Archive for the ‘Philadelphia Flyers’ Category
Blackhawks’ Got Their Grove Back!
What a game! Chicago Blackhawks beat the Philadelphia Flyers last night 7-4 to take back the series lead. The Chicago Blackhawks now lead the series 3-2 and are only 1 game away from winning the Stanley Cup for the first time since 1961. Chicago has not been successful in winning a game in Philadelphia but hope to change that with a win in game 6 on Wednesday night to take the Stanley Cup.
It seems as though the Blackhawks change up of lines have had great results with a 3-0 lead in the first period. Sometimes a shake up of the good old things can work wonders. After a terrible first period for the Flyers, coach Peter Laviolette pulled goalie Michael Leighton and replaced him with Brian Boucher.
With just over 2 minutes left in regulation time, Philadelphia pull their goalie for an extra man advantage. This, unfortunately, gave the Blackhawks an extra chance for another goal. With an empty net, Dustin Byfuglien, scored the Blackhawks 7th goal at 17:55.
With game 6 coming this Wednesday in Philadelphia the Blackhawks will have to go some to pull themselves together knowing their record of losses in Philadelphia. However, the pressure will also be on for the Flyers knowing that only one more loss for them will be the end of their hopes for the prestegious Stanley Cup.
Stanley Cup Finals Tied Up!
Chicago Blackhawks have lost their 2 game lead and are now back to square one. The Blackhawks have now lost 10 consecutive games in Philadelphia, however, they return home to the windy city tonight for game 5.
Chicago cut a three-goal deficit to 4-3 in the third period, but Jeff Carter scored an empty-net goal at 19:35. “We wanted to win at least one on the road,” Toews said. ”We had a lot of success before coming in here. It’s frustrating when you’re that close, but tonight was kind of like Wednesday night where it was too little, too late.”
Besides the fact that the Blackhawks spent too much time in the penalty box, their top three scorers continued to struggle. Maybe they will have to switch their lines around to create more scoring opportunities. Patrick Kane was minus 4 for the night. Jonathan Toews and Dustin Byfuglien had three shots on goal each and failed to score.
“It wasn’t good enough,” said Chicago captain Jonathan Toews. ”I don’t know if it was their crowd that gets them going, but we’ve got to find a way in this building. We need to click better from the start when we come back for Game 6. We’ll be ready for that when we do. We’ll put this one behind us and get excited that we’re playing at home again.”
The Chicago Blackhawks remain confident even after their 2 losses away from home. With the backing of a crowd in excess of 22,000 screaming fans, Chicago should be able to pull off a win tonight in game 5.
Philadelphia Flyers To Have Strong Showing In Olympics
The Philadelphia Flyers appear to have the opportunity to have a strong showing in the upcoming 2010 Olympic games. Unfortunately, Simon Gagne who has played in the last two Olympic games for Canada has had two hernias and abdominal surgery in early November which has precluded any chance for a third shot at the Olympics.
Matt Carle, winner of a gold medal at the 2004 world juniors, has improved greatly since he joined the Flyers. He had not shined while playing with the San Jose Sharks and the Tampa Bay Lightning. If his performance continues to improve, he will be considered for the US team.
Also 35-year old Chris Pronger will likely join team Canada to play in his fourth Olympics. Kimmo Timonen will play for Finland as well as Mika Pyorala. Although Pyorala is only in his first season playing for the NHL, he has put in nearly a decade playing for Finland and Sweden. He played for Finland in the past three World Chamionships.
Jeff Carter and captain Mike Richards will suit up for team Canada although Carter still has to prove himself over the new month.