Game Thread: Philadelphia Flyers at Pittsburgh Penguins 3/16/14 | 12:30pm

[Maverick426h]

If we just keep playing like this moving forward, we're going to beat a lot of these higher ranked teams on our home ice.

 

[sanfrand]

Great game! This is a playoff caliber team finally playing playoff hockey.

 

[JBM73]

Great 2 games by the Flyers. Glad to see Dr. Jekyll show up again after 2 games of Mr. Hyde. Couturier was just amazing.

 

[JBM73]

From a Penguins blogger. I thought he was spot on with both points:

A prime example of why the Penguins fail against the Flyers in recent memory is because of plays like the one Robert Bortuzzo made on Scott Hartnell. Hartnell delivered an awesome check on Lee Stempniak. It is the kind of hit that absolutely has a place in the game of hockey. Instead of understanding that the other team might actually try to make good plays and execute clean checks Robert Bortuzzo childishly took offense to this play. He retaliated against Hartnell’s clean check and the Penguins found themselves shorthanded. In what you could call hockey karma the Flyers scored on that power play to jump out to a 2-0 lead. Words probably can’t express my discontent with the need to retaliate because the other team made a great hockey play.

Robert Bortuzzo was playing in the place of Simon Despres. Simon Despres was benched for reasons that most likely stem from his propensity to take minor penalties. Unfortunately his replacement was just as guilty of taking unnecessary penalties. His replacement also does not possess the puck moving ability that Despres has.

One of my pet peeves is having a quick trigger finger in benching a puck moving/skilled defenseman for making mistakes, but allowing a lesser skilled defensive defenseman to “play through his mistakes”. This isn’t an issue that is limited to the Pittsburgh Penguins organization; you see it happen all around the league.

If you have two players that are going to make mistakes I don’t know why you wouldn’t stick with the player who actually has the puck skills to make good plays and has the higher ceiling.

 

[lhagen931]

IMO, the Flyers played a great game.

 

[Gooch1034]

The Flyers have been playing great hockey for awhile now. I can admit they showed they are capable of going deep in the playoffs. Pittsburgh has been the exact opposite in my opinion. Their record is deceiving. They have good games at times but there is no grit. It is the same shit every year with them.

I have no doubt all Flyers fans are licking their chops hoping to meet Pittsburgh in the playoffs. I would too if I were one of you. At this point, I would put my money on Philly easy.

 

[lhagen931]

The Flyers have been playing great hockey for awhile now. I can admit they showed they are capable of going deep in the playoffs. Pittsburgh has been the exact opposite in my opinion. Their record is deceiving. They have good games at times but there is no grit. It is the same shit every year with them.

I have no doubt all Flyers fans are licking their chops hoping to meet Pittsburgh in the playoffs. I would too if I were one of you. At this point, I would put my money on Philly easy.

I don't think I want the Flyers to play Pissburgh in the 1st round.

 

[Gooch1034]

I don't think I want the Flyers to play Pissburgh in the 1st round.

How come? I would think it would be a great 1st round series for the Flyers? A good shot to beat the rival and start the playoffs on a huge high point.

 

[lhagen931]

How come? I would think it would be a great 1st round series for the Flyers? A good shot to beat the rival and start the playoffs on a huge high point.

very true. I remember what happened 2 years when the Flyers played Pissburgh in the 1st round and winning in 6 then losing in 5 to NJ