Official Season Long Postgame Thread

I totally agree Pgh_oldhead.

Other than their moaning about the officiating, the Ranger fans impressed us (well me at least) with their general fairness and sportsmanship - as several Pens fans noted. Let's stick to the high road and have other fans saying the same about us - regardless of what they do.

Hi gentlemen.  Believe me, I have been watching Hockey dating back into the 1960's and have trouble seeing the Flyers personality change since then.  It has always been a physical work man style that crosses the lines between charging, roughing and grabbing to slow down and intimidate their opponents.  Not necessarily impling that they are really dirty (intentially hitting people in the face with a stick) references to this team is on how many penalties should be called against them that aren't.  That has been the case that has led to the dirtly label.

But understand interpreting Dirty is defined as taking liberties that are not witnin the scope of the rules, which I have always seen the Flyers to be fanous for especially against finese teams like the Penguins who have been know to be over the years.

I honestly believe that both teams are beginning to shake off these stereoptypes in this post season, but it becomes difficult to be open-minded when coaches complain about throwing games, players whine about Corsby being a diver and other head games to sway the referees to focus in on specifics to get an advantage. To me this is also considered to be dirty tactics.

I believe this will be a great series and the longer the series goes, the more it will favor the Flyers.  I just hope that we see good solid work on both sides and with that the officiating will not become a factor in that they are fair in calling the penalties that are occuring and not picking and choosing when to call them to keep the game exciting or close.

My biggest fear is that no matter who wions this series, the surviving team may be physically and emotionally drained to face up to the Western Champion.   Either way, I will be routing for the Eastern Conference to win no matter who pulls this series out. 

Personally, I think we should take the high road  and give it a rest. Maybe they will too. (I did say maybe!)

The hell with the high road, the flyer fans think that all the Flyers have to do is hit a few Pens, and we will roll over and give them the series.  This Pen team can play any type of hockey thrown at it, matter of fact it isn't the same team that the flyers played on the last game of the season.  Due to Hossa's and Crosby's injuries, the team never got the chemistry going until the playoffs, and now they are rolling on all cylinders.  Let them think that knocking Syd around will help them, while they do that Hossa, Malkin, Kennedy and Laraque (now a scoring threat LOL, with that nice goal) will put the puck in the net.  The addition of Gil and Dupuis have strenghten our lines, and we now have an excellent PK, and a real defense to go along with 4 scoring lines.

If the flyers do what they normally do, they will take a lot of penalties, and the series will be over very quick.  However, I think Stevens is smarter than that, and he will try to keep them focused on staying out of the penalty box, and probably keep Cote as a healthy scratch.  Also, I don't see them camping out much in front of Fleury either, because Laraque, Gil and Orpik will make them pay.  Syd has been quiet on the scoring front, even though the assists were great, a few goals from him will just make it even tougher for the flyers to contain the lines, Shero may turn out being a genius, because his additions may get us to the finals, where the Pens team before the trade was probably a second round exit waiting to happen.

Don't forget that there is a little payback we need to get for Sid getting his tooth knocked out.

I really want to see RJ gets a real welcome home tomorrow night. I would love to see him get checked hard into the boards.

Pgh, the numbers I used are the playoff power plays, which incidently come out way different than you got.  Pens played 9 games, had 31 PK chances, that comes out to 3.4 a game.  Flyers played 12 games, had 56 PK chances, that comes out to 4.7 a game.  Looks to me that if the trend continues, the Flyers end up shorthanded more than the Pens.  If they try to be just a little more physical, a few more calls may go against them.  I don't classify the Flyers as dirty, just that their fans think all you have to do to beat the Pens is hit them, which is not fact.  I guess I am not posting unsupported generalizations after all.

I am a transplant stuck in NJ since I got married to a NJ girl, put up with Philly fans constantly, and the Flyers fans always say the samething, "Hit the Pens, and they will fold, and Crosby dives."  They also complain that the NHL is out to get them, when they have had 50 PPs and 56 PKs in the playoffs, playing 7 of their 12 games on the road, which isn't bad considering.

You go ahead and take the high road, I got to live with them.  If the Pens win, then atleast I won't have to hear them until preseason football, and how they are going to kill the Steelers when we visit Philly this year.  Don't forget that Philly is the only place where there is a built in courtroom in their sports arenas.  Go Pens, and Go Baby Pens, they are up 3 games to 1 now, trying to knock off the Baby Flyers.