Penguins-Flyers: Philadelphia Bleeds in Pittsburgh

Lee Patton — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 08:18:51 -0400

The Philadelphia Flyers lost in Pittsburgh to the Penguins 4-2 last night. Pittsburgh wins by scoring all four goals on the power play. Leaving Philly in eighth place and on the bubble with 91 points with two games left in the season. The Flyers will finish the season home at the Wachovia Center. The Flyers will face off against the New Jersey Devils on Friday night and clash one last time with the Atlantic Conference Champion Pittsburgh Penguins.

Last night the Flyers came out fighting with Riley Cote dropping the gloves with Georges Laraque, both received five minute Fighting majors at the 2:22 minute mark. The Philadelphia Flyers started the scoring with a wrist shot by Scott Hartnell assisted by Daniel Briere and Vaclav Prospal at the 8:58 minute mark. Jeff Carter got called on a Roughing penalty giving the Penguins a power play. Which Sergei Gonchar took a nasty snap shot and scored with the helpers going to Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin at the 10:24 minute mark. Jeff Carter answered with a power play goal at the 13:13minute mark assisted by Joffrey Lupul and Braydon Coburn. The Flyers went into the intermission with a 2-1 lead.

The Flyers hit the ice at the start of the second period with the lead but would never see the lead for the rest of the game. Power play goals by Sidney Crosby (6:26) and Evgeni Malkin (14:33), would send the Penguins into the third period with a 3-2 lead. Than late in the third Sidney Crosby put the insurance marker in at 18:26 minute mark.

What happens in Pittsburgh will show up in Philadelphia on Sunday. Both teams combined for 50 hits and 23 penalties. It was an old time style of hockey that was played last night. Scottie Upshall took a high stick to the chin which opened and bled on his jersey and on the ice, but the officials did not call a penalty which it should have been a double minor. After that the bad blood boiled over. Scott Hartnell was on a mission to take out Sidney Crosby. Sergei Gonchar hit Scott Hartnell with Elbow and busted Scott’s nose open. Joffrey Lupul and Brooks Orpik dropped gloves, but the fight was a draw. The checks where hard and it would make a great first round match up. So cue up the Rocky music in Philadelphia on Sunday because it will be a boxing match!

Eastern Standings

Y-Pittsburgh Penguins 102 Pts

Y-Montreal Canadians 100 Pts

CarolinaHurricanes 92 Pts

X-New JerseyDevils 97 Pts

New YorkRangers 93 Pts

OttawaSenators 92 Pts

BostonBruins 92 Pts

PhiladelphiaFlyers 91 Pts

WashingtonCapitals 90 Pts

BuffaloSabers 88 Pts

Y-Clinched Division

X-Clinched Playoff Spot

Can Ryan Dempster Stop the Cubs From Being Brewed?

Lee Patton — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 03:36:38 -0400

At 1:20p.m. CT today the Cubs (0-2) face off against the Brewers (2-0)

The rivals from the North have come in to Chicago and stunned the Cubs with an extra inning (4-3) win on Monday and then a brewing win (8-2) on Wednesday.

The big story out of game one was the play of the Japanese "Hercules" Kosuke Fukudome, who put the Cubs on his back and drove in a three run home run in the bottom of the 9th inning to send the game into extra innings.

Geovany Soto and Derrek Lee each smacked their first home runs of the season as well. Cubs fans are hoping that the bats are starting to get warmed up for the rest of the season; maybe the balls will be jumping off the Cub’s bats today.

Ryan Dempster gets to take the mound for Chicago. His last start for the Cubs was back on May 4, 2005, against the Brewers.

Dempster will be facing off against Milwaukee’s Dave Bush who went 12-11 last season and 0-2 at Wrigley Field. Lou Piniella is looking to help Dempster by putting Alfonso Soriano back in his lead off role.

Lou hopes that Alfonso can get the Cubbies going with a lead off hit. Cub fans are hoping that Dempster can pitch his way to the Cub’s first victory of the season!

Bleacher Report - Articles by Lee Patton

Penguins-Flyers: Philadelphia Bleeds in Pittsburgh

Can Ryan Dempster Stop the Cubs From Being Brewed?