Montreal Canadiens vs. Philadelphia Flyers (Gm 1)

Musings and In-Game Scribbles Eastern Conference Final

My English is as good as yours, I just write these in a stream-of-consciousness mode that I insist excuses me from small things like rules of grammar or general etiquette. Let’s call it conversational English, hopped up on beans. You know what kind of beans (no, Carl Mellesmoen, not the magic ones).

Montreal Canadiens
visit
Philadelphia Flyers

Sunday, May 16th, 2010

Round Three – Playoffs (Series tied 0-0)
Game One (score posted following scribbles)

Missed it? Musings capture the game in writing. A written transcript typed during the game, posted and edited about thirty minutes afterward. Based on the RDS French telecast of the Montreal Canadiens game, Musings take about 20 minutes to read. More detailed than an article, fresher than a looping highlight and good with morning coffee. Or late-night chocolate. A unique way to re-experience the game.

We are told that the late Kate Smith is, through video, accompanying the anthem rendition for Philadelphia.  Lauren Hart does the best job with the Canadian anthem that I’ve heard in years.

But I’m not clear on how Kate Smith is accompanying.  Her image wasn’t shown on the scoreclock.

Our boy from Richmond Hill looks emotionally locked.

Lots of Flyer orange in the crowd but not as uniform as Pittsburgh’s white.

Hart sings God Bless America and now I have to chuckle to myself.  Smith wouldn’t accompany our anthem, now would she.  Her image is shown up above and the singing is a virtual duet complete with a split-screen shot of the two singers.  C’est bien fait et je l’apprecie.

The coolest legends of American history are Philadelphian.  And Superman nods somewhere.

Michael Leighton and Jaroslav Halak are the goalies and the dean of NHL refs, Bill McCreary is on the ice.  Dan O’Halloran is with him.

Montreal are (yeah, is) capable of sweeping Philadelphia but it’s hockey.  And it’s 2010.  Montreal in six.  In five, if the better refs are assigned.  People like McCreary and Fraser.  Canadiens will likely outshoot their opponents for the first time in this post-season.  Each game.

But quality still reigns over quantity.  Eh.

First Period

Flyers win the faceoff.

Long pass by Flyer defenceman Braydon Coburn goes behind the Montreal net.  Crowd is in observatory mode.

Montreal defenceman Hal Gill picks up the disc and sends it long where Leighton retrieves it behind this net.

More long pucks and Scott Gomez’ long pass for Richmond Hill’s Mike Cammalleri is a Montreal turnover.

Tomas Plekanec line hops on for the visitors.

Montreal’s Roman Hamrlik is hit and a cheer rises from the crowd, the first.  Moments later, Philly defenceman Chris Pronger is called and we hear a medium-level boo.

Replay shows that Pronger’s hit on Cammalleri knocked down the Montreal forward before he touched the puck on a reception.

Pernell Karl Subban and Marc-Andre Bergeron are the first defensive pairing with Plekanec’ line on the first wave.

Early control behind the Philadelphia net.  One pass.  Two.  Puck is on the right where Bergeron advances.  Turnover.

Canadiens re-enter.  Brian Gionta misses a good slot chance.  Right in the crease.

Now Gomez is called.  Roughing.  I shake my head.  Gomez and his penalties.

We go to four-on-four.

Plekanec and Andrei Kostitsyn are the first pairing.

Long pass by Montreal’s Josh Gorges hits a skate and results in a turnover.

Flyers have trouble exiting.  Daniel Briere’s pass is intercepted.

Plekanec enters on the right.  Around the net.  Sends it across the slot.  Hamrlik can’t get close enough to connect.

Eleven seconds in the fours.

Power-play begins with Scott Hartnell wheeling with the puck near the Montreal blue.  Appears to be taken down and it goes uncalled.  Crowd doesn’t boo.  Maybe he lost his balance?

Flyers continue the possession.

Briere.  At the hash.  Turns.  Goes high.  Now low.  Sends the puck to the end-line.  Turning shot.  Stopped.  Rebound.  Jammed in.  Bounced along Halak’s chest as he lay on the ice.  Up over his collarbone and dribbled into the net.

Gomez.

Philadelphia 1, Montreal 0

Flyers enter quickly.  Gorges fails once but succeeds on the second attempt and the puck is moved out and then along the boards where Pronger picks it up behind the Flyer net.

Bergeron has it low.  Turns it over.  Right onto a Flyer stick.

Now Bergeron gets away with interference.

Canadiens struggle against the Flyer forecheck.  After some buffalo work they move it out.

Gomez enters down the right.

Maxim Lapierre line.  Benoit Pouliot with him.  Gomez is on a late change.

They are ejected.  Puck is netted in the neutral zone.  Montreal comes up with it.

Hamrlik enters on the right.  Long backhander a la Robinson.  Flip of the disc.  It flops harmlessly.

Flyers’ Mathieu Carle enters on the left.  Winds up.  Tied up.

Flyers keep it on the boards.

Pace is deliberate.  Flyers have the advantage on hustle and perseverance.  Montreal is winning the neutral zone puck battles while the Flyers have the edge on the boards.

Long Montreal puck.  Linesmen wave it off.

Habs get a point pass.  To Jaroslav Spacek.  Right side.  Fires.  Houde’s voice rises sharp as Stilton.  Leighton stretches his right toe to deflect it.  Stoppage soon afterward.

Andrei Markov, Ryan O’Byrne and Sergei Kostitsyn are the Montreal absentees tonight.  Same as last game.  Darche is in the lineup.  Gill is in, too.

Faceoff to Leighton’s right.

Flyers lob one high.

Habs have it behind their blue line, no Flyers.  Puck goes out of play.  Gill was called for hand on the puck, I think.

Another quick whistle.  Puck hit the netting around the Montreal end.

Habs win the faceoff.

One crisp pass.  Two.  Cammalleri’s turn and pass attempt goes up off a stick and the Flyers are retrieving.

Lines change as each team sends long pucks to get time and space.  They are set.

Arron Asham with yet another long pass.  Turnover.

Canadiens chase it down behind the net.  Two Habs can’t outquick the Flyer defence, considered their advantage.

On the other end.  Halak makes a save close up.  Stoppage.  Replay shows the puck went high.

Lapierre starts his agitation game.  Is spoken to by McCreary.  Flyers ignore it for now.  Lapierre plays the stoic innocent.  He’s back on the bench.

Plekanec and Kostitsyn enter down the left.  Slow entry.  Covered by two Flyers.  Poor angle shot.  Puck rounds the boards.  Habs re-enter and Leighton smothers a harmless puck.

Hartnell enters on the left.  Another swirl and turn but his backhand pass to the middle fails.

Canadiens resume control.  Down the middle.  Darche shoots high from about thirty feet, covered.  Leighton has a bit of difficulty with it and holds on, standing up, cradling the small saucer.  Houde remarks that Leighton had a bit of trouble with it.  Didn’t seem so bad to me.  But.

Game one is a time for, uh, calm.  As an observer, it’s the only game that feels like a regular season game.  I was looking forward to that sensation.

And so far it has been a November evening.

Let us see how the Bunsen burns.

Gomez line.  Gionta at the hash.  To Leighton’s left.  Gomez wins it.  To the point for Gorges.

At the side of the net.  Gomez to Travis Moen.  Moen digs.  Whistle.  Houde says that Leighton was fortunate.  Replay shows he was.  Couldn’t grab it, had lost his stick and failed to clasp it with his biscuit hand.  Early whistle saved a low slot shot.

Faceoff.  To Leighton’s right.  Habs win it.  Retrieve in the neutral zone.  Send it back in, a turnover.

Flyers enter on the right.  Three on two.  Slow with a trailing Montreal forward.  Shot.  Briere.  Medium level.  Halak gloves this one.

Testing, testing.  Measuring.  More to come.

Plekanec wins the faceoff to Halak’s left.

Canadiens are content to play their positions and wait for the turnovers.

Flyers create a chance.  Smothered and a crowd.  Puck stays in play.  To the point.  Pronger.  Shot.  Dangerous.  Habs kick out.

Entry.  Decent chance.  Andrei Kostitsyn on the off-wing right in, Lockheed chance.  Houde’s voice rises and the puck just misses.  AK chases it around the net.

Pace increases.  Flyers enter.  Left side.  Simon Gagne brakes as he crosses the blue line.  Puck is sent past the end-line.

Peek-a-boo pass from behind the net.  Sure scoring chance but the puck can’t be had.  Stoppage.  Halak was there but there was a gap to his left.

Shot of Flyer head coach Jack Laviolette.  The Flyers can lose as many games as they want, eh.

Flyers enter offside.  Crowd boos the decision.  Light booing, one second or so.

Faceoff outside the Montreal blue.

Metropolit, Moen and Pouliot.  Spacek and Bergeron are the defencemen.

Bergeron retrieves a puck behind his net.  Starts a rush.

Moen’s shot from the slot is stopped with the blocker.  Rising, slow and spooky shot.

Briere on the other end.  To Gagne.  Dangerous.  Hit a Hab.

Plekanec on the right.  Cammalleri with the puck weaving, looking to dart.  Passes.  Shot.  Another weak one.  Leighton sees it all the way.

Three-man entry by the Flyers.  Three Habs.  Mike Richards halts inside the Montreal blue.  Interesting.  (They keep doing that.)

Flyers can’t create on this entry and a Montreal takeaway results in an eventual stoppage.

Philadelphia is playing cerebrally and with some adjustments especially prepared for Montreal.  The Canadiens seem to be adjusting to the different spaces that are available to them.  Flyers don’t close to the puck in the same way as either Pittsburgh or Washington.

Leighton is, so far, a calm goalie that stays tall.

Actor Kiefer Sutherland is shown in the bowl.  Houde says that the younger Sutherland loves talking hockey.  Maybe we’ll talk to him before we talk to his dad, then.  On va voir.

Quick stoppage and McCreary is talking with Arron Asham now.  Not sure what he is being admonished for.

This has been clean hockey so far.

Gomez shows some nice moves exiting the zone from a board pickup.

Flyers seem determined not to give Montreal a power-play.

Hartnell picks up a puck in the Montreal zone and is behind the net and then near the hash.  Doesn’t get the support or the lanes and Montreal is able to thwart this possession.

Subban leads an entry and, again, as in last game, retains the puck past the dump-in juncture.  Sends a good high wrister in the hopes of creating a rebound but Leighton handles it well.

Stoppage soon afterward and a faceoff to Leighton’s right.

Montreal wins it.  To the point.  Long, high wrister hits a Flyer.

Lines change.  Long puck after retrieval by Montreal.  Subban makes a mistake down low and the Flyers get a look at a blank slot.  But the shot can’t be had.

Two minutes left in the first period.

Lapierre and Moore enter.  Lapierre looks to set up Moore with a lead pass to the low slot but it’s just a bit far.

Suddenly Gomez is in with speed on the right.  Jog-acceleration.  To the goalie.  Big space.  Shot.  Leighton has it.  Dropped at the corner of his crease.

Simon Gagne on the left.  Entry.  Across the crease.  Halak gets across and earns Houde’s high praise.

Canadiens enter.  Gomez.  Working like a Devil’s advocate.  Two sequences.  One, a long shot by Hamrlik and the other a twirling piece of high zone work.  But no scoring chance results.

Replay shows that Halak’s save was a reaching glove along the ice to stop a certain goal inside his left post.

Brunet says that Halak’s work is a continuation from last series.

Clock drains out.  Crowd stands to express their appreciation.

Houde says it wasn’t the greatest period of hockey.  Brunet comments that coming off that seventh game win has had an effect on Philadelphia.

Montreal leads on shots 13-6.

First Intermission
Philadelphia 1, Montreal 0

Jacques Demers mentions that Montreal’s blocked shots’ proficiency is ongoing.  The team blocked eleven in that period and leads all playoff teams with over 22 per game.

Alain Crete has a sharply lit pink tie with cross-hatching to go with his standard charcoal suit.

Daniel Briere is interviewed by Renaud Lavoie.  Briere is one of the more frank interviewees out there.

Second Period
Philadelphia 1, Montreal 0

Daniel Carcillo produces the first shot.  Through a screen.  Wrister with crossing traffic but Halak sees it all the way.  Carcillo gets some praise from Brunet.

Houde responds with some truth.

Flyers score.

Puck slipped slowly from the faceoff circle to the crease.

Philly’s James Van Riemsdyk shifted the puck from his backhand to his forehand and put it past Halak with ease and without rupture.

Philadelphia 2, Montreal 0

Crowd cheers but doesn’t settle into an easy beery optimism.  They remain cautious.  Flyers fans, rugged and at times obnoxious, have different demands of their team but are amongst the most knowledgeable fans in the NHL.

Tom Pyatt and Lapierre follow on the ice.  Flyers enter anyway.  Now Lapierre is called.  Legit call.  He went after defenceman Ryan Parent.  What’s the point.  I mean, really.  Do we need stuff like that?

Canadiens get the first chance.  Short-handed, Plekanec enters down the left.  Leaves a puck for Hal Gill who has a huge shooting lane.  But he can’t connect with the puck.  Like an old, bored golfer on the green, he hacks at it and misses.

Flyers set up.

Hamrlik taps a puck away on a cross-slot pass.

Giroux shoots off a rebound.  Brunet thinks it hit metal.  Didn’t hear it.  But.

Puck is exited.

Flyers get one last segment.

Briere has it after three passes.  Shot.  Scores.

The loud, impressive baritone horns shake the building and the Flyers are alive and so are their fans.  Pumpkins and orange flames.

Philadelphia 3, Montreal 0

Canadiens find their first reason to be invested emotionally.

Flyers are just as fingerprint hot.  The action flows to ragged, the passes increase in frequency and the Habs see fire.

Pressure from Flyers, then Montreal and then Montreal again, leads to a Pronger penalty.  Takes down a Hab in the crease.  That was a good penalty.  Prevented a scoring chance.

Early shot off the faceoff.  Wide.  Net goes off again.

Replay shows that Giroux blocked the shot with his stick.

Faceoff to Leighton’s left.

Gomez versus Betts.

Gomez has to leave the circle.  Gionta can’t support and the Flyers win the faceoff.

Brunet says that Montreal’s concentration isn’t at the level yet.

Stoppage.

We resume.

Gomez is in early.  Houde agrees now with Brunet.  Says that we’re seeing a lot of bad decisions and poor execution.

Subban carries it out of the Montreal zone after a neutral zone faceoff win.

Has to turn back.

They set up.  Cammalleri on the left.  To the point for Subban.

Shot.  Stopped.

More action.  Flyers move it out.  Two on three.

Richards and Claude Giroux combine for a good incursion.  Finally a knock-down leads to the last Montreal segment.  Plekanec takes a pass from Subban and crossing the Philly blue loses the puck.

Andrei Kostitsyn is on.

Entry.  Metropolit with him.  Pass and a shot.  Leighton is there.

Now to the point.  Another shot.  But another stoppage.

Leighton’s mask is up briefly and we see his bearded face.  He appears to be saying something.  Mask is tipped back into place and the Canadiens get one more shot before we return to five-on-five.

On the boards inside the Montreal blue.  Stoppage.  Some bumping.  Crowd is very annoyed.

Houde says we’ll sort it out after the break.

Andrei Kostitsyn nailed Leino on the boards.  Ugly move.  Could have injured Leino seriously.  In my NHL, that’s a game misconduct.  Hit the guy after the play.  Leino had his back to AK.

Looks like the Canadiens are the jerks in this series.  And they’d better not underestimate Philly.  Sure, Montreal could come back from 3-0 down in this game but the Flyers are not to be underestimated.  The whole world knows that now.

Flyers power-play sees spaces at the blue line.  But slot space is a different story.

Now a sure goal is missed.

Flyers are exited.

Gagne has it on the next segment.  Off-wing.  Right circle.  Shot.  Scores.  Screen.  Nicely done.

Price is in.

Philadelphia 4, Montreal 0

I’m not embarrassed for anyone.  The score reflects the play.  Good on Philadelphia.

Gomez.  Kostitsyn.

Faceoff to Price’s right.  Uh, yeah, that again.

Brunet says that this is nothing against Halak and that he expects Halak to start next game.

With nine and a half minutes left in the second period, we are only at the halfway point of this game.  Moore seems to concur and he enters, a pepper-mill spin and a shot.  Stopped but it’s the Moores and Metropolits’ turn now.

Flyers crowd begins their own Ole, Ole chant.

I smile.

Brunet makes several excuses for the Habs and effects a “let’s-write-it-off” attitude.  I suppose with Montreal’s fans in mind, it’s the right thing to do.  Forty-eight hours of sour-to-rancid yogurt is on the menu.

Unless Montreal scores.  And keeps scoring.

If they do … Gionta, Cammalleri, Pouliot, Metropolit and then Cammalleri.

Ole, Ole chant continues.  There can’t be many Montreal folks in the building, no?

Yes?  No.

Canadiens are playing at their usual tempo now.

Metropolit, Darche and Pouliot control for eight seconds on the Philly boards.

It’s moved to the other end.

Canadiens dig the puck out and lob it down to get line changes.

Bergeron gives a puck away in the corner to Price’s left.

Price makes his best save of the playoffs.

Stoppage.

Carcillo goes.  Hmm. Small fracas involving Mike Richards is going on as well.

Carcillo kicks something in the penalty box.  What bad timing.  But the replay is not clear.  Perhaps Carcillo was wronged.  Yeah, I know but.

Subban and Bergeron.  Plekanec line.

Early repulsion.

Now Bergeron is too casual receiving a pass on the blue line.  What is wrong with Bergeron?  I mean his head.  He lives in his own world.

Stoppage soon afterward.

One minute left in the penalty.

Spacek and Hamrlik are on now.  Good.

They make the right decisions on the blue and keep the puck in play twice.  Three shots.

They keep it going.  Metropolit is on with Gomez and Gionta.

Puck is sent down the ice.

Gomez, Cammalleri and Kostitsyn are on for the last ten seconds of the power-play.  Three-on-two entry.  Cross ice pass for Kostitsyn.  Eagle stretcher.  Kostitsyn fires.  Leighton is there.

Price has lost his stick.

Flyers entry is kept to the perimeter.  Canadiens exit.

Plekanec has it.  Around the Flyer net.  Turns and shoots.  I watch the back of the net.  Don’t bother.  Leighton has it.  Holds on for the faceoff.

I wonder who is going to see only one shift next period.  There will be a few.  Three, maybe.

We resume with four and a half minutes left in the second period.  Gorges and Gill are back on the ice.  Pyatt, too.

Puck goes out of play in the Montreal zone after a pass around the boards from Gorges to Gill.

Gomez, Moen and Gionta are on for the faceoff outside the Montreal zone.

Montreal wins it.  Rush.  Gionta.  Right side.  Shot.  Stopped.  Gionta nods affirmative to a teammate.

Montreal wins the faceoff to Leighton’s left.  Moen is trying to table the puck as it wiggles on the slot surface.  Houde’s voice rises but Moen can’t paddle down.

Flyers won’t do much for the rest of the game and why should they.  They send long pucks and leisurely chase Montreal missed passes.

Plekanec line is on.

Gill and Gorges are getting two of every four shifts.  Maybe two of every three.

Cammalleri wins a faceoff in Plekanec’ stead but his backhander into Flyer ice is a turnover.

Coburn falls on the puck and stays hunched over it for about four seconds.  Puck is dug out.

Flyers move it down.  Price scoops.  Leaves it for a defenceman.

Canadiens create more pressure.

Long shot.  Slot fan.  Houde says that Montreal is missing pucks and not able to execute on the chances they create for themselves.

Stoppage.

We see a series of Leighton’s saves.  He has 22 saves so far.

Pyatt runs the goalie.  That should be a call.

And it is.  I’m shocked.  He could have done something.  Brunet disagrees with it.  But I appreciate the subtle distinction McCreary makes.  Brunet thinks there was nothing Pyatt could have done.  Wrong.

Flyer power-play.

It’s a wasted opportunity, this game.  Montreal had the break and Philly was emotionally drained.  But the Canadiens waited.  And waited some more.  Now they are in a spot.  For tonight.

Flyer power-play stays on the perimeters and Montreal is more aggressive than in other penalty-killing situations tonight.

Horn goes to end the period.  About a minute left in the power-play.  Shots are even at nine apiece.  Montreal leads 22-15, overall.

Second Intermission
Philadelphia 4, Montreal 0

As Carolina proved in 2006, if you’re going to lose, it may as well be game one in a blowout.  Hurricanes lost the first game of their series against Montreal 6-1 en route to a 4-2 series win and eventual Stanley Cup coronation.

Alain says that nothing is working for the Canadiens tonight.  Demers discusses Philadelphia’s willingness to attack the net and adds that two of their goals have come that way.

Joel says that Philadelphia is different from Pittsburgh and Washington in that they play hockey.  They push the play.  He means the grinding type of hockey as opposed to the high-flying passing game.

Simon Gagne is interviewed and says that they didn’t have a good first period and that they had a good meeting that inspired them for the second.  Did the Canadiens have a meeting?

Third Period
Philadelphia 4, Montreal 0

Power-play resumes.  Canadiens win the faceoff.  Long clear from Gorges forces Philadelphia to regroup.

Flyers are in.  Gagne circles the net.  Shot.  Price is across in his languid fashion.  No.  Problem.  Dude.

Penalty ends.

The RDS music is on accidentally in the background for about ten seconds.  Now it’s off.

Gomez line.

Cammalleri and Gionta with him.  Cowboy line.

Kostitsyn centres a puck for Cammalleri.  Perfect pass.  Yep, another one.  Direct slot chance is stopped by Leighton.

Canadiens will get more quality chances than Philadelphia throughout this series but as we saw against Philadelphia in 07-08, more quality chances doesn’t mean victory.  Montreal lost that series in five games on the strength of Martin Biron’s goaltending.  This edition will get fewer chances than the 08 version but will still have the edge.

The biggest difference this season is the emergence of Halak.

Four minutes elapsed.  Hamrlik loses a puck behind his net.  Carcillo emerges with it and shoots.  Price has closed it.

We see a Carcillo acting-job video-medley.  He fakes injuries.  He has a flair for it.  Houde and Brunet chuckle but Houde says that he knows his role well.  He is able to inject some admiration into the phrase.

Rink is quiet.  We hear the puck and the sticks and the occasional Hab getting squashed by a Flyer.

Puck stays on the perimeters.

I think Sergei Kostitsyn, young cactus that he is, might be a good addition for games three and four of this series but I think he has used up most, if not all, of the good will Martin, Muller and Pearn may have had for him.

It sounds like a local rink now.  The puck and stick echo causes me to remember the smells of the arena.  And I begin craving those thick arena fries.  They don’t taste as good these days as in the past, though.  Even with lots of malt vinegar.

Canadiens are mailing it in.  What can I say.  I’ll let someone else say it.

Ok, I’ll say it.  If you’re going to play, you may as well play to win.  Four goals could have been had.  Could still be had.  Why wait around?  What for?  What for.

Commercial.

Twelve minutes left in the game.

Gagne is Franco-Ontarian, we are told.  Do I count?  Mais tu n’es pas un vrai Quebecois.  Sounds like you’re not a real Canadian.  Oh.  And I’m more Quebecois than you.  I can prove it.

Tyrant.

Braydon Coburn goes to the penalty box.

Andrei Kostitsyn wins a puck battle behind Leighton.  Kostitsyn has been awake for two games now.  He’s had a good game.

Plekanec dives like an Xbox player to bat a puck-boing off the end boards.  Stopped.  Another bat.  Backhander on his stomach at the end line.   Stopped.

Leighton may as well be wearing a suit.  Goaltender aplomb.  In stately orange.  And wild black.

Second segment.

Sense of urgency is correct.  Subban takes a shot.  Nope.

Exit.

Whistle.

Gomez.  I shake my head.  He retaliated.  He’s impatient.  He doesn’t like waiting to even things.  He tries to get his whack in now.  This one is a stick to the spot between the knee pad and where the hockey pants end.  And he’s caught.

Houde chuckles as we listen to the Flyers chant Ole, Ole for about six seconds.  Then they get bored.

Pronger hits Moen in the neutral zone.

I thought the Flyers would infuriate me tonight.  Instead they have earned my admiration.  Laviolette is a shrewd coach and one whose team speeches I would like to hear.

Flyers go to a short power-play.

Puck stays on the perimeters.

Philly is not a time of possession team.  And Montreal will have to adjust to that.

Pass to the circle.  Hartnell.  Instant.  Angle.  High over the biscuit.  Goal.

Brunet shrugs and says it’s not one of those nights.

Philadelphia 5, Montreal 0

Man, that sounds way worse than it is.  But it’s deserved.

Replay shows that Moen hit Pronger and then followed with a rough-stuff arm gesture.  Well.  And Hal Gill is a gentleman.  Well, he is.  I know he wasn’t in Pittsburgh.

Laviolette has the Flyers playing smart, tough hockey.

Reseau Des Sports (RDS) fans are asked what surprised them more, the Montreal series win against Pittsburgh or the one against Washington.  Fifty-three choose Pittsburgh.  Who cares.  Surprised.  Based on what.  Based on what.  Useless question.

Quick shot of Bobby Clarke up in les gradins.  Lighting is yellowish and it’s hard to make him out.  But he looks avuncular.  What can I say.  Tonight, I feel more warmth towards the Flyers than I have since 1985.  And the finals in 1987.  Those were good, skilled teams.  Opportunistic and hard-working.  Sounds familiar.  Eh?

Well, not tonight.

Canadiens continue guesting.  I hear the Wachovia Centre is a pleasant building.

Giroux scores a back-hand goal.

Philadelphia 6, Montreal 0.

All the way in.  Hamrlik let him shoot.  Crease shot.  Right down the column.

Six minutes left.

I lean back.  My work here is done.

Stoppage.  McCreary is indicating something.  Houde says they’ll be back in a moment.  Sixty moments.

Pronger had to go the dressing room.  Spacek is called.  What is going on.

The Montreal Riot versus Philadelphia Fairminds.

Five minutes.

Rack em up.

Price stops a point shot.

Flyers are about as calm as we’re going to see them in this series.  Unless we are swept.  They could all go like this.  Just a quiet fold of the breast-pocket kerchief.

Power-play continues for those still reading this.  I think I had a blah night, too.  No creativity.  No passion.  No intensity.  Took some breaks between periods.  I should bench myself and get one of you to write the next one.

Just under four minutes.

Plekanec keeps working.  Andrei Kostitsyn is still focused, too.

But they are watching the Flyers work the puck around them in the Montreal zone.  Finally Cammalleri picks up a puck and moves us out.

Darche is on.  Bumps Carcillo.  Carcillo bumps him back but has no interest in elaborating.

Pyatt and Metropolit are on with Darche.  They circle and muff passes from the blue line.

Now Asham is in.  Right side.  Houde’s warning tone blinks on.  But Asham can’t do much; fubbles it.

Ole, ole chant starts again.  It makes me smile.  I have such a positive association with it.  This one lasts about five seconds.  The Flyer fans do it very well.  It’s identical.  I guess it isn’t a particularly complex yodel.

Last minute is announced.

And I feel a moment of happiness for those Flyer fans who have suffered the Clarke regime, who are embarrassed for what this team represents.  They must be proud.  Houde now says that the Flyers were relatively disciplined and offers another compliment.

Thunder dome drone goes.  There is some milling about between the foes but nothing comes of it.  No arms, no glares.  Not much.

Philadelphia 6
Montreal 0

HDS Stars: Michael Leighton, Scott Hartnell, Simon Gagne
RDS Stars: Claude Giroux, Braydon Coburn, Michael Leighton

Philadelphia leads the best-of-seven series 1-0.  Next game is on Tuesday, May 18th, 2010 in Philadelphia.

Giroux.  A star.  Ok, then.  It’s getting worse.  Where did I see his number 28?  Where.  One goal and one assist.  I don’t award stars on numbers.  I award them on action.  On process.

Brunet says that he thinks Montreal can do a lot better than this and that he believes Montreal will take this series a long way.  Fair enough.

On Ante-Chambre, the RDS post-game show, we are shown a slow-motion replay from the warmup period as Daniel Carcillo skates by Maxim Lapierre and yaps at him.  Lapierre ignores it but that could have been a factor in Lapierre’s bumpy play during the game.

Dave Morissette says that the series starts in the warmup period.  He feels that Carcillo and the Flyers intimidated Montreal.

Dave Morissette is more fired up than I’ve ever seen him.  Yeah, no kidding.  The subject, which he raised, is the Flyers’ intimidation tactics and style.  The other guys sit back and watch him go off.  Dave’s ready to go.  Ready to drop the gloves.  I chuckle.  How many more episodes is he going to be on the show I find myself wondering.  He doesn’t respect other people’s opinions.

Hey, where’s PJ?

Montreal Canadiens vs. Philadelphia Flyers (Gm 1), 4.5 out of 5 based on 2 ratings

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