Halfway There

Dear Gentle Readers,

Chicago is my second city. The Blackhawks are my former Campbell Conference team. Their win over the Sharks means that I have half of my dream Stanley Cup Finals.

Game 5 of the former Prince of Wales Conference is happening at the Wachovia Center. We'll have to wait and see how crazy the city will be tonight. And while I'm not asking for anything at this point, the outcome could make a kick-butt birthday present!

Post-Game Addition:

Thank you, Flyers, for the coolest early birthday present ever!

Yeah, I know; none of them are going to read that. So what.

The Flyers are Former Prince of Wales Conference Champions and headed to the Stanley Cup Finals! (Where, for the unenlightened, they will play for the best damn sports trophy ever.)

Karma is a Big, Freakin' Witch

And she may or may not have a moustache. What goes around, comes around, and it may have bit the Boston fans where it hurts most - a trip to the Formerly Prince of Wales Conference Finals and the possibility of a date with the best damn sports trophy.

How awesome is this? The guys come back from 0-3 deficit to win the series 4-3. (Sorry, J-man, but if you can be a Leafs fan, I know you can deal with this.)

And, unless I'm mistaken...which does happen occasionally, will the Canadiens-Flyers face-off be the first time the seventh and eighth seed teams vie for the honor?

Buckle up, kids. The FPoW Conference Final series kicks off at the Wachovia Center on Sunday at 7:00 p.m., ET.

Oh, and go Blackhawks!

Game 3: FPoW Conference Finals

This Game

Yikes! I'm trying to pay attention to the game while I'm on a conference call. The call was winning, but it's done now.

(Verizon FiOS, please hurry up and get to my neighborhood so that I can throw another service your way. I mean, you already have me for everything else, 'kay?)

Getting a look at the score online at the end of the first:

• Thank you R.J. Umberger for getting us on the board.
• Vinny and Tiny!Briere, you're still just assisting?
• It could be a lot worse...and a lot better.

We'll see what the second holds in store. Work for it, boys!

Well, turns out the second didn't hold a change in score. Blah!

Okay, so, we lose again. Final score: Pens 4, Flyers 1. (At least it wasn't a shut-out!)

Next Game

Optimistically speaking, we could still pull this out...we'd just have to win everything from now on. And I mean everything.

Face-offs
Puck battles
Checks
Penalty kills
Power plays
Shots on goal
Staring contests
Pissing contests
Trash-talking contests
Games 4, 5, 6 and 7

So, guys, here's to taking it one breath at a time.

Braydon Coburn vs. Deflected Puck

Coby, how's the eye treating you?

News guys! Stop showing the video, please. You're making me relive my injury. I'm surprised that no one thinks I have Tourette's Syndrome, I'm flinching and wincing so much.

A Plague I Tell You

Bad house-keeping strikes again!

You know, there's nothing like a few days off when you're hot. Time to relax. Time to get over some of those little aches and pains.

Time for you to pencil in a loss.

Marty: Get sticky again.
Nitty: Practice really hard. And pray that we haven't keep you sitting so long that you go colder than the northern-most point in Finland on the winter solstice.

Defensemen: Malkin. That's warning #2 about him. (I mean it!)
Offense: Thank you, Richie. Way to pitch in on both of them, R.J.

I'm taking refuge in the fact that the guys have dropped the first game in the past two series as well.


P.S.: Ribeiro, Ribeiro, Ribeiro. You just made my Habs friends so happy!

P.P.S.: What is the deal with the 7:30 p.m. start times? Bring back 7:00 p.m.!

Barometer: Conference Finals

Season Barometer = Gut-Check Time

Dear Guys,

Yep, some of the Penguins fans (read: not of the HLOGer variety) have found this space. Probably has something to do with those farcical posts from earlier this week.

I'm very happy that you've made it this far. That being said, some of you have more work than others this round.

Blondie: I don't care if it's assists or goals, get some points. Make like the Mikes and Danny are injured again (even though they aren't). I'm going through withdrawal over here!

Tiny!Briere: Your paycheck...dude, it's HUGE. Make sure you earn it. (And no side competition for Best "Who, Me?" Face with Cindy, all right? Stand up, stay up and skate.)

Vinny: Where the hell are you? What are you doing? Don't get me wrong, the set-up work is invaluable. Just...I don't know...put one or two in, 'kay?

All of the D: One word...Malkin. If you require an explanation, talk to Marty or Niitty.

Goalies: Please observe every single one of your superstitions, no matter what anyone in your family or on the team says. (After all, I'll be doing my part in this arena, too!)

Coach: Drop the whole politically correct "urgency" thing. If they slack, tell them in no uncertain terms that you are not happy. A second option is to let a few (slightly disgruntled but not drunken) Flyers fans in the room. We don't just boo and yell "Sucks!" at players from other teams, as you well know.

Ciao!
Nadine

Bench a Flyer?

Hey, Pittsburgh fans!

Firstly, welcome. Really. I am a hockey fan who happens to be a Flyers fan. That means that while I cheer for the Flyers, I can and do appreciate good hockey played by any team at any level.

Secondly, several of you were so quick on the up-take to my sense of humor with yesterday's post that I'm now rewarding you with a follow-up.

R.J. Umberger is the Flyer you want benched.

I'm not basing that strictly on his performance during our series with the Habs. Even if I did thoroughly enjoy it!

However, cast your minds back to the regular season. R.J. had 6 goals and 5 assists in games against the Penguins. (Sid, on the other hand, only had 2 goals and 5 assists against us.)

So combining his regular season play against your team, how completely on fire he's been, the history he has from spanking the Baby Pens as a Phantom, and the fact that he's from Pittsburgh...yep, R.J.'s your choice for the Flyer to bench for "Battle of Pennsylvania: Playoff Edition."

Psst! Pittsburgh

Scary but true factoid: If you want to beat us, bench Cindy!

That's right. We won the regular season Battle of Pennsylvania this year (5-3). And you know what? We generally won when Sid the Kid played. See, it's a trend:

11/07 in Pittsburgh: Flyers win with Sid
11/10 in Philadelphia: Flyers win with Sid
12/11 in Philadelphia: Flyers win with Sid
1/24 in Philadelphia: Flyers win without Sid
2/10 in Pittsburgh: Pens win without Sid
3/16 in Pittsburgh: Pens win without Sid
4/02 in Pittsburgh: Pens win with Sid
4/06 in Philadelphia: Flyers win without Sid

Qué interesante, ¿no cierto?

You know who really gives us trouble? Evgeni Malkin.

(Semi cross-posted to HLOG as "Sacrilege for The Burgh")

[5/06 Note: Thanks, Blogger, for your regular nightly failure that ate my corrections. Argh!]