Hey, how about a live-blog!7:40- Some douche is wearing a Big Ben jersey and siting behind John Stevens...We hate that. Anger and the game hasn't even started.
7:41- Long first shift for the Crosby line and the Flyers keep it in the Pens zone almost the entire time and had a couple shots on Fleury. Ominous start.
7:44- Pascal Dupuis sends a pass from behind the net and Miro Satan almost bats it out of mid air for a goal. Dupper back on the top line has been good, and Fedotenko had a good shift earlier with the 3rd line (Max Talbot and Tyler F Kennedy)
7:46- Scottie Upshall rings one off the crossbar. Yikes.
7:49- Excellent fight Eric Godard vs. Riley Cote. Both were swinging and swinging violently in a long fight. You'l definitely want to check this one on youtube. We give the edge to Godard who connected with a flurry of lefts and rights.
7:50- Crosby is interfered with and the call is made...Pens to the powerplay after the commercial break.
7:52- Crosby goes down and slashes Andrew Alberts, negating what had been an unimpressive powerplay.
7:57- Max Talbot springs himself on a shorthanded breakaway and tries to go five hole (looked like he had too much speed to make a move.
7:58- A good shift for the Staal/Malkin/Sykora line, a lot of cycling down low. Malkin looks more authoritative out there.
8:04- Scrum time in front of the Flyers net that's almost a line brawl. We notice TFK and Albert going at it. Scumbag Mike Richards gives an otherwise occupied Penguin a face-wash and is sent to the box.
8:06- The powerplay without an identity continues, the crowd's getting restless now. They circled in their own zone for a little waiting to breakout and then subsequently iced the puck. This defense needs a puck-moving defenseman.
8:13- Long cycling shift for the Talbot line but no payoff. Gotta like the chances and energy that TFK is bringing to the table.
8:15- Rusty Fedotenko takes a holding penalty about 170 feet from his net with about 80 seconds left in the period. Foolish.
8:18- At the end of the first it's 0-0
8:24- Christine Simpson is interviewing Mike Richards....Is it just us or did she pickup a more noticeable Canadian accent over the summer? Granted, she is from Ontario but it seems a lot more prevalent now. Not that
8:36- Game's back on and the penalty's killed but not before Marc-Andre Fleury kicks a rebound out past everyone.
8:39- They're buzzing now. Crosby has the puck and motors around, set Dupuis up for four big shots, including one from point blank that would have been a goal had his stick not failed him.
8:42- Things are definitely looking up for the boys. The Crosby line was down low doing work and drew an Andrew Alberts hooking call. The last two 5 on 5 shifts for this line has, without exaggaration, looked stronger than the powerplay. Cue the tired hack joke about being able to decline penalties. 2nd period shots are 6-2 Pens.
8:45- The powerplay features a lot of great puck movement and control but no dice. One gets the feeling it might take an ugly goal to trigger a huge breakout.
8:48- Matt Cooke to the box for a cross-check, taking away all the momentum and confidence that's been building.
8:50- 5 on 3 time for the Flyers, as Brooks Orpik slashes a rushing Flyer.
8:51- Therrien used to use two forwards and one defensemen for these situations but went with the long stick of Staal, and human shields Mark Eaton and Rob Scuderi
8:52- Holy shit moment, Scuderi literally makes two saves. Gotta appreciate the scramble and sacrifice. 5 on 3 killed, powerplay killed.
8:55- Due to the powerplay, Malkin plays a shift with Satan and Sykora. They apply much pressure, including Malkin's impression of his Crosby-drop-to-a-knee one timer but hits the far post.
8:57- Glen Metropolit attempts a lobotomy on Jordan Staal, ready or not here comes the powerplay but (thankfully?) it's only for 2 minutes.
9:00- A fluttering Evgeni Malkin wrister pops off the post. Thisclose once again...
9:01- GOAL! Orpik shoots, Kennedy's in front. The ugly one we mentioned. Looks like an Orpik seeing-eye puck. 1-0 Penguins
9:04- GOAL! Nice keep in at the blueline by Goligoski to keep it in and then a quick pass out by Cooke to Mike Zigomanis. Eric Godard touched it to and will get an assist, so unfortunately the play by Goose won't be recognized. 2-0 Penguins
9:07- Welcome to the season boys.
9:08- Eric Godard is a goal away from the Gordie Howe hat trick. Not bad for a guy who's gotten just 2:00 of icetime so far.
9:10- Jeff Carter pinballs one in. The Penguins couldn't clear the puck and the Flyers had a down-low two on one and the puck bounces off of the USS Hal Gill. Yuck. 2-1 Penguins still lead.
9:12- Another one. Faceoff win by Briere over Crosby, Timonen snaps it on the net and Gagne gets a nice deflection goal. This game is 2-2 but it feels like the Penguins should be winning. If you want to get chewed out by a hockey coach, give up a goal in the last minute of a period. The Pens just gave up two of them. Mercifully, it's intermission.
9:33- Game is back and Bobby Orr takes a penalty. Don't disrespect Kimmo Timonen in the eyes of Flyers fans eyes.
9:34- Malkin breaks a stick. A lot of broken twigs tonight, and as usual it's at the most inopportune time.
9:37- Goligoski is doing a lot of the little things right, including now when he lugged the puck through the zone and fired a nice shot that just was deflected at the last second. He's learning his way in the NHL and seeming to look a little better every period.
9:38- A Sykora rebound bumps out to Jordan Staal. It hits his skate and he kicks it to his skate but his hurried shot goes just wide.
9:44- The Talbot line works the puck low and then Max gets a high stick from Scott Hartnell. Fortunately for the Flyers their only punishment is facing the Penguins top powerplay unit.
9:47- Powerplay killed pretty effortlessly. Ossi Vaananen slew footed Crosby pretty viciously but he appears to be OK.
9:52- Pascal Dupuis' doing some solid work on the PK (Ziggy went to the box). Whatever the Pens PP has must be contagious, now Philly's looks sick.
9:58- Jeff Carter takes it to the net and gets taken down...Penalty coming up. 4 minutes left in the game, huge kill coming up, if the Flyers score a goal here that's practically your ballgame.
10:02- Beautiful pinball flipper save by Fleury when a puck comes unexpectedly bouncing in on him. The Pens are doing well to clear the puck often and not let them set it up.
10:06- Last ditch effort by Malkin and Kennedy fall short, we're going to over-time.
10:11- 18 year old rookie Luca Sbisa just flipped the puck in and nailed Mark Eaton with a huge check. That's the first time we really noticed him. And he's out there the last minute of OT, shows you how much they trust him.
10:14- Pascal Dupuis!!!!!!!!!! Big shot down the wing after a terrific breakout pass from Brooks Orpik.
So that's that.
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