Awesome delay of game penalty helps lift Penguins over Flyers

Can it really continue to be coincidence that every nationally broadcasted game the Penguins take part in is full of horrible officiating and a two minute surge, that ends up propelling the Penguins over their opponent in the final two minutes of a game? Can it really continue to be a coincidence? Really, it’s growing tiresome. There’s so much to say about today’s officiating, but I’ll get to that later. First, I want to touch on today’s game.

Today’s loss ends the Flyers six game long home winning streak. Complain all you’d like about the officials, because your complaints are legitimate. Just don’t try and tell me they were the complete reason for the outcome of this afternoon’s match-up. The Flyers finished at an abysmal 1 for 9 on the power play. The goal they converted on – Carter’s wrap around luck shot – should have never even gone in. Granted, several of the power plays weren’t full length power plays and were shortened due to another penalty ending, but still, a man advantage is a man advantage.

The turning point of today’s afternoon came when Mike Richards was thought to have given the Flyers a 2-0 lead, instead, Simon Gagne and Evgeni Malkin were tangled up behind the play. Richards scored, but a whistle (that nobody heard) was blown, and although none of the on ice officials had their arms raised, Malkin and Gagne went to the box. However, it was Simon Gagne that was penalized for a phantom high stick that would coincidentally nullify the captain’s goal. On the ensuing power play, Sergei Gonchar took a shot from the point that made its way past a well screened Ray Emery. Just like that, the game was tied. Just like that, a two goal swing completely shifted the momentum of this game into the hands of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Like we’ve never seen this before.

Minutes later, Kimmo Timonen, with one foot still barely in the defensive zone, flipped the puck out of play giving the Penguins another power play. Sergei Gonchar would set up at the top of the zone once again and take a shot. This time, there was more traffic in front of Emery, and Matt Cooke redirected the puck right through Emery’s legs.

Pittsburgh took another penalty with 47 seconds left in the game and gave the Flyers a 6-on-4 opportunity which the Flyers couldn’t capitalize on.

Claude Giroux and Mike Richards decided to try and be entirely too fancy today, and I don’t know why. I’m still confused as to why Darroll Powe was taken off the first line. You can’t have a patient player like Richards and a passer like Giroux on the same line. It’s just not going to click. JVR is clueless and invisible without Giroux. You can tell.

There are several other things that I  wanted to get into the recap, but they’ve slipped my mind and I have a miserably painful headache, so I’ll save them for another post. Something’s going to have to carry us into Thursday. That’s when the Flyers play next. Home against the Thrashers.

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