Flyers lose 4-2 to Penguins.....again

(AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

The Flyers lost Game Two by the same score as they lost Game One, 4-2, but Sunday's contest was a completely different story in terms of effort. In Game One, the Flyers looked flat-footed and played most of the game back on their heels, while in Game Two they showed more of the effort and intensity that we have grown accustomed to seeing in this playoff run. The Flyers simply took too many penalties that allowed the Penguins to get their offense going and couldn't generate enough offense of their own.

The night started off terrible for the Flyers when Braydon Coburn took a puck to the nose and collapsed to the ice. Coburn was bleeding badly and was taken to the locker room to get stitches and he was unable to return to the game. The Flyers, who were already without Kimmo Timonen, were then forced to play the rest of the game without their best two defensemen, something that spells certain doom against the Penguins attack. Philly did not back down defensively, however, with Derian Hatcher playing an amazing game, logging nearly 30 minutes of ice time and making big hit after big hit. If it wasn't for Hatcher, the Flyers would have been blown out in the game.

There were several questionable calls made by the refs throughout the game that went against both teams. The Penguins had a goal that didn't count because replays didn't show a clear shot of the puck going in. Sidney Crosby shut a puck that appeared to inch past the line and into the goal, but in every camera angle Martin Biron's glove was in the way so it was difficult to tell if it went in. By the laws of physics, the puck probably had to be past the line, but with no good video proof, it was no goal. The Flyers were on the short end of several bad calls, including one that directly set up a powerplay goal by the Penguins. Derian Hatcher made a play on Evgeni Malkin to slow him down and the refs called him for hooking. Replays showed that Hatcher's stick was between Malkin's legs, but the call was questionable at best. Nine seconds after Hatcher goes in the box, the Penguins scored a goal to give them a 2-1 lead. Danny Briere was also called for goalie interference later in the game when he was clearly pushed into Penguins netminder Marc-Andre Fleury by a Pens player. Luckily that call did not result in a goal.

Tonight's contest was a close game throughout. The Penguins scored first on a power play goal by Sidney Crosby in the first period. The Flyers responded with a power play goal of their own early in the second period. Joffrey Lupul fed Jeff Carter for a nice shot to tie the game. The Penguins pulled ahead 2-1 on a goal by Marian Hossa during the Hatcher phantom penalty call, and then the Flyers evened things right back up at the end of the second period on a short handed goal by Mike Richards. Malkin tried to be too fancy with the puck on the power play and Richards took it from him, skated in all alone, and fired the puck past Fleury. The Penguins later added the game winning goal when Max Talbot was fed a nice pass by Gary Roberts and shot the puck past Martin Biron. It was a nice goal by the Penguins fourth line. Pittsburgh later added an empty net goal to make it a 4-2 win.

The effort was better tonight for the Flyers. They played a more physical game, got better goaltending from Martin Biron and managed to get more shots on net. Unfortunately the Penguins proved to be too good and the loss of Coburn proved to be too much to overcome.

Game Three is back in Philadelphia on Tuesday. The Wachovia Center will be rocking so expect the Flyers to come out and play their best hockey. There is a saying in the NBA playoffs that a series doesn't start until someone loses a home game. Home ice isn't quite as important in hockey, but I think it still has some merit. All the Flyers have to do is protect their home ice and they can get right back in this series. However, if they lose either one of the next two at home it will probably end their season. It will be tough, especially if the Flyers lose Coburn for another game, but this team has overcome so many difficult obstacles that I am not ready to write them off yet. There is still a lot of hockey left to be played and you can bet the Flyers won't simply sit back and let the Penguins coast into the Stanley Cup Finals. As the Keystone Clash moves across the state, expect the Flyers and their fans to have a lot more to say about this series.

Highlights of the game via Comcast SportsNet: