Penguins at Flyers - 01-24-10
PREGAME
-Hey, guess where we are:
-No... note quite:
-The city of brotherly love. We've taken our shots. Don't worry.
-We're predicting a Jay McKee goal today. Want to know why?
Downtown Philladelphia:
-The set up for the Wachovia Center and the surrounding arenas is interesting. Basically, all of them sit in this big asphalt plain south of the main part of the city. Unlike places like Washington or Columbus where the arenas are built into the neighborhood, the arena complexes are segregated from the city. The Spectrum:
-Lincoln Financial Field:
-Citizens Bank Ballpark:
-On the sidewalk surrounding the arena, they have personalized bricks:
-A Wilt Chamberlain statue:
-A few friendlies:
-The ice:
-Some sights around the arena. A hat trick display:
-Former Penguin John LeClair gets some love in the display:
-A Pelle Lindbergh jersey:
-Murray Craven:
-Some of Bernie Parent's old pads are on display:
-Only in Philadelphia would you find a Craig Berube jersey:
-Sidney Crosby isn't very popular here:
-Mike Rupp and Marc-Andre Fleury have a few fans here:
-A Riley Cote Philadelphia Phantoms jersey:
-Here's the best jersey of the day. A Bernie Parent Philadelphia Blazers:
-And this fan got the man himself to autograph it:
-Jeff Carter Phantoms with a jersey foul:
-Best Penguins sighting of the day. Gord DIneen:
-Banners:
-Mark Recchi:
-Jarome Iginla Team Canada:
-John LeClair Team USA with a jersey foul:
-A Penguins Stanley Cup championship t-shirt from 1991:
-Ron Hextall Nordiques:
-Chris Pronger Whalers:
-Warm ups:
-Marc-Andre Fleury will not start today. Brent Johnson gets the nod in net.
-Ray Emery is your starting Flyers goaltender.
-The Penguins' scratches are Maxime Talbot and the great Martin Skoula.
-The Flyers' scratches are Mika Pyorala, Rile Cote and Brian Boucher.
-The Penguins' starters were read off. All the individual players were jeered a bit. Sidney Crosby's name got a loud, profound boo.
-Following the anthem, a whle montage of Flyers-Penguins clip, with the FLyers roughing up the Penguins, is played to Three Day's Grace's "I Hate Everything About You:"
-Daniel Carcillo is wearing a microphone for today's NBC broadcast. We can't wait to hear what brilliance he has to offer.
FIRST PERIOD
19:46: That didn't take long. "CROS-BEE XXXXX! CROS-BEE XXXXX!"
18:48: "LET'S-GO FLY-ERS! (clap, clap, clap-clap-clap) LET'S-GO FLY-ERS! (clap, clap, clap-clap-clap)"
18:31: Bill Guerin coasts up the left wing and centers a pass to Pascal Dupuis in the slot. Dupuis isn't really in a good position to take the pass and whips a backander on net. Emery fights it off.
17:58: Off a poor turnover by the Penguins in their own zone, Chris Pronger blasts a slapper from the top of the slot. Johnson makes the save. Daniel Briere is there for the rebound but can't quite get a stick on it. Brooks Orpik washes him out just to be save.
17:47: Dupuis gets run over in the corner by a Flyers' defender
17:13: James van Riesdyk dumps Evgeni Malkin in the corner in the Penguins' zone.
16:43: Jay McKee steps up and blasts a slapper from the left point. It's off the mark.
15:03: Much to the delight of the home crowd, Crosby is nabbed for slashing Claude Giroux. Matt Cooke, Jrodan Staal, Jay McKee and Mark Eaton take the ice.
14:42: And teh Flyers convert their early chance. Kimmo Timonen tosses a puck towards the cage from the left point. It hits off the chest of Eaton and deflects behind the net and on to the back of it. Jeff Carter goes back there, smacks it off then is able to whack it between Johnson's stick side and the left post. Johnson needs to close that gap up. Timonen and Scott Hartnell get assists. "Bro Hymn" from Pennywise is played. Flyers 1-0.
13:47: "LET'S-GO FLY-ERS! (clap, clap, clap-clap-clap) LET'S-GO FLY-ERS! (clap, clap, clap-clap-clap)"
12:45: ""CROS-BEE XXXXX! CROS-BEE XXXXX!"
12:16: Scott Hartnell goes barrelling into Brent Johnson with some help from Brooks Orpik. Johnson's on the ice in a daze. Hartnell is sent off for goaltender interference. The Penguins got a big break on that one. Staal, Guerin, Sergei Gonchar, Malkin and Alex Goligoski take the ice.
12:05: Gonchar controls the puck at the top of the slot, fakes a slapper then distributes to Malkin at the top of the right circle. Malkin one-times it on net. Emery knocks it down with his glove and covers to freeze play.
11:14: As Crosby whiffs on a one-timer from the right circe, Goligoski is in deep and cross checks Pronger to the ice in the slot. That's two minutes. Four-on-four for 58 seconds.
10:16: Hartnell's penalty is killed. The Flyers will have 1:02 of power play time.
9:56: And this hole just got a bit deeper as Staal hooks Hartnell in the slot. Hartnell looked like he took a bit of a dive there. Either way, the call on Staal is legit. The Flyers will have a two-man advantage for 42 seconds. Craig Adams, Cooke and Gonchar take the ice.
9:23: Simon Gagne gets a pass on the back door but can't pull the trigger.
9:13: This is turning into a penalty fest. Just as the Goligoski penalty expires, Mike Richards loses his mind and just cross checks Gonchar in the face. That's two minutes for high sticking. Four-on-four for 1:17. What a stupid penalty. Especially for a captain.
8:06: Kris Letang takes a pass at the left point, moves in a bit and rips a wrister wide to the far side.
7:56: Just as the Staal penalty is killed, Letang fires a little wrister from the left circle. It gets deflected in on net. Emery covers to freeze play. The Penguins will have a power play for 43 seconds.
7:24: Pronger knocks over Crosby from behind near the boards. Guerin steps in and nudges Pronger to the ground.
7:13: Richards' penalty is killed.
6:37: And The Penguins catch a huge break. HUGE. Mike Richards scores a goal but it's nullified as Malkin and Gagne got tangled up in a scrum along the boards. Malkin had elbowed Gagne in the head. Gagne grabs Malkin and they start to wrestle a bit. Malkin punches him in the gut. As that goes on, the Flyers put the puck into the net. A scrum develops in the corner. Officials wave off the goal. This place goes nut. Somehow, the Penguin end up with a power play. Malkin gets a roughing minor. Gagne gets roughing and high sticking minors. Arron Asham will serve one of the minors. Crosby, Guerin, Ruslan Fedotneko, Goligoski and Gonchar take the ice.
5:27: And the Penguins cash in their big break. Gonchar controsl the puck at the top of the slot and lobs a wrister on net.Guerin's in front and takes a downwards swat at it. It beats Emery low. Gonchar gets the goal. Ruslan Fedotnenko and Guerin get assists. HUUUUUGE break for the Penguins. The healthy contingent of Penguins fans cheer but that quickly gives way to boos. Flyers 1, Penguins 1.
3:56: Matt Cooke dumps Daniel Carcillo with an elbow to the chest. That's two minutes for tripping.
3:14: Pronger whips a wrister from the right circle. Johnson makes the save.
2:27: Matt Carle sneaks a wrister from the left point through traffic. It get in on net. Johnson boots it out.
2:18: Crosby gets behind the defense and cranks a slapper off the near post.
0:44: Darroll Powe runs Goligoski behind the net and knocks him down. Goligoski gets up with a limp and goes to the bench. Letang goes after Powe and they drop the gloves. They wrestle around mostly with a few punches thrown. Letang ends up on top of Powe. Powe and Letang each get fighting majors. Letang also gets an interference minor. Tyler Kennedy will serve the minor.
0:00: End of period. Flyers 1, Penguins 1.
FIRST INTERMISSION
-Well is pretty much your typical Penguins-Flyers games. Lots of rough stuff, undisciplined play on each side and tons of entertainment.
-If not for a huge break, the Flyers have a 2-0 lead probably after this period.
-Brent Johnson has looked a little less than composed.
-Emery's looked okay so far.
-It tough to get a read on this game for the most part given the penalties. It's been a special teams battle to this point.
-The Flyers have a 10-5 lead in shots.
-Carter leads the game with three.
-Pronger leads the game with 8:58 of ice time.
-Gonchar is right behind him with 8:55.
-The Flyers have a 16-8 lead in faceoffs (67 percent).
-Carter is ripping it up going 6 for 7 (86 percent).
-Crosby is 4 for 7 (57 percent).
-Carle leads the game with two blocked shots.
SECOND PERIOD
20:00: The Flyers will have 1:16 of power play time on fresh ice. And there was a scoring change on the Penguins goal. Crosby was awarded an assist. Guerin was stripped of the helper.
19:37: Hartnell rushes up the left wing, gets held by Orpik and slides right into the goal dislodging it. That probably could've been a penalty.
19:02: Pronger takes a pass on the righ thalf wall and blasts a one-timer on net. Johnson makes the easy glove save.
18:45: Crosby steals a puck in his zone, works it up ice and tosses a wrister on net which Emery knocks aside. That essentially kills off the rest of the Letang minor.
18:21: On a two-on-one, Asham pushes a pass to van Riemsdyk who is coming in off the left wing. van Riemsdyk tries to softly tap it on net but it jumps up on him and clears the cage. He has to bury that.
17:49: Guerin moves behind the net and attempts a wrap around on the stick side on Emery. He gets a shot off but it's not on net.
17:03: Kennedy grabs a loose puck in the slot, spins and whips it on net. Emery fights it off.
15:40: Kennedy backhand chips the puck to Cooke on the left wing, Cooke winds up and cranks a slapper on net. Emery boots it out.
13:41: Fedotenko sneaks up the left wing and rips a rising wrister from the circle. Emery is able to trap it against his chest and freeze play.
13:25: Malkin dishes a feed to Fedotenko in the right circle. Fedotenko grips and rips a wrister wide to the far side.
12:18: Mike Rupp steps up and blasts a loose puck on net from a tough angle. on the left wing. Emery keeps it out.
10:50: Staal chips a puck on net just to the left of the cage. Emery fights it off.
10:04: Ian Laperriere whips a wrister from a tough angle on the right wing. It clears the net.
9:58: Dupuis chops a shot on net from the slot. Emery boots it away with a "thud."
9:04: van Riemsduke controsl ap uck at the right point, winds up and fires slapper at the net. It hits off a body or two then is stopped by Johnson. Johnson pulls the rebound back with his stick and covers to freeze play.
6:56: Carter controls a puck on the left wing, turns and chips a wrister on net. Johnson fights it off into the corner.
6:20: Fedotenko gains the blue line and whips a wrister at the cage. Braydon Coburn gets a piece of it and deflects it out of play
6:07: Cooke snaps off a wrsiter from the right circle. Emery appears to get a piece of it.
7:43: Staal firs a wrster from the right cirlce in to a cluster of bodies. A scramble ensues with Emery sprawling aroudn. The Flyers are able to clear it out of danger.
6:44: Carle swats a slapper from the left point. Johnson steers it inot the corner.
6:03: Pronger fires a slapper from the right point. Dupuis gets ap ice of it and it deflects into the netting.
5:13: Malkin rushes up the right wing against Coburn and pushes the puck on net. Emery covers to freeze play.
4:38: Coburn flicks a wrister on net from the left point. Johnson fights it off with his glove.
3:00: xx gains the Penguins' blue line and snaps off a wrister. GOnchar deflects it out of play.
2:57: Gagne goes to box again as he tripped up Gonchar off a faceoff in the Penguins' zone. GOnchar, Goligoski, Malkin, Gueirn and Crosby take the ice.
0:57: Pretty much nothing happened that two minutes. Brutal.
0:17: Richards runs over Adams behind the Penguins net.
0:04: Tough, tough time to take a penalty. Rupp elbows Timonen to the ice near the Flyers' net. Not a smart penalty.
0:00: End of period. Flyers 1, Penguins 1.
SECOND INTERMISSION
-Wow was that a really boring period. Neither team really seemed all that interested in taking too many chances. Both squads played it safe and it produced a boring period of hockey.
-We thought Fedotenko played fairly decent. He put a few shots on net and created a few things. Same for Malkin.
-In all honesty, it's a bit of a stretch to say anyone stood out that period.
-We didn't even hear that many boos for Crosby.
-Nick Johnson has been mostly invisible after a solid debut Thursday.
-The Penguins have a 16-15 edge in shots.
-They outshot the Flyers, 11-5 that period.
-Carter and Pronger each lead the game with three.
-Dupuis, Cooke, Rupp and Malkin each lead the Penguins with two.
-Timonen leads the game with 18:15 of ice time.
-Gonchar leads the Penguins with 17:09.
-The Flyers have a 23-17 lead in faceoffs (58 percent).
-Carter is 9 for 12 (75 percent).
-Crosby is 7 for 11 (64 percent).
-Pronger leads the game with three blocked shots.
-Dupuis leads the Penguins with two.
THIRD PERIOD
20:00: The Flyers will have 1:56 of power-play time on fresh ice. Cooke, Staal, Orpik and Gonchar take the ice.
19:42: "CROS-BEE XXXXX! CROS-BEE XXXXX!"
19:24: Richards snaps off a wrister from the right wing. Johnson gloves it.
18:44: Briere enters the blue line and fires a wrister on net. Johnson fights it off.
18:36: Coburn fires a shot on net from the right point. Johnson boots it to the corner.
18:16: Carter gains the offenssive zone, challenges Eaton and snaps off a wrister which johnson denies.
18:00: And the Penguins give the Flyers another power play. Just as the Rupp minor is killed Goligoski shoves Briere into the boards from behind. Letang gets two minutes for boarding. We thought the Flyers were the undisciplined team. Adams, Staal, Orpik and Gonchar take the cie.
17:42: Gagne snaps off a wrster from the right circle which is wide of the cage.
17:20: Gagne fires a slapper from the left point that clunks off the cross bar.
16:45: Briere tries to jam one in from the left of the cage. Johnson denies it.
16:13: Eaton chips the puck down ice to kill time.
16:00: The Goligoski penalty is killed. Good effort by the Penguins.
15:10: Malkin distributes a pass to Goligoski at the left point. Goligoski tosses the puck on net. Emery knocks it dead and covers to freeze play.
13:48: Nick Johnson gets dropped behind the Flyers' net by Hartnell.
13:40: Malkin and Hartnell collide inside the FLyers' blue line just as play is halted. Malkin stumbles to the ice. Hartnell and Malkin get in each others' faces. A big scrum ensues. Asham can be seen punching a Flyers' player on the ice. All five skaters are in fovled int his scrum. Hartnell's hair is out of control. Cooke, Malkin, Powe and Asham each get roughing minors. Four-on-four for two minutes. The Flyers got the best of that with Malkin off the ice.
12:38: Blair Betts enters the offensive zone on the left wing and chips a puck on net. Johnson boots it out with his right leg.
12:09: Goligosk lifts a wrster from the left wing. Johnson fights it offo.
11:59: Hartnell gains the blue line on the right wing, pulls up a bit and leaves a
11:34: Richard rushes up the right wing, pulls up and rips a wrister from the right circle that misses the net.
10:24: Dupuis dishes a pass to Crosby at the Flyers blue line, Crosby enters the zone offsides but still puts a wrister on net. A few of the Flyers take exception and give him the business in the corner. Nothing comes of it. On the ensuing faceoff, Asham tries to goad Cooke into a fight by cross checking him a few times in the side. Cooke doesn't entertain him.
9:56: Hartnell dishes a pass to Asham approaching in the slot. Asham punches it juuuust wide.
9:08: Hartnell and Richards create a two-on-one against Eaton. Hartnell dishes to Richards in the right circle. Eaton lays down hoping for a block. Richards passes up the shot and forces a pass to Hartnell that totally misses the mark.
8:59: The Flyers get another power play as Letang is nabbed for slashing Giroux. Cooke, Staal, Eaton and McKee take the ice.
8:34: Eaton chips a puck down ice off a forced turnover by Cooke and kills time.
7:34: And the Flyers go to the box as Giroux is called for slashing Staal in front of the benches. Four-on-four for 1:00.
7:24: Emery fights off a wrister by Fedotenko from the right wing.
6:34: The Letang penalty expires. The Penguins will have a power play for 1:00.
5:56: Goligoski dishes to Malkin in the slot. Malkin chops a one-timer on net. Emery fights it off.
5:36: Gagne chips the puck down ice to kill off the rest of Giroux's penalty.
5:13: "LET'S-GO FLY-ERS! (clap, clap, clap-clap-clap) LET'S-GO FLY-ERS! (clap, clap, clap-clap-clap)"
4:35: Staal gets away with a slash on Coburn. No call.
4:13: Fedotneko force Hartnell into a turnover behind the Flyers cage, takes the puck and tries to jam a backhander by Emery on the stick side. No dice.
3:49: Richards jumps on a loose puck in the right circle and puts it low on net. Johnson boots it out.
3:10: Big moment here. Timonen is called for delay of game as he tossed the puck of play. Crosby, Malkin, Gonchar, Goligosk and Guerin
2:40: Gonchar fumbles the puck at the left point and the Flyers force it down ice to kill time.
1:59: Crosby gets the pass in the right circle and rips a wrister to the far side that hits off the far post and bounces out. Argh.
1:47: And this power play has saved the day once again. Gonchar is at the top of the slot and blasts a slapper. It gets through traffic. Cooke is able to re-direct through Emery's five hole with his stick blade. The Penguins take the lead. Gonchar and Malkin get assists. Penguins 2, Flyers 1.
0:58: Emery is pulled for an extra attacker in Powe.
0:47: Pronger whips a wrister on net from the right wing. It hits a cluster of bodies in front. Johnson gets run over. Play is halted. Gonchar is called for holding. The Flyers call a time out to get organized.
0:42: Orpik gets run over by Richards behind the Penguins' net.
0:03: Timonen gets a pass in the right circle, has a shot but Eaton takes it away by sliding down. That forces Timonen to move behind the cage and put a shot on net from the left side. Johnson makes the save.
0:00: End of game. Penguins 2, Flyers 1.
POSTGAME
-Well, it wasn't pretty. It was quite ugly actually. This was a tough game to watch from an entertainment standpoint. From the second period on, neither team really seemed press the issue for any substantial period of time. There were quality chances for each team, but they only came in spurts. True, both squad got their fair share pucks on net but there was very little sustained pressure.
-We're not sure what to make of the Penguins' power play. It accounted for the team's only two goals tonight which is obviously huge, but for most of the night, it looked rather ordinary. Either way, going 2 for 6 looks tremendous.
-How huge was the overturned Richards goal in the first period? We're sorry, but the Flyers were robbed there.
-Brent Johnson looked a little shaky early but got his act together as things wore on. He earned this win.
-Someone must've told Fedotenko this was a playoff game because he played like it. He might've been the Penguins' most consistent forward today. He won some battle along the wall, created scoring chances and put pucks on net.
-How good is Gonchar at getting pucks on net from the point through traffic?
-Beyond that, no one really stood out for either team. This game was just really bland.
-The Flyers ended up with a 28-22 lead in shots.
-Carter led the game with seven.
-Goligoski, Cooke and Malkin each led the Penguins with three.
-Pronger led the game with 26:35 of ice time.
-Gonchar led the Penguins with 25:02.
-The Flyers dominated faceoffs, 36-23 (61 percent).
-Powe was 5 for 7 (71 percent).
-Crosby was 9 for 16 (56 percent).
-Pronger led the game with four blocked shtos.
-McKee led the Penguins with three.
-Gonchar now has 199 career goals.
-Fedotenko now has 299 career points.
-Cooke passed up Noel Price and Brad Werenka for 133rd place on the franchise's all-time scoring list. All three have 53 points, but Cooke (24) has more goals than Price (8) and Werenka (12).