The Flyers PA announcer urged fans to “show some class” during the first wave of band tossing. He missed the first game of the series with injury, but Haula has returned to play a big role. Jason Chimera was credited with the game-winning tally in Saturday’s 4-1 victory, albeit with a tip-in from center ice that somehow saw the puck squeeze between the pads of Steve Mason.
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The intensity of the series between the Philadelphia Flyers and Washington Capitals has only escalated in each game.
“We were eight points out of the playoffs and we really concentrated on one game at a time and we have to go back to that”.
The Capitals led 2-1 after Alexander Ovechkin’s second-period goal, and they put the game away with four goals in the third, one of them by Ovechkin.
“When you’re not disciplined enough, you’re going to get punished”, the Flyers’ Mark Streit was saying afterward. One fan even threw a wristband at Orlov on the bench.
Making all of this worse, the Flyers began the game by honoring late owner Ed Snider with a stirring tribute. The Flyers played their first game in October 1967 in front of 7,800 people.
Flyers fans wanted a win but they didn’t get one.
“I don’t know [what Ed Snider would’ve thought of the way the game ended]”, Simmonds said after the game.
Snider died last Monday after a two-year battle with bladder cancer.
The Flyers hung a banner outside the arena with Snider’s picture and the caption “A Flyer Forever”. His silhouette was inside the Flyers logo for the customary playoff T-shirt giveaway, and some fans left flowers and cards at a makeshift memorial next to the team flag. His initials are painted behind both nets. Fans hoped they’d hear Kate Smith sing “God Bless America” with Lauren Hart, and they did. Hart’s eyes watered and her hands were shaking throughout her performance. His diagonal pass went out to Brandon Manning at the left point.
It’ll be interesting to see how this look changes for games 3 and 4, when the matchups will be largely dictated by the home coach, Dave Hakstol, as he takes the lead in the playoff matchup tango for the first time in his National Hockey League coaching career.
The outcome of the game might have been in question for a minute or two. They embarrassed themselves, all of them, in every possible way.
“You can tell they’re keying on us, ” Gostisbehere said. If he keeps playing like this, that’s a very realistic possibility. Washington would get goals from Marcus Johansson, Evgenzy Kuznetsov, Jay Beagle, and John Carlson, as well as two goals from Alex Ovechkin.
“Can say it over and over again, ‘It’s a bad goal, ‘” Mason said. But after two minutes of chaos and Nick Schultz blocked shots on Ovechkin, the score still was tied. Roberto Luongo stopped 35 shots.
Mason was befuddled again in the third.
Instead of trapping it, Mason unsuccessfully tried to block it, allowing the puck to somehow trickle between his pads and into the net. Mason had 21 saves. Meanwhile, with the help of Holtby, who made 31 saves, the Caps held the Flyers scoreless on five power plays. Evgeny Kuznetsov leads in points with 77 and in assists with 57.
“Not too fun”, Giroux said of the debris-littered ice. In the final minutes of the game, a unsafe hit from Flyers center Pierre-Edouard Bellemare on Capitals defenseman Dmitry Orlov coupled with fans throwing bracelets on the ice created an ugly ending.
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Getting down in a series seems to bring out the best of the Los Angeles Kings. That rightfully resulted in a major penalty and a game misconduct for Bellemare, which sent a already-angry Flyers crowd into hysterics.
