The Flyers played a hockey game tonight and they lost, eventually. It wasn’t the outcome we were hoping for, I guess? I don’t really know anymore, you guys.
- Alright, to be totally up front about this, I didn’t actually super-duper watch this game, technically speaking. It’s a Friday night and I had things to do and totally wasn’t banking on this team winning three in a row when I agreed to do these recaps until they lost because WHY would this team have won three in a row? I still don’t totally understand. And today even though I can’t ever say that they didn’t lose because the team they were playing undoubtedly won, they got a point out of it because the NHL likes handing out attendance trophies in overtime like it’s a gosh darn youth soccer league. NHL players are all adults (minus Jeff Skinner) and they can handle the realities of winning and losing. Quit coddling them, Bill Daly (I feel like Gary Bettman deserves to have the blame spread around sometimes).
- Upstanding journalist that I am though, I did occasionally check the score on my phone while I was out. The Flyers were losing, then they were tied, then they were winning for quite a while, then they were tied again, then they lost in a shootout. A lot of people don’t like shootouts, but I think they’re okay as a regular season thing (I never hated ties). I think a regulation win should be three points, though, obviously. No reason every game shouldn’t have the same number of total points at stake.
- Really way stupider though? The tiebreakers FIFA uses in these home-and-home World Cup playoffs right now, where one of the tiebreaking criteria is “away goals.” So for example, Iceland and Croatia tied 0-0 today in the first leg, which was held in Iceland. If they tie 1-1 in the second leg in Croatia, Iceland will advance on the basis of having scored more goals on the road. THAT MAKES NO SENSE AT ALL. I’m totally rooting Iceland, obviously, because if they get put in the same group as the USA then Jurgen Klinsmann will have no choice but to put Julie Gaffney in goal.
- Eventually I made it home and fast-forwarded through my DVRing of the game and only watched the interesting parts. Ondrej Pavelec did a really good job of snatching the puck out of the net immediately after Scott Hartnell put it over the goal line with yet another reacharound, but the nice men in Toronto made sure Scott’s reacharound had the happy ending he deserved.
- Video also showed the rest of the game, which included Dustin Byfuglien dancing after he scored his second goal. Some people in Flyerland probably found that obnoxious or something, but I could never embrace any sort of anti-dancing stance. The Flyers should be dancing more. On a related note, what ever happened to Monsieur Kevin Marshall? That (secretly French) guy had some serious moves.
- Only time this season the Flyers will visit Manitoba was tonight (until the Stanley Cup Finals, possibly, JK JK), and it’s sort of sad because the Flyers and Manitoba actually go way back. Did you know that like all the best Flyers ever were born in Manitoba? Bobby Clarke. Reggie Leach. Ron Hextall. Jody Shelley. It’s some fertile orange and black soil under that tundra, I tell ya.
- It took me forever to find a parking spot tonight. I thought I might have found one several times, but each time it turned out just to be a space left open because of a fire hydrant. Which got me thinking, is there a more paranoid law than the one about not parking in front of fire hydrants, especially in crowded neighborhoods? THERE JUST AREN’T ACTUALLY THAT MANY FIRES IN REAL LIFE. And besides, the firemen can always get to the hydrant even if there is a car in front of it just by smashing the windows of the car if need be. Liberate the hydrant spaces, meter them, and you’d make enough money to turn every city into Gotham for #SFBatKid permanently.
- Rationally, if you had told anybody a week ago that the Flyers were going to get 7 of 8 points in their next four games, they would have slapped you across the face and called you a whore. Irrationally, it’s sad this team ever has to lose and there’s clearly no Santa after all./
Questions Answered:
- Can the Flyers control play against what should be an inferior team? Kinda?
- Another good night from Steve Mason? Obviously. Steve Mason is this team’s MVP like whoa..
- Does Jim Jackson audibly chuckle at the name “clitsome” on the air tonight? I don’t think so but like I said before I didn’t technically watch.
- Chris Thorburn and Jay Rosehill fight each other in an attempt to be relevant tonight, yes? Actually no. And that lack of LEADERSHIP is undoubtedly why both teams lost tonight, really.
- Four straight? :’-(
Comment of the Night:
AAAAAAAH. FUCK. –Brock
So I’m leaving on a Jets game. Don’t know when I’ll be back again.
But, you know, I’m not dying or anything so you guys can totally follow me on Twitter or come throw pebbles at my bedroom window or something if you miss me. And who knows, if you all get like 326 signatures on a change.org petition or something I might just come back someday.
In the meantime…Go Flyers.
