Pens Loss Lost in Laviolette Tantrum

The Cliff Notes version of what happened at the end of yesterday's Pens / Flyers game:

1. Joe Vitale checks Danny Briere at center ice with the cleanest of checks you will ever see. Puck is present. Shoulder to chest.  Never left his feet.  Nothing to see here.
2. The Flyers on the ice have a fit and take a run at Vitale.
3. Peter Laviolette does his best impersonation of a 6 year old: throws a tantrum, breaks sticks, crys, whines.
4. Deryk Engelland ends what the Flyers started and pounds the piss out of Wayne Simmonds.
5. The Pens lost.

Typical Flyers bullshit that dates back to the mid 70's.  Instead of celebrating their huge win in Pittsburgh with class, the Flyers feel the need to relive the Broad Street Bully days.  Obvious Laviolette has bought into that neanderthal bravado as well.  Your player skating with the puck got checked.  Happens. Grow up.

Laviolette made everyone in his presence dumber at his post game spew:

"blah blah blah Gutless blah blah blah 4th line blah blah blah No Comment."

There was some sorta point in there that Dan Bylsma hadn't used his 4th line in 12 minutes.  True.  Like most hockey teams on the planet chasing 2 goals in the 3rd period, the Pens had their stars on the ice trying to mount a comeback.  The empty netter at 18:45 made it a 3 goal lead.  The Flyers probably would've preferred to see Crosby back on the ice so they could cross check him in the back some more.  That wouldn't be gutless, I guess.

But the moral of the story from a Flyers / Mike Milbury (next post) perspective this morning is that Crosby cries.

Other notes and thoughts from yesterday's game:

• NBC's insistence on taking as many different cameras during live action is even worse than ROOT Sports. Show the game for chrissakes. One camera. It's pretty simple.
• Brayden Schenn is a "character kid" according to Pierre McGuire and Eddie Olpuke.  Outright weird commentary after cross checking a dude in the back.  Some people might consider attacking someone with their back to you "gutless."
• Note to Disco Dan: 5 forwards on the Power Play is not working.  In fact, it blows.
• The blind drop passes we insist on making are a minus (-) on the year.
• Zac Rinaldo has clearly filled the Yappy Yet Irrelevant role for the Flyers that was vacated by Danny Carcillo a few years ago.
• I kinda like Wayne Simmonds as a player.  But seeing him getting used as Deryk Engelland's personal punching bag was fun viewing.
• Not a Hartnell fan, but seeing him and uber fan Cy going at it was pretty comical.
• Not panicking. Not. Even. Close.
• Anyone see Pierre McGuire's stupid face in between the Granato  / Laviolette yelling?

Oh, yeah...two misconceptions from Pens fans I've noticed:

Bylsma changes his lines too much.  I think Disco even eluded to this post game, but totally not true.  You're seeing different line combinations after PPs and PKs, which is typical.  For the most part, though, his lines have been pretty consistent lately.

The defense sucks.  Not as much as turnovers leading to odd man breaks that are leaving our d-men out to dry constantly.  Quit with the Harlem Globetrotter mentality when gaining the zone. Possess the puck.  When in doubt, get it deep. We've got the talent to do that...I think.

Final thought:

I don't want home ice in the first round.  There is zero advantage.  The majority of our fans attending Consol Energy Center sit on their hands the entire game...either until the Pens score or when they leave with 2 minutes left on the clock.  The friendly confines of CEC are exactly that...too friendly.  Bring back the Igloo, along with their uncomfortable seats and long pee lines that kept away the posh suits and thing-to-doers.

Starting my playoff mustache in one week.  Fckya.