Fourth Time's the Charm

Whether or not they win the series, the Flyers have had phenomenal success in Game 4s over the past five seasons. The Flyers have won eight of their past nine Game 4s, including their past five in a row. That's crazy good.

Some highlights (the ones I could find):

2004 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals Game 4 vs. New Jersey



2004 Eastern Conference Finals Game 4 vs. Tampa Bay



2006 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals Game 4 vs. Buffalo



2008 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals Game 4 vs. Washington



2008 Eastern Conference Semifinals Game 4 vs. Montreal



2008 Eastern Conference Finals Game 4 vs. Pittsburgh



Pittsburgh, on the other hand, has lost their last three Game 4s. Unimpressive.

Recap: Flyers are good, Penguins are bad.

Do it to it, boys.

Game #77 Review: Maple Leafs 5 @ Flyers 8 4/3/09

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What was a masterpiece turned into a mess. But a mess with a W attached is still a beautiful thing.

• Five-goal first periods are fun. Giving up five goals, however, isn't. So much of the energy the team built up for this game manifested itself in offense, which is understandable, considering it was the main problem area last time around.
• Pretty surprising that a guy who is second in the league in scoring is just now getting his first hat trick. Jeff Carter gets three late, scoring goals that initially seemed like icing but turned out important.
• Why were they important? Because, for the second straight game, Martin Biron wasn't very good. Though I don't think he's especially at fault here, nor is the rest of the defense. The Flyers had a friggin' six goal lead, it's only natural they'd switch their defensive settings from kill to stun.
• Claude Giroux has gotta be just about everybody's favorite Flyer these days. This was his third straight multi-point game. For a rookie in his first playoff hunt, that's unbelievable.
• Scott Hartnell got his 30th of the year, which I doubt many would have predicted in October. 30 goals, a glove toss, and a wig night makes for quite the season.
  
• What's with the home team wearing white both times during this home and home? I like it more, but I don't really understand the occasion...

Quick turn around for the Flyers, going back to Ontario to face the Senators tomorrow night for some Hockey Night in Canada action. The game's not gonna be seen much on the show outside of Ottawa, though, as the other game on the bill is Canadiens-Maple Leafs, which will almost certainly get top billing.

Flyers clinch a playoff spot with a win in Ottawa. Do it to it, boys.

Game #77 Preview: Maple Leafs @ Flyers 4/3/09

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Why the Flyers Will Win:

• Because losing this game would be really, really, really bad.

Prediction: Flyers win. Pleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleaseplease

Game #76 Review: Flyers 2 @ Maple Leafs 3 4/1/09

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Well, that sucked.

• How flat were the Flyers tonight? I don't know if they were hungover from taking JVR out partying last night or what, but they came out looking terrible. The only two players who had good nights were Antero Niittymaki, Claude Giroux, and Arron Asham. Everybody else was pretty much awful.
• Friday night's game becomes super important now. Momentum going into the playoffs is huge, and going into the playoffs playing this crappily will mean an exit in five games or less.
• Martin Biron wasn't that bad, but pulling him was smart. Protect his psyche, let him start on Friday. They definitely need him sharp come playoff time. Let Niittymaki take the Senators on Saturday.

The Penguins moved into a tie with the Flyers tonight with their win. The Flyers have a game in hand, but the Penguins own the first two tiebreakers. That should provide some much needed urgency.

Game #76 Preview: Flyers @ Maple Leafs 4/1/09

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The Flyers are playing their first of two games in four days in Ontario. The schedule is a bitch, meaning that the Flyers have to play three games in four days, flying back and forth to Canada twice in that short span.

Why the Flyers Will Win:

• It's James van Riemsdyk day in Flyerland, so spirits should be high.
• The Maple Leafs are really bad. And their GM is super pissed off, talking about what failures they are because they're going to miss the playoffs. Missing the playoffs is bad, but being in fourteenth is way worse. They're not very good.
  
• The Flyers don't really have the games in hand that they used to, and so now the playoff picture is a little more urgent. The Flyers are only one point ahead of Carolina, who is only one point ahead of Pittsburgh, who is only one point ahead of New York, who is only one point ahead of Montreal.
• Martin Biron gets the start, and the Flyers have been much much better with him at the helm.
• The Flyers aren't the Mets. They'll make the playoffs.

Why the Maple Leafs will Win:

• The Maple Leafs have absolutely nothing to play for, and will be dangerous. Lot of guys fighting for jobs for next year.
• The Flyers are 1-2 in games on TSN this year.

Prediction: Flyers win 4-1. I hope I'm right, since I want one of those Tastykakes shirts.

Game #43 Preview: Penguins @ Flyers 1/13/09

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When it comes to Penguins-Flyers games, there's always a lot at stake. But for the Penguins, this game is even bigger. The Penguins are currently rocking out with their suck out, losing seven of their last eight and thirteen of their last eighteen (none of these were OT losses). And it wasn't just against good opponents, either. The Senators, Maple Leafs, Lightning, and Predators all got to feel good about themselves by beating the flightless birds.

Therrien's firing seems overdue, and therefore his job security may hinge on this one game. A win, and Therrien will surely be given many a public vote of confidence. A close loss, and he probably gets another stay of execution. A blowout loss, and the team bus will drop him off in North Philly and speed away.

As much as they need to delude themselves into thinking so before the game, there is nowhere near as much at stake for the boys in orange in this game.

With that in mind, let's break it down...

Why The Flyers Will Win:

• The Penguins couldn't beat a drum at this point.
• The Flyers always play up against the Penguins, who are clearly the team they like least. Playing up against a team that's playing so down pretty much guarantees victory.
• The Flyers are currently ELEVEN points ahead of Pittsburgh in the standings.
• Desperate teams play desperate hockey, so it's really unlikely that the Penguins will have the composure this rivalry mandates. Look for lots of penalties, especially to Malkin and Crosby. Wouldn't be surprised to see a real nasty cheapshot from somebody, too.
• Flyers have won 14 straight at home. Penguins haven't won on the road since last year.

I could go on, really, but I have to stop myself.

Why The Penguins Will Win:

• They have to stop sucking eventually, right?

7:00 start at the Wach. If you don't get the game on TV for whatever reason, you can pick up a free feed over at atdhe.net .

Prediction: Flyers score five in the win. Crystal ball is foggy as to whether or not Scott Hartnell scores one or two, but it's definitely not zero.

And just for fun, a reminder of the last time the Penguins waddled into Philadelphia.

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

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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.

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

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After looking solid yet sloppy against the Wild, the Flyers get the great pleasure of continuing their homestand againstg one of the worst teams in the conference, the Toronto Maple Leafs. This will be the second meeting between the two teams, the first being won by the lowly Leafs 4-2 in Toronto

Why The Flyers Will Win:

• Flyers have to be enjoying life at home. Winning breeds winning, and that's exactly what the Flyers do at the Wach, winning seven straight. Fans, too, are sure to be fired up, as they get to hear two anthems for the price of one tonight.
• Jeff Carter probably just realized he has only one goal in eight games. He's sure to remedy that.
• Martin Biron is playing with as much confidence as ever.
• The Leafs suck, the Flyers don't. That counts for a lot.

Why The Maple Leafs Will Win:

• For whatver reason, the Flyers have not played well against Toronto in a while, losing their last three.
• Though they won against Minnesota, it really was not textbook stuff. Thinking that was good enough is unlikely, but on the off chance it happens it would be bad.
• Biased Hockey Night in Canada officiating.

Prediction: Flyers by three, either 4-1 or 5-2. And Scottie Upshall will score at least one.

Nothing Like a Little Pre-Game Passive Aggression

From the Flyers P.R. blog, On The Fly:

Schenn over Sbisa? - Flyers rookie defenseman Luca Sbisa was not chosen to participate in this year's YoungStars Game in Montreal, part of the NHL All-Star weekend. The game features 10 NHL rookies and 10 sophomores playing against one another.

Two defensemen are chosen from each conference, and Toronto rookie Luke Schenn was picked ahead of Sbisa despite playing in eight fewer games and having four fewer points for a club that looks poised to miss the playoffs for a fourth straight season. He is the only representative from a Canadian team on the Eastern Conference squad.

Gotta love that.

Game #41 Review: Wild 1 @ Flyers 3 1/8/09

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Home is where the win is.

The Flyers got plenty of fan support during their road trip (six games, six sellouts), but nothing compares to playing at home in a building full of the best hockey fans in the country.

A slow start and a buttload of penalties weren't enough to stop the Flyers at home, where the Flyers have now won seven straight.

• I remembered during this game why I never watch the Wild. They play the most boring post-lockout hockey imagineable. It's like New Jersey during their cup years, but without as much physicality.
• The Flyers played as well on special teams as any team possibly could. 1-for-1 on the power play, and 8-for-8 on the penalty kill. That's 9-for-9 as a team, and conversely 0-for-9 for the Wild. Nice stuff. But of course, giving up eight power plays is totally unacceptable, especially on so many dumb penalties. Especially the too many men penalty during a penalty kill.
• Nice to see Scottie Upshall get on the score sheet for the first time in way too long. It was only his sixth goal of the season, but it sure was a pretty one. First star, too.
• How awesome was the straight out of the penalty box fight between Arron Asham and Erik Reitz? Don't know that I've ever seen players go straight from the penalty box to each other before. Well, at least not in a game from this decade.
• Nicklas Backstrom set a Wild record for longest shutout streak at just short of 150 minutes. He was solid in the first half of the game, though once the streak was broken, he was decidedly less than tremendous.
• Martin Biron, on the other hand, was very solid, for the second straight game. This is the kinda play we need from him down the stretch and into the playoffs.
• Luca Sbisa was not missed. And as long as the team stays reasonably healthy, he really shouldn't be needed the rest of the year. Let him bulk up and develop with the Phantoms.
• I know it's not as important with a two-goal lead, but that was a really pathetic effort to get the puck in the empty net. Especially by Simon Gagne. Be a little more eager to pad your stats, dude.

That Gagne nonchalance spoiled my prediction of a three-goal win. But I'm still pretty happy with my clairvoyance.

Toronto, who got crushed tonight, are up next on Saturday, for a little Hockey Night in Canada action.