How would you feel about a live blog of the most important Flyer hockey game of the past decade-plus? With my wife out of town and my kids asleep, this is an opportune time. Writing this introduction pregame I can tell you two things: 1. I do not think they will win this game tonight, and 2. I expect that there will be a Game 7, which will be one of the highest-rated programs in Philadelphia sports history. Wouldn’t it be great, though, if the Flyers could steal this one and get themselves a crack at the Cup on home ice? Not to mention that it would keep my “Flyers in 6” prediction alive. Enough with the foreplay then…let’s get it on.
0:00 1st: We are coming to you LIVE from “The Madhouse on Madison,” otherwise known as the United Center. A more fey nickname for a building I cannot remember. You might remember this as the building where Jordan won so many titles. Funny, that’s how Chicago residents remember it, too. You think Flyer fans are bandwagon-jumping? Here are the ranks for Blackhawks’ home attendance from ’06-’08: 29th (of 30), 29th, 19th. Flyers’ home attendance for those same years? 4th, 7th, 4th. What a bunch of frauds. Now I really hope they do not win the Cup. And screw the Cubs, too. Whiners. I will give them credit for the anthem, though: this Cornielson fellow can really belt it out.
0:01 1st: Bringing you this game for NBC are Ed Olczyk (a former Blackhawk!), Mike Milbury and Mike “Doc” Emrick. I have no basis for what I am about to say, but Emrick really rubs me the wrong way. He has been the voice of the New Jersey Devils, he used to work for the Flyers way, way back, and I think he’s a little smug about the Devils’ success. Again, I have no information to back that up. I will, though, be listening for anything I consider a shot at the Flyers.
0:27 1st: The first rolling scroll of the night asking me to sign up for Flyers’ season tickets for 2010. Wow. Very subtle, guys.
1:15 1st: The first abominable turnover of the night by Braydon Coburn lets Dustin Byfuglien (a.k.a. “Buff”…I don’t care for that at all) in for a semi-breakaway that Leighton handles adroitly. Much has been made of how the Flyers are basically doing all of this with four defenseman (as opposed to six.) I think the accumulated wear is starting to tell on Coburn, whose decision-making in the past few games has been poor.
2:50 1st: Krajicek takes a necessary cross-check on Kopecky, who is stationed in front and about to do damage. The game is only a few minutes old but already I am seeing a lot of similarities to Game 1, where the Flyers seemed to be on the “pro” setting but the Blackhawks were playing at the “All-Star” setting…faster, crisper, seemingly more in control of the play.
4:50 1st: I can’t say “great kill,” because the Blackhawks missed a couple of seemingly easy shots, but a kill is a kill I suppose. Hossa missed the net by three feet from between the circles, so obviously he is in Stanley Cup Finals form here in Game 5.
5:30 1st: NBC graphic: Chances: 6-0 Blackhawks. As I was saying.
7:40 1st: No exaggeration, for the last two minutes the Blackhawks have skated around the offensive zone firing pucks at Leighton and crashing the net. How they have failed to score to this point is totally inexplicable. This would have been a good time for one of Laviolette’s patented “unexpected timeouts” but the Flyers get a break from a TV stoppage. I probably cannot repeat what Laviolette is saying, but “tighten,” “tough,” and “better” are almost certainly in there. Out of the commercial we see Michael Jordan wearing a Blackhawks jersey. Is there a casino in the United Center? What about a golf course? Strip club? Then what the hell is he doing there?
9:15 1st: Finally some offensive zone time for the Flyers and it leads to a penalty to Bolland for a cross-check to Leino. How ‘bout that Ville Leino, eh? The Red Wings didn’t think he could play. I wonder if they have a new view on that as they watch him in the Stanley Cup Finals, basically the third- or fourth-best Flyer forward in the playoffs so far.
10:00 1st: Antti Niemi may yet win this series, but I have to say I feel a lot more confident in Leighton than I would about Niemi. He seems to be chasing the puck around a bit and his eyes look terrified to me. Then again, he won Game 2 more or less all by himself, so as usual I know nothing.
11:13 1st: Scott Hartnell, who to be fair has improved in the past two series, takes an inexplicable tripping penalty against a lone Blackhawks forward in his own end. Hartnell had help – there was nothing to be gained by lurching at Sharp and breaking that play up. Oh boy.
11:14 1st: I would never buy a Toyota Sienna, anyway, particularly because I prefer that my car stops when I hit the big pedal…but these ads with the Sienna family, I mean, I can’t take any more of them. He’s a douchebag, she should lose 20 pounds and thinks she’s way hotter than she is. That’s your target market, Toyota?
12:16 1st: GOAL BLACKHAWKS. They buzzed, they buzzed, they passed it around without a care, then the feed from behind the net from Versteeg to Seabrook is deflected but not broken up by Pronger, and Seabrook rips it shortside on Leighton for a power play tally. The puck changed direction off Pronger on its way to the net, and Leighton almost got there. Really, it could be 3-0 easily right now but for Leighton. The bigger concern is how Pronger looked on that play. A little slow-footed, a little indecisive.
13:14 1st: The Blackhawks continue to come in waves. The Flyers need to find a way to get to the room down one, either 1-0 or 2-1. It feels like it could soon be 2-0 or even 3-0 though.
13:45 1st: Shots 9-3, chances 13-3 for the Blackhawks. Eeeeyikes. The Flyers are very fortunate to still be in this game.
14:30 1st: Each and every one of these ads that features players other than the Flyers makes me happy. Sidney Crosby for AT&T? Maybe next time beat the Canadiens. Mike Green for Geico? Ditto, sport.
15:26 1st: GOAL BLACKHAWKS. Bolland, on a delayed penalty call. Emrick sounds orgasmic. I want to punch him right in his eyeglasses. This one is on Leighton – there is in fact a scramble in front of the net, but this puck goes in off Leighton’s skate because he does not have the near post covered. These are not good times in Flyerland. These are bad times.
18:15 1st: GOAL BLACKHAWKS. Versteeg again, this time cutting across the slot. Richards’ play on him was half-hearted, like “I’ll swipe at him but I’m not taking a penalty here.” Better to have stick-fouled him in the face, Mike, because this one is already over, with 1:45 left in the first. Oh well, I could use some extra sleep tonight.
18:45 1st: “It is deafening,” intones Emrick. Why don’t you get a ladder, climb on something tall and jump off? Hoser.
19:30 1st: After a scrum in front of Niemi, Richards takes the old “poke at it” in front as the whistle is sounding and gets jumped by three Blackhawks for his trouble. The Flyers come to his aid a little later than I would like to see. Beaten in every phase of this game. Every phase.
20:00 1st: Neither the NHL nor NBC can be happy about this – after four really good games in this series, a rout has broken out in Game 5 with the NBA Finals on ABC on at the same time. You cannot imagine that many sports fans outside of Chicago and Philadelphia are sticking with this.
0:00 2nd: Laviolette with another personnel flip in the crease as it’s Boucher to start the period. You wonder how many times you can do this before you shoot Leighton’s confidence and/or expose Boucher as what he is…a career backup for the most part.
0:31 2nd: GOAL FLYERS. What was I saying about Niemi earlier? Briere gets it to Leino next to the cage, Niemi gives up an enormous rebound and Hartnell slams the puck into an empty net. From your couch you could have hit that net. 3-1 Blackhawks, and Emrick is already reminding the audience of the Flyers’ comeback from 3-0 down in Game 7 against the Bruins. Yes, it happened…but the Bruins stink. These guys are different. Save for the goaltender, they are a lot better.
3:10 2nd: GOAL BLACKHAWKS. Chicago scores what I would consider the rarest of goals…a tap-in gimme off a 2-on-1 that started as a 2-on-3. Carle, Pronger and Briere got absolutely worked by Ladd and Kane. Ladd’s pass to Kane gave him a wide open net. Boucher had no chance. Leighton would not have stopped that one, nor would 1975 Bernie Parent. “Danny Briere’s gotta be better defensively there” says Olczyk. Really? You don’t say!
4:38 2nd: GOAL FLYERS. After a Chicago icing, the Flyers control the draw and never let the puck out of the zone. Briere atones for that defensive mistake quickly, getting the puck into the crease from which it bounds out to Timmonen, who roof-daddy’s a shot over the flat-on-his-face Niemi. I don’t know if a team leading by two in the Stanley Cup Finals has ever pulled its goalie, but this would be a fine time for Quenneville to consider it. Niemi does not seem to have a clue what is happening.
7:19 2nd: Hartnell gives and as per usual he takes away. Taking a page from the Dan Carcillo Dumb Penalty Manual, Hartnell elbows Kopecky in the back of the head. Kopecky’s helmet has not even hit the ice and the referee’s arm is up. Sort of a must-kill, here, no? How many three-goal leads do you think you can spot these guys tonight?
9:51 2nd: After the Flyers do (narrowly) escape shorthanded, Seabrook takes a weird penalty for the Blackhawks, catching an airborne puck in his glove while standing in the crease. You cannot close your hand on the puck in the crease – normally that happens though as the puck is laying in your crease with your goaltender out of position. This looked more like a popup to shortstop. Two minutes either way. How huge would a goal be here? Paging Jeff Carter. Paging Jeff Carter. Stat!
10:23 2nd: Niemi must have heard me, because he just stole a goal from Richards (who to be fair did not hit the open side and instead shot to the middle of the net.)
12:29 2nd: Boucher must also have heard me, because he just stoned Toews on a 2-on-1 that started at the Blackhawks’ blue line – they had all the time they wanted to run whatever play they wanted, and Boucher kept it out. Niiiiice.
14:32 2nd: Hossa just clanked one off the outside of the post.
15:05 2nd: Boucher just stopped a bomb from Kane. The ice is tilting toward the Flyer end again.
15:18 2nd: Penalty on Pronger, a seriously soft hook on Kane as he is in the middle of a spin move – the spin accentuated the tug, but Pronger will sit for two. Sometimes, the complaining the coaches do is reflected in the officiating – you are seeing that here.
15:45 2nd: GOAL BLACKHAWKS. It takes less than 30 seconds for Chicago to cash in on this power play – Byfuglien tapping in a terrific pass from Kane. Byfuglien has had an extremely quiet series, but you can’t let anyone stand in front of your goaltender alone. You know who’s supposed to be checking Byfuglien? Uh, yeah, Pronger. Never mind.
20:00 2nd: 5-2 Blackhawks after two. Could they win it? They could. But they will not. I think.
6:39 3rd: GOAL FLYERS. You should not be surprised to learn that Chicago has played this period like a team that has a three-goal lead in the third period in a Finals game — conservatively, almost to the point of boring. Make that a two-goal lead. Niemi gives up yet another long rebound, and James van Riemsdyk pots it. Look, I still don’t think they can do this — but there are still thirteen minutes left. I do not think the Flyers will win this game 7-6, though, i.e., if Chicago scores again that will have to be it.
9:36 3rd: Byfuglien drives Timmonen and the referee into the boards — after the puck is gone — in a play truly reminiscent of “Slap Shot.” Let me tell you something — Byfuglien is one of these guys who plays tough/great/strong in his own building but can’t seem to bring the same game into yours. In other words, he’s a (expletive deleted.)
10:00 3rd: In the Flyers’ offensive zone, Briere (who wears a shield, mind you) takes a high stick from Duncan Keith that leaves him “bleeding profusely from the right eye.” Let me tell you something — there was no call, but that was a very dangerous stick foul, and as we go to commercial I do not know whether Briere’s eye is seriously damaged or not. Reason Number 23534 why the NHL will never truly take off: just too much blood from eyes/face/mouth. American sports fans don’t mind the occasional compound fracture, but hey, not the face, okay? And let the record read that that should have been a double-minor against Chicago.
10:38 3rd: Another Chicago high stick, this one to Pronger by Versteed, this one the referee sees. “No quit at all in their game” says Milbury about the Flyers. Right on. By the way, Briere got stitched up on the bench and is back on the ice. Hockey trainers are unreal. Boxers should have it so good.
12:40 3rd: Power play over, one shot, “a weak one at that” says Emrick. I knew I didn’t like that twerp.
13:00 3rd: Stoppage. Exactly seven minutes left. Not a lot of time left to get this down to a one-goal game and set up an empty-net fire drill in the final minute.
14:35 3rd: Byfuglien chases Pronger into the Flyer defensive zone, then plants Leino. Real tough guy. Should be fun to watch him lose some teeth in Philadelphia in Game 6. To quote the booking cop from “Fletch,” “you’d better get a picture of him while he still has a face.”
16:08 3rd: GOAL BLACKHAWKS. Appropriately the Flyers have spent the past few minutes pinching the defensemen and getting deep in the Chicago zone, but predictably it leads to another odd-man rush, this time a 3-0n-2 that ex-Flyer Patrick Sharp cashes to effectively end the game. Not as though anyone can be shocked by this result. The Flyers can’t give up six goals to anyone and have even a faint hope of winning.
17:24 3rd: GOAL FLYERS. As I have heard said many times before, watch that rubbing it in s**t, it can cost you. Up three with three minutes left, the Blackhawks decide to try for the blowout instead of just running clock, and it leads to a give/go goal for Gagne from Leino. Some pass, some shot, too bad there is not a fourth period. You know, unless….
17:37 3rd: Boucher heads to the bench for the extra skater, and frankly I salute the decision to do this with enough time on the clock to make it worth the effort. Pulling him with 80 seconds left would be a total waste of time, and who cares if Chicago scores here? Sometimes, I wonder why teams upon pulling the goalie don’t keep playing with the empty net even if they give up a goal. You need to practice that endgame in real competitive situations, right? So maybe you lose what was a one-goal game by four. So what? Anyway let’s see what the Flyers have.
17:55 3rd: Not much. There go that man again, Byfuglien. He chips in a roller from the center ice circle. Game over.
No tears for the Flyers tonight. They are still very much in the series. Tonight the Blackhawks were certainly better. See you Wednesday night.
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