Saturday, April 25, 2009

Game 6: Flyers/Pens Pre-Game



At 3:00 PM EST, the Pittsburgh Penguins will get a second chance to finish off the Philadelphia Flyers, but this time they'll have to do it on the road. They were leading the series 3-1 when the Flyers stormed Igloo and flat out dominated Pittsburgh in every aspect of the game to inch the series closer. Today, if the Penguins fail to get this win, it could very well be the end of the series.

Philadelphia is not and easy team to beat, and they are damn good at making cheese steak sandwiches and low fat cream cheese. Coming into the playoffs, everyone knew this was going to be the series to watch in the East, and it has certainly lived up to expectation. But the odds of anyone guessing the Pens would have taken 3 of the first four games are low, and the Flyers are proving a point to the hockey world and their fan base - they will not go down without a fight.

And that's certainly what has transpired. Facing elimination, key players have shown exactly what they are capable of. While guys like Carter and Richards have not been explosive, they are a still a threat on the ice, but the veteran players such as Asham, Knuble and Gagne are certainly pulling their own weight and more to get their team back into it. Well, so far so good. The Flyers are down by one and are heading home. If the crowd can give some much needed support, Philly could easily push this series to seven games.

There is a factor though.

In Game 5, in which Philly brought the series to 3-2, Sidney Crosby was still the best player on the ice for both sides despite not producing a single point. He was hammered hard at the end boards early in the game and it sparked him to kick his game into another gear. If he comes out flying today, the same way he played in Game 5, the Flyers could have a problem on their hands, for no other player in the league has scored more points against Philadelphia in the last 3 years. They will have to put every man on the ice on his back to keep him at bay or there will be a price to pay.

That said, shut down the Kid and you got yourself a Game 7.

Join me for the liveblog of today's game on The Score. Also, be sure to check out The Score on Twitter to see what games are getting liveblog coverage every day.


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