Funny. Flyers lose game 1 and the masses cry about how you need to put Mason in there at the first sign of relative health. Flyers win game 2, with a above-average, performance by Emery and the masses cry that you need to leave Emery in there because he earned the job. Am I to understand that 1 playoff performance > 82-game regular season? The fans have been begging for goalie-consistency and this is their chance to have it.

If Mason is still hurting come Tuesday, then I'm fine with sitting him. Emery has showed he can fill in admirably as a backup. But there is no way that he won over this team/coaching staff/locker room. It's silly talk. This is Mason's team and the team isn't so quick to forget that. "Thanks for superb backup-performance, Emery. We hope we don't need you again this year. But if we do, we feel mighty good about it."
- steelydan

Great post and I totally agree. If mason is healthy, he plays. He's the #1. However if he is just well enough to play, and hasn't sufficiently recovered from the injury, I go with Emery again.

One example of the difference, is while this is speculation, I beleive that Mason stops the Pouliot goal. It was a flutter shot, and Mason is much quicker side to side.

After 3 days? I don't see why not. If it's a concussion, then you're right; 3 days won't do much in terms of recovery.

If it's whiplash or something else (like many have suspected), then 3 days could be what he needed to go from 60% to 90%. (I refuse to use 100% because no player is really 100% after an 82-game season).
- steelydan

Who knows?
If he still had issues on Saturday, and its a judgement call on Tuesday, imagine the rust he may have as well.
And no one still knows what his issues are, just speculation.

I don't think many people forget that he came back in Game 6, at least not the people I talk to about it. But being 0.6 seconds from tying it doesn't ring a bell.

The "us against the world" mentality was shot the minute he came back, because it was now "us and our all-world superstar", and once that happens, and that superstar goes down (to say nothing on roster management to fit him in), then you have no mentality.
- jmatchett383

I really dont know how you keep a player like Lindros out of the lineup. Its a judgement call I would have made as well.

Nice point, same coach.
- puckhead17

Somewhere, little Charlie Conway is crying.

WHY IS THIS A THING HOLY (frank)

If a player dives, he should get the only penalty. Perfect example is that AMac penalty. Isn't it logical that if a player dives, he dives because he wants to sell something that WASN'T a penalty
- Giroux_Is_God

There are several penalties I hate. I believe a player should get a penalty for slashing if he slaps down on an opponents stick and the stick breaks. If a player slaps down and the opponent drops his stick, that should not be a penalty.

Put Heeter in.
- Streit2ThePoint

Is ML available!?!?

Great post and I totally agree. If mason is healthy, he plays. He's the #1. However if he is just well enough to play, and hasn't sufficiently recovered from the injury, I go with Emery again.

One example of the difference, is while this is speculation, I beleive that Mason stops the Pouliot goal. It was a flutter shot, and Mason is much quicker side to side.
- MJL

Mason is better at everything.... except maybe resolve.. Emery isnt easily rattled.

yesterday's officiating, and i'd extend that to the overall playoff, was horrid, no more no less.
- flyershockey

It really always. I get that ref'ing is a thankless job, but holy crap. At least back in the day they would even up the powerplays. Sometimes team don't earn it, i get that. But just because one team is skating and the other isn't, doesn't change the definition of a slash, hold, or interference. Rangers use a ton of moving picks to interfere with forecheckers. Then to see a Ranger try and jump through and split our dmen and falls down trying and we get the call for interference. I thought that was pretty laughable.

The slashing is funny too. Ranger two hands Flyers over the back of the neck, killing him: Gets a warning.
Flyer 1 hands a ranger after getting the crap hooked out of him:2 minute minor

I really dont know how you keep a player like Lindros out of the lineup. Its a judgement call I would have made as well.
- GOA88

Most people agreed that you had to play him. But if the rest of the team doesn't want him in, then it hurts the team's mentality going forward.

I think if it went that far you absolutely keep Emery in. I think most people are questioning Emerys ability to beat the Rangers 4 times. I am one of those people.
- GOA88

Emery has issues with the hip from side to side and appeared to make some adjustments as the game went on. Mason should be the starter if healthy

Somewhere, little Charlie Conway is crying.
- Moose_15

The guy from the cuckoo's nest?

Great post and I totally agree. If mason is healthy, he plays. He's the #1. However if he is just well enough to play, and hasn't sufficiently recovered from the injury, I go with Emery again.

One example of the difference, is while this is speculation, I beleive that Mason stops the Pouliot goal. It was a flutter shot, and Mason is much quicker side to side.
- MJL

Cheif has to take this approach. too much noise on a simple issue.
Mason cant be 99.9%, but if he is 100%, he is in.

It really always. I get that ref'ing is a thankless job, but holy crap. At least back in the day they would even up the powerplays. Sometimes team don't earn it, i get that. But just because one team is skating and the other isn't, doesn't change the definition of a slash, hold, or interference. Rangers use a ton of moving picks to interfere with forecheckers. Then to see a Ranger try and jump through and split our dmen and falls down trying and we get the call for interference. I thought that was pretty laughable.

The slashing is funny too. Ranger two hands Flyers over the back of the neck, killing him: Gets a warning.
Flyer 1 hands a ranger after getting the crap hooked out of him:2 minute minor
- Flyersgod

I can't recall how many times I yelled to the hockey gods in protest about those picks. They set a ton of them.

After 2 games, that's just absurd. Rangers are getting too much of a benefit of the doubt. The trend should reverse for game 3.
- wolfhounds

13-5 really flyers scored on a delayed call

Great post and I totally agree. If mason is healthy, he plays. He's the #1. However if he is just well enough to play, and hasn't sufficiently recovered from the injury, I go with Emery again.

One example of the difference, is while this is speculation, I beleive that Mason stops the Pouliot goal. It was a flutter shot, and Mason is much quicker side to side.
- MJL

And what do you do if Mason comes in and struggles? Does he get to play because he's the #1/starter? Should Martin Gerber have been kept in in 2006 because he was the #1/starter?

He literally scored to tie the game I believe but just short of time.....
- GOA88

That doesn't ring a bell, but I remember he scored the only goal.

13-5 really flyers scored on a delayed call
- Just5

it should be noted that Coburn's penality was a good one that was worth taking.

Bill points out in his blog that 4 of the 6 penalties were clear cut, one was borderline and one was a bad call.

The problem I had with the refs is there is no consistency between games.
In the first game the refs swallowed their whistles and let a ton of penalties go.
Blatant cross checks to more subtle hooking and interference calls that were clear penalties in the regular season. Then the rags go up 3-1 and the refs decide they better manage the game to not let it get out of hand, and they call a slew of penalties on the Flyers for extracurricular stick work.

Then yesterday they start out the game calling nearly everything. The first three penalties yesterday (2 on the Flyers followed by a call on Hagelin) would have been let go in the first game. They still seem to be letting some hooking and interference stuff go, but yesterday they seemed to "insert themselves" into the game.

Next game it could go back to "it's the playoffs, put the whistle away".

I know game to game variance from refs is nothing new.
I would like to see more consistency from the refs, especially when the result can hinge on a power play call.
- Marc D

This.

It's not the calls made for the most part. It's the calls not made. How the freak do you call one penalty on one team and then not call a much worse penalty of the same kind on the other?

That's the crap I can't stand. Call it both ways or don't call it at all. Flyers could have a clear cut edge in powerplays if the refs were slightly more than incompetent.

I didn't read the GDT, but anyone who was crying out for Mason due to Game 1 needs to get their eyes examined, because Mason wouldn't have won that game either. To me, Mason doesn't "deserve" anything right now, where as Ray Emery has basically been your best player in 2 games. So, how far does this go? Let's say Emery, as "the backup" wins this series and the next, and Mason's healthy for the ECF. Do you just throw Mason in because of some role attached to his name? To me, if you're the goalie and the team's winning, that goalie earns the start until he falters.
- jmatchett383

I don't get what you were looking at. The flyers had to clearly adapt to not having Mason's puck handling skills in Game 1. They would not have looked so slow and would not have been pressed in their zone so easily by the Rags.

Also those cross ice passes into empty nets were not even quick passes. Emery was slow on the read from the get go and slow on the movement across the ice. Mason has made those saves time and time again throughout the season and made them look easy.

Mason is better at everything.... except maybe resolve.. Emery isnt easily rattled.
- GOA88

I think coming home 1-1, instead of 0-2, may give a different perspective on Mason's health/situation, and who plays depending on if he's feeling great, or just ok.
Not to say they would throw him in if he's still not feeling well, but we've seen this situation before.

And what do you do if Mason comes in and struggles? Does he get to play because he's the #1/starter? Should Martin Gerber have been kept in in 2006 because he was the #1/starter?
- jmatchett383

Berube can make that decision if it happens. If Mason looks lost out there, then he's likely still hurt or is simply consumed by the pressure. In that case, he should probably get yanked. Either way, you put Mason out there when he's healthy. It's two games; not two playoff series.

There are several penalties I hate. I believe a player should get a penalty for slashing if he slaps down on an opponents stick and the stick breaks. If a player slaps down and the opponent drops his stick, that should not be a penalty.
- PhillySportsGuy

I hate the stick break automatic rule. These are not heavy wooden shafts, so they fatigue. A guy can give a hard, 2-handed chop and the stick won't break or bend, but it will fatigue. So when the next guy comes over and gives it a tap, it fatigues a bit more (not to mention these things explode of slap shots from time to time). Finally, a guy misses on a sweep check and hits the shaft, and the thing splits in two, so he gets the automatic slash.

I can't recall how many times I yelled to the hockey gods in protest about those picks. They set a ton of them.
- Moose_15

They complely rely on them to run their system. It's crazy to see a team get to do that. It's not even legal in basketball!

Or when the Flyers dump the puck in and attempt to go around the ranger dman and the dman sticks his arms out to give a push to our forechecker to force him off balance or slot him down. I enjoy those too.

I don't get what you were looking at. The flyers had to clearly adapt to not having Mason's puck handling skills in Game 1. They would not have looked so slow and would not have been pressed in their zone so easily by the Rags.

Also those cross ice passes into empty nets were not even quick passes. Emery was slow on the read from the get go and slow on the movement across the ice. Mason has made those saves time and time again throughout the season and made them look easy.
- FlyersSteve118

Hate on hater. No goalie is making both of those cross-ice saves. Also, one of the good things about Emery is that he is also a very good puck handling goalie. Not as good as Mason, but above average at the very least. Also, after the first 2, Emery was making those cross-crease saves, he just had to anticipate them a bit more.

I hate the stick break automatic rule. These are not heavy wooden shafts, so they fatigue. A guy can give a hard, 2-handed chop and the stick won't break or bend, but it will fatigue. So when the next guy comes over and gives it a tap, it fatigues a bit more (not to mention these things explode of slap shots from time to time). Finally, a guy misses on a sweep check and hits the shaft, and the thing splits in two, so he gets the automatic slash.
- jmatchett383

You have to call it. The slash can literally be proven by the broken stick. It's something that the refs can't turn a blind eye towards. I hate it as well, but it is what it is.

The rule I can't stand is the double-minor for blood. And it's not because we got burned by it already. It's just such a stupid rule. Intent to injure should dictate the extra 2; not blood. It's hockey. There are sharp angles everywhere on the ice. There's gonna be blood.