determine if it was Malkin's shoulder or elbow that connected with a glancing blow, but either way, the contact was to the head. Grossmann did not miss a shift until after the Kennedy hit.
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Zac Rinaldo has generally done a decent job of controlling himself on the ice in his NHL rookie season, despite his astronomical penalty minute totals. A lot of the PIMs are due to the reputation he built with a slew of pre-NHL suspensions before he ever skated a shift in the big leagues.
Last night, however, Rinaldo lost any semblance of self-control. There's no defending it. The rookie fully deserved to be tossed from the game and does not deserve to appear again in this series, whether it's by edict from Brendan Shanahan (which I suspect) or by Peter Laviolette's decision.
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I generally do not comment on "media" issues, but I've got something to get off my chest. It might as well be today.
The Flyers do a very good job of managing the crush of media credential requests during the regular season and playoffs. Unfortunately, there are going to be people squeezed out of the main press box during the playoffs, largely because outlets that rarely cover hockey have a greatly increased presence in the postseason along with national U.S., Canadian and international press.
There are things my fellow press members can do to help this process along. If someone who is granted access to the main press box does not intend to stay for the whole game, I think that person should voluntarily give up his/her seat beforehand.
I am not saying this out of self-interest. I have been covering Flyers games since the 1999-2000 season, and press box access is not an issue for me in the playoffs.
But I know what it's like to be one of the unpaid aspiring freelance hockey writers working for a small, independent outlet who would do anything simply to be able to get upstairs during the playoffs.
Many of these individuals are in the main box all season and then get forced out in the playoffs. That's the way the game goes. But I see it as inconsiderate of people who rarely -- if ever -- come during the regular season to turn out to put in a face-showing appearance in the postseason pressbox; treating it as a free ticket to the game. Then they go home early, leaving a vacated seat while someone else is stuck downstairs in the auxiliary press box (AKA the commissary), watching the game on television.
The Flyers' can't be blamed for prioritizing "bigger name" people who represent larger media outlets. Whenever there are main box spots available, the team generously continues to grant access to the smaller and/or less established websites that cover the game.
It is up to those who get a seat upstairs (or downstairs) to make sure it is used for work purposes. The same thing goes for younger writers who are granted access to the locker rooms and postgame coaches' press conferences. The minority who do not understand or follow some simple rules of respect do not deserve to be there.
First of all, let the beat writers and TV people who are on tighter deadlines get closer-in access to the players. Don't block their way. Let them ask the first questions. If you have no intention of gathering material for writing, then please help alleviate some of the human traffic congestion.
Here's a tip to those who do player profile pieces (of which I write a lot, and have been doing professionally for over a decade): Attend practice in Voorhees for more one-on-one time if you want to interview a particular player at length beyond a game-related quote or two. The Flyers' Zack Hill is very good about accommodating people who need access to a player for a story.
Right after a game, especially this time of year, is NOT a good time to do it. The player is swarmed by others, plus he wants to shower and leave. Catch him a different day for your story. You'll get better material, and it shows respect both to your subject and to the media guys who are on game-story deadlines.
Hockey media types love to complain about the lack of respect players show for their brethren on the ice. A minority of folks, both traditional and new media, need to start practicing what they preach.
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