Flyers 4, Penguins 1

Gotta love the NHL

Thanks to Yohe for this nugget - the 4th line of Lapierre, Adams and Bennett have no goals in their last 119 games combined. That'll get it done.

Pens average 2.95 goals per game when 87 & 71 are both playing like today (which would put them 4th) and 1.8 when at least one is missing (30th).

Not sure how things would stack up had Hornquist, Malkin and Crosby not had chunks of their respective seasons disrupted by injuries.

The 4th line has been a non-entity almost the entire season and to be fair to Bennett, he is not exactly your prototypical 4th line player. The question with him is where exactly does he fit in with this or any team.

More. Comeau, Kunitz and Spaling - 2 goals in their last 73 games.

So half of their forwards have 2 goals in their last 192 games.

If they don't score goals and don't go to the net, what does the 4th line do exactly? I know the answer.

I'll have a Bloody Mary, a steak sandwich and a steak sandwich.

Strangest part Jose is that the TV crew is employed and paid by Root Sports. The radio crew, who do indeed call it like it is, is employed by the Penguins.

That should go up in response to Jose's comment.

There are so many new hockey fans around this team, most don't even notice.

ROOT is terrible. Go on the major Pens blogs and youll quickly see no one takes that broadcast team seriously. Errey however, is probably the best of the bunch. Its Steigy that needs to be sent into pasture. He literally cant even follow the puck anymore.

Did you read the Weaponization of Media articles a couple of threads back?

I do have a gripe about most media in this country, not just sports or Penguins coverage in particular. (This, of course, does not apply to DK who does a fine job and is willing to take on controversial topics.)

Many are simply lazy. They just aggregate headlines and sound bytes from less than reliable and reputable sources and pass it off as journalism. Others report and comment as if they are afraid to bite the proverbial hand that feeds them. That is they do not want to be critical of whatever or whoever they are covering because they do not want to lose access.

For example, few so-called sports journalists want to be critical of Tiger Woods for either his misdeeds off the golf course or his current poor play on it.

The studio guys on NBC/NBCSN do not want to be critical of the NHL for fear that the NHL will tell NBC to fire them. A case in point was when Mike Milbury was highly critical of Sidney Crosby on Philly radio. As far as I am concerned, Milbury was playing up to both Flyers fans and Flyers ownership (Ed Snider and Family who also own Comcast/NBC meaning they also employ Milbury). I think I have made my point.

Then, there is Brent Musberger who was highly critical of the NCAA punishing Penn St. As he correctly pointed out, the NCAA's actions changed the story from being about the victims and seeking justice for them to the NCAA penalizing Penn St. for the actions of individuals and not the school itself. Musberger no longer calls any NCAA sporting events that I am aware of. Coincidence. I suspect not.

If you have journalists, sports and otherwise, unwilling or unable to take on controversial topics and to make the powers that be uncomfortable, that is, hold their feet to the fire for whatever they are doing or supporting, then all you have are propagandists toeing the party line.

Knee jerk reactions? 5 years and now 78 games is HARDLY a knee jerk reaction.

Knee jerk reactions? 5 years and now 78 games is HARDLY a knee jerk reaction.

5 years of playoff repeated playoff appearances? Tell me what you have to complain about other than them being beat in the ECF once, 2nd round twice, and 1st round twice? Oh wait, because my above example of Cup or Bust is accurate. The Pens are currently in a playoff position and the sky is falling once again. It's knee jerk.

Don't mind the typos, tried to finish before game came on TV :)

This team has nobody with guts like Talbot to pull something off like thst.

He did get hit in the hand late in the game yesterday I think.
But they will have literally no tough guys if Rinaldo starts running Malkin or Crosby....

We had some physical guys and traded them,

Wow, edit: someone** not so done.

Not on the fourth line he doesn't.

But except for a brief burst with Malkin a lifetime ago, he didn't score on the first, second or third lines, either. His biggest problem right now is there isn't a fifth line.

We'll punish Bennett.

Great save but Adams did not get much on that backhand.

If goals were only scored by squared-up pucks, the NHL scoring average would be dramatically worse.

& IF YOU HAD A NICKEL FOR EVERY TIME THIS TEAM QUIT (EXCEPT FOR PATRIC HORNQVIST) YOU WOULD OWN A HOCKEY TEAM ......

Come on, you can't expect him to score more than 1 goal a year.

Yep, he's acquitted himself well.

Really?

Yes, really.

Scuds and Adams on PK = half your guys slow and not able to clear.
This will bite them in playoffs, book it.

+1

Seriously? Are you watching the same game. He is still out there fighting.

It's called MJ's scripted offense. Preventing Pens' scoring since December.

Like that!

Just like that.

And as a hit post comment, another post.

Would like to see Scuds not wander more than 10 ft from net.

Never got back in position.

WHY KUNITZ?????!!!!!!?????? 4th line. put anyone else up, spaling? ANyone?

Bennetts having a decent game, I know that's blasphemy to suggest.
But no worries, he got benched after a good first....

I'm no hockey expert, Sarah, but BB needs to be "stronger on the puck" as the cliche goes. He seems frail out there.

Maybe he can start working out with James Harrison.

Starting? He's had it awhile.

Thinking the same.

If his wrist is really that bad why he is even playing? Anyone down in WBS could do the same he has.

I think his buyout is 1.1 mil, vs 3+ against the cap if we play him....? I'd need to check but that sounds good to me.

Rinaldo puts Letang out of commission for weeks, no response.

Read cross-checks Crosby's wrist nearly into two pieces, no response.

I wouldn't hold your breath.

Well, maybe Sutter will light him up.

No - they haven't won a game where they've trailed after two. They had a third period comeback against Arizona two weeks ago - tied after two, went down in the third and came back. Not sure if that's happened any other times this year.

Tied after two is not a comeback

The comment was "3rd period comebacks", not "comebacks trailing after two". They were down 1-0 in the third and came back. That's a third period comeback.

Well, what other reason would there be for his not playing today ? I know I'd sure have him in there. This is no time for backups.

Because we don't want Fleury 3 in 4 days, that's why.

Win Tuesday and we'll be fine.

Second game in as many days and he was overworked yesterday. 35 shots. Griess is doin just fine

@Milo: how many teams play their goalie twice in less than 24 hours?

Eh, he's allowed 2 or less his last 5 starts. I dunno.

Back to what Dejan said yesterday, no urgency. At least he'll have plenty of rest for the first tee.

Doesn't matter who is goal. Couple goals go in and it's the same beaten path. Scuderi blows, can't clear the net, no heart. Which are all good points don't get me wrong, but after awhile it's like just shut up and watch the damn game

Let me know when I'm allowed to talk again. Thanks.

You can talk whenever. No need to take it personal. Just a collective opinion I have. You can complain about the same things over and over but after awhile you just need to settle and watch

Drew. Them into an even up penalty. Kunitz didn't break a rule. Great calls all around there.

I got no problem with it.

Kunitz just got the Flyers to react the way the Pens react to the Flyers - negated their power play, and gave them a target to obsess over the rest of the game.

But the Penguins have to capitalize on it.

You are seriously condoning school boy cheap-ass tactics as acceptable? Ladies and gentlemen, your 2014-15 Pittsburgh Penguins.

Please.

If he shot it at the goalie, or at a player, fine. He shot it at an ampty net. And the way the past two months have gone for Kunitz, I'm not 100% sure he shot it at the net.

alantig, any touch up to end a delayed penalty directed towards the opponent's goal is an unwritten verbotten. It was a petulant move by a supposedly veteran Kunitz that fired up the Flyers, regardless of any short-term gains that transpired. It was game and very possibly season over when Big Ben struck one.

I will drive Kunitz, Sutter Adams Scuderi Lappiere to the airport for some other team....

Sutter has 19 goals. Will take that from 3rd line center.

1 summer with Gary and he'll average 25.

Well they wound up 4 on 4. Good miss by 14 LOL.

Who gives a crap if he posted it? He wasn't trying to score. It wasn't going to count, regardless. He drew 12 minutes in penalties against their 2 best players.

Heaven forbid we GE him a shift or two with somebody different. Perron, BB, Crosby.....but nope.

Does Johnston ever put Crosby and Malkin out together at even strength?

Not sure I've ever seen it.....and don't really advocate it ....but sometimes you've just gotta do SOMETHING to give the team a jump. He NEVER does that.
This team has to be built around giving Sid and Geno the best chance to succeed, and the bench decisions simply don't do that. Geno is lugging around a crippled Comeau and a has-been Kunitz, Cripes, try a shift or two DIFFERENT. Perron, BB, hell Winnik or Downie. ANYTHING.
But we get that deer/headlights thing.
I wonder if they really would Fire him this late. I heard rumors of Keenan, now that he's done w KHL. That would be a hoot.

Sometimes I hate how much I love this team. It is painful.

Well we traded those guys who were fighters, not hitters. One of whom led the team in hits and was top 5 NHL.
Blow. It. Up.
From the TOP down.

Nah.Why risk losing out on Babcock?

But HCMJ looks clueless on the bench.

That's what I saw. Comeau at the end of a long shift. Caught watching the puck.

Well Lovejoy sorta lost his guy to start the whole sequence. Whatever, he's on for all 3 goals and I still hate that trade. Sigh.

I canNOT believe this implosion is actually happening.

Somebody said we were 17 pts up on OTT at the start of March?

That's actually unbelievable. Truly.

Well Lovejoy sorta lost his guy to start the whole sequence. Whatever, he's on for all 3 goals and I still hate that trade. Sigh.

I canNOT believe this implosion is actually happening.

Somebody said we were 17 pts up on OTT at the start of March?

That's actually unbelievable. Truly.

The Bennett penalty was more legit than the Hornqvist penalty a minute later.

I love Doc Emrick - the downside is that Pierre McQuire comes with him. McQuire points out that Manning pushes Hornqvist into Mason, then chides Hornqvist for losing his composure.

I think McQuire just doesn't like Hornqvist because he can't come up with a way to make his first name longer, a la "Krystopher Letang" and "Robbie Scuderi".

Why would Babcock want to come to this goat-rodeo? He can either stay with a superior organization stockpiled with young talent, or he can get megabucks with Toronto. Why put himself into this culture that is the creation of the Lemieux/Burkle regime at this point in his career?

With what Torts said about 71 and 87 a few seasons ago, he will never coach this team.