Official Pens vs Flyers thread

I'm at the point where I couldn't care less about the non-calls in the playoffs.  There have been non-calls going both ways, so if the Flyers are gonna focus on and bitch about that, then they've already lost the series.  We lost cause we've lost our top two defenseman and are just overmatched right now.  Pens offense is just too good, but I'll give the Flyers credit for making a game of it.  Pens still won, but I think they missed a real opportunity to blow the game wide open and get the Flyers to start doubting themselves.  We'll see what happens in game 3.

Oh, and the Crosby goal, you knew it was a goal but you couldn't see that it was a goal.  The key to that was the call on the ice.  If the ref called it a goal to begin with, there wasn't enough evidence to overturn it so it would have counted.  Fortunate for the Flyers that the ref didn't call it a goal.  Here's my question, why doesn't the NHL take a page out of Fox Sports book and utilze the glowing puck for replays only?  If they could show you through the boards where the puck is, wouldn't that be the same for goalie equipment?  Would have eliminated that whole 7 minute fiasco last night.

Here's hoping that Coburn is able to come back for the remainder of the series otherwise it won't be pretty for my Flyers.  Oh, and a tip of my hat to the fans for giving Coby the applause when he got up.

John Stevens is a little whiney B!TCH. What's this guys problem? "I'd like to see some consistency out there, we have a couple of Stars too you know" referring to the officiating. Awww BOOO HOOO - Darien Hatcher got called for a can opener on Malkin which was very obvious on the replay and we scored. How about the subtle bump by Pascal Dupuis that resulted in an interference penalty which resulted in Philly's 1st goal? That wasn't even a penalty but because he flopped to the ice Dupuis got called. By the way speaking of BS Calls. Jarko Ruutu got ridden into Biron, he got up and said a word or two and Biron leveled him with the goalie stick and Ruutu got called for the dive? Any other player on the ice would have drawn the 2:00 on Biron, but because it was Ruutu he got the gate as well. I don't see the refs showing bias toward the Flyers scum bags that have been suspended for multiple cheap shots this season.

Also that hit that Darien Hatcher had on Malkin where he took him off his skates and pile drove him to the ice - same exact thing Brooks Orpik did in game 1 and he got a holding call for it.

And anyone that wants to complain about officiating - We scored 5 goals last night not 4. Any coach would take a penalty call in exchange for a disallowed goal that was clearly 100%, no doubt in anyones mind a goal off of Hatchers face.

Oh and Braydon Coburn getting hit in the face wasn't a bad break, it was his fault. He was slashing the hell out of Malkin's stick and basically dry humping his leg in an attempt to contain him. He was paying no attention to the puck or he would have been able to react to it.

Anyone else notice the standing ovation he received from the fans when he got up? Anyone think those classy Philthydelphians would give a standing O to in injured Penguin ?

IronCity - no doubt that Crosby should have been given a goal, but refs waived it off and video didn't show puck completely over the line, we both know it was in, but the call on ice stands.  Coburn was not dry humping Malkin, he was a good foot behind him, its called shadowing and defense.  Stevenson just wants the refs to call it both ways, unless your blind you would agree that the "hooking" call on Hatcher was a BS call, that's great defense.  They also got him for cross checking, which I believe was weak, but they called it, so they should have called the elbow shim to Briere's head a penalty, same thing.

Either way it was a great game, just wish the refs wouldn't help decide the outcome.  Either call everything (on both teams) or let them play. 

That Hooking call on Hatcher was actually a Can Opener - but they don't call 2:00 for a can opener, it's called hooking. He did a great job stepping up and putting a body into Malkin, but his stick got in between his legs and he controlled Malkin's progress via that stick. When you open a guys legs with the stick it's a penalty.

Malkin may have given a little "Shiv" (not Shim, which is a small piece of wood that you use for leveling in carpentry) to Briere, which if Briere wasn't such a PU$$Y wouldn't have been such a big deal, but Malkin also got Cross Checked in the back of the head in Game 1 by Hatcher and nothing was called. I'd take a glancing blow from an elbow over a two handed cross check with a composite stick to the head wouldn't you?

Hatcher's Cross Check call was a textbook Cross Check to the small of the back. I'd imagine when they train the Refs, they would use footage of that as the glaring example of a cross check.

Regardless, even if you think the Hatcher play was clean we scored a goal. Just like when Dupuis barely touched the guy and got the interference call and Jeff Carter scored a goal. They even out.

Face it, the Penguins are the better team. You tried to play a clean in game 1 and took 1 Penalty (for 1:30 - the crap at the end of the game didn't count as powerplay time in my book) and we dominated you. Then game 2 you try to play the tough physical style and we dominated you. What do the Flyers have left to throw at us? You're either going to play clean and get burned, or play physical and take penalties - either way you lose. Pick you Poison.