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Tonight….“It’s Do or Die” Philadelphia Flyers must get physical against defending champions Pittsburgh Penguins


By Napoleon F. Kingcade Press/Review Sports Reporter


Tonight’s play-


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off game means “Do or Die” for the Philadelphia Flyers. It’s Game 4 in the fi rst round of the Stanley Cup playoff s. Tonight, there’s no doubt, the Wells Fargo Center will be rocking. Tonight’s game will air at 7 PM on the NBC Sports Net Channel. Tonight, the Philadelphia Flyers will try to rebound from Sun- day’s 5-1 loss in Game 3. The Flyers lost Sunday’s game against the two- time defending Stanley Cup champions Pitts- burgh Penguins.


In last Sunday’s game, the Flyers didn’t show any quickness against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Flyers were too slow getting up and down the ice. They were slowing setting up their power plays. They lacked the speed to get into the cor- ners. They were too slow


“OK, If I win, I’m a Pirate!”


getting on defense. In other words, the Flyers were just too slow on the ice.


Ladies and gentle- men, things must change tonight if the Flyers want to stay alive in this Stan- ley Cup playoff series. Tonight, the Flyers must crash the boards and crash Pittsburgh’s net. The same way the Flyers played in Game 2 to win that game is the same way they must play in tonight’s hockey game. In Game 2, the Fly- ers came out like gang- busters and gave Pitts- burgh more than they could handle. The Flyers won Game 2 by a score of 5-1. Flyers goalie Brian Elliott stopped 34 of 35 shots against Pittsburgh. Penguins center Sidney Crosby didn’t score any goals in Game 2. This was quite diff erent in Game 1 when Crosby scored a Hat Trick. Brian Elliott got pulled in Game 1 after he allowed fi ve goals in the fi rst two periods. In Game 1, the Pittsburgh Penguins shut out the Flyers 7-0. How- ever, in Game 2, the Fly- ers played much better hockey. That’s why it’s important for the Fly- ers to play better hockey tonight. They must play a tough physical game. This year, the Penguins began their playoff run as Pittsburgh is attempting to become the fi rst NHL team to win three straight Stanley Cup titles since the New York Islanders did it from 1980-1983. This year, the Pitts-


burgh Penguins swept the Flyers in the regu- lar series. The Flyers blew leads in three of their four losses which included two heart- breakers which the Flyers lost twice to Pittsburgh in overtime by the score of 5-4. In an overtime loss back on March 25, the Flyers out shot Pitts- burgh 45-32 and won 61


percent of their faceoff s. The last time the Flyers dominated the Pittsburgh Penguins during a season was back in 2012 when the Flyers eliminated the Penguins 4 games to 2 in a six-game playoff series. The Penguins have been able to win their last two Stanley Cups by depending on their star players, a dominating four-line rotation, a deep and tough defense, two great goalies and a home- ice advantage. At home, the Penguins give oppo- nents nightmares in the darkest hour. This sea- son, the Penguins posted a 30-9-2 record at home. Today, the Penguins have 20 players with playoff experience. That’s one thing that gives the Penguins a clear advan- tage. The thing that makes Pittsburgh a dan- gerous hockey team is their speed. Speed kills in the NHL and the Pen- guins have plenty of it. If an NHL team doesn’t have great defense, an opponent can fi nd them- selves down six goals before the third period begins. Pittsburgh has the players to destroy any goaltender in the net. The Penguins have Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Phil Kessel and Kris Letang. Those play- ers are proven stars and there aren’t alot of things that can stop them on the ice. The Penguins also have Riley Sheahan and Derick Brassard to play center. They have both played splendid hockey when Sidney Crosby was reported missing from the Penguins lineup. With former Pitts-


burgh goalie Macr-Andre Fleury playing for the Vegas Golden Knights, new goalie Matt Murray will be expected to give the Penguins their third straight Stanley Cup title. Despite his recent health setbacks, Murray still posted a 27-16-3 record with a 2.92 goals-against average and a 9.07 save percentage. The Flyers must have Wayne Sim- monds crashing around the net. They must allow Simmonds to create as much chaos as he can. In Sunday’s game, Wayne Simmonds wasn’t seen killing any penalties or


shooting on the team’s power play. Simmonds can help the Flyers get physical against the Pitts- burgh Penguins. This season, against the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Flyers were 2 for 16 on the power play. They must change that or else the Flyers will be in a world of trouble. This season, the Penguins allowed 176 goals when playing at full strength. This can give the Flyers a real clear advantage. But Claude Giroux, Tra- vis Konecny, Wayne Sim- monds, Nolan Patrick, Sean Couturier and Jake Voracek must be on tar- get with their shots. This season, Couturier


fi nished with 31 goals for the Flyers which was second best on the team. If the Flyers are not fl y- ing towards the net and delivering good shots, this could end up being a quick and short playoff series. Sparked by MVP candidate Claude Giroux who scored 34 goals and picked up 68 assists, the Flyers had a 159-145 scor- ing advantage in fi ve- on-fi ve play. The Flyers entered the postseason collecting points in 11 of their last 12 regular sea- son games. They posted a 8-1-3 record in their last 12 games. The Flyers earned their fi rst playoff berth in two years. In tonight’s game, Brian Elliott (23-11 regu- lar season record ) will start again in goal for the Flyers. Elliott has played fi ve games since missing nearly two months fol- lowing core-muscle sur- gery. Elliott posted a 4-3 win over the Carolina Hurricanes and he was also sharp in his 5-0 vic- tory over the New York Rangers to end the regu- lar season. In this playoff series, Elliott will need to step up his game. With tonight’s game only a few hours away, let’s hope the Flyers can shock everybody by playing an up tempo and physical game. Tonight, the Flyers must win Game 4 or else this series will be over quick. And this is something, as Fly- ers fans, that we don’t want to see happen.


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