Stale Hate

One of the many frustrating things about playing Pittsburgh in the first round is that it deprives Flyers fans of the opportunity to get to hate someone new. Last year saw the Flyers face both the Capitals and Canadiens for the first time since the 1980s. Part of the reason I was looking forward to playing the Hurricanes was because it would mean playing a new team, getting acquainted with and falling in hate with a whole new group of people, a whole new fanbase.

Instead, we get to play the Penguins. Our big rival. The team who broke our hearts last year.

Yawn.

Playing the Penguins, as someone else put it somewhere (how's that for citation), is like dessert before the icing. Every Pittsburgh game is such an treat. But it's a treat we've had a lot before. Playing the Penguins in the first round is like eating the first eleven chocolate eclair ice cream bars in the box in one sitting (which is awesome because they're delicious), and then having eating the twelfth one because Gary Bettman is forcing you to. You enjoyed the first eleven, but you're pretty damn full, and you know that this last Pittsburgh-colored chocolate eclair ice cream bar would taste a lot better if you could just wait a while. I wish there was time before eating this last eclair bar to get the previous eleven out of your systems in what would certainly be an epic trip to the bathroom. I'm guessing that's how a lot of the Flyers (and maybe the Penguins) are feeling right now, especially the always constipated Andrew Alberts and Hal Gill.

And that's a big part of the reason I haven't had a lot to say about this series. I've got epic brain freeze, I'm full, and a little nauseous at the thought of having to cram more of this crap down my throat.

I'll recover by 7:01 pm Wednesday, I'm sure, but in the mean time I'm gonna need some Tums. Or maybe Alyonka Larionov can teach me how to be bulimic.

Game #42 Review: Maple Leafs 1 @ Flyers 4 1/10/09

1

@

4

Stars align

There's something about watching the Flyers on Hockey Night in Canada that just feels right. It's like listening to music on vinyl, or like reading the bible in Hebrew or something.

And the Hebrew is even more fun when it tells the story of the Flyers winning.

• Getting outshot by a lot (42-30) yet winning convincingly makes for my favorite kind of games. Like most every game in the Montreal series last year. The shot count really didn't reflect control of the game. This win never felt in danger.
• Martin Biron was super solid, again. This is nothing like the Biron we saw at the beginning of the season, and it's easily a Biron we could see real deep into the playoffs.
• Talk of Jeff Carter's slump led to him scoring twice to reach an NHL-leading 29 goals, breaking what had been a three-way tie with Vanek and Ovechkin. Remember when Toronto was about to get Carter at the trade deadline last year? Yikes.
• I predicted Scottie Upshall would have a great game, and he did. He didn't score like I wanted him to, but that pass to Andrew Alberts (for his first goal in 162 games) was a thing of beauty.
• Kimmo Timonen notched his 24th assist on the first Carter goal. That's a whole lot. Biron got his third assist on the same goal. Is that a lot for a goalie? I really don't have any idea.
• As much as I hate the Yankees, they serve a purpose. Having the Yankees be relevant is important for baseball, just like having the Maple Leafs relevant is important for hockey. And these Maple Leafs are totally irrelevant. Luke Schenn is good, though.
• Flyers are now only two points back of the Capitals. With a game in hand. Booya.
• Who was it who predicted a 4-1 Flyers win? I wonder...

Two days off, then Penguins. We beat them convincingly and Michel Therrien is most certainly fired. Sounds like motivation enough for anyone.