Let’s look at the numbers. 8 straight wins against. 11 wins in the last 12 meetings. 3 wins in a row out on Long Island for the Flyers. 11 goals and 26 assists by Jeff Carter against the Islanders. 10 consecutive wins against, 5 straight at Nassau Coliseum by goaltender Marty Biron against the Islanders. Add this all up, and divide it by 7 pm and what do you get? A must win game for the Flyers to keep the fourth seed and the Hartnell Tastykake contest winners, all after the break. “Thar she blows…!”
The Philadelphia Flyers are good for doing the unexpected. Take, for example… consecutive wins against the New Jersey Devils and the Pittsburgh Penguins. They faced two teams that have given them fits over the years, beat them quite handily and in doing so, further solidified their home ice advantage in the Eastern Conference playoff standings. Any REAL Flyers fan would say winning both these games in the fashion they did was quite the surprise. Next, they face and lose to the Florida Panthers, a team desperate for points but also floundering in recent games. So in losing one game, on Harntell Wig Night of all times to do it, they find the resurgent Carolina Hurricanes, Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Rangers, all nipping at their heels again. You take one night off in this league and you’re right back in the pack.
Enter the Islanders, the worst team in the league and yet, capable of dispatching the Detroit Red Wings on Friday. The NHL is showing that parity is alive and well, and any lack of focus or dedication can cost you favorable placement in the standings. Underestimate the Isles tonight, and the Flyers can realistically look at dropping from 4th to 6th place in the East, as they are not currently tied with the Penguins after their win today over the Rangers.
The 700 level received this pic prior to tonight’s game. It features the “Army of Fun” en route to Nassau Coliseum. All 350 of them. You are looking at just 1 bus of the 6 headed up North for the game. I hope the Flyers give them a show.
Now… some business to take care of. I hope you had a lot of fun with the caption contest. All told, the number of comments topped 150, with realistically over 100 of them being legitimate caption entries (negating repeats and double posting, not to mention the classic “I forgot to say what size.”). If you didn’t win, don’t worry. We still have 22 shirts left to giveaway in the days leading up to the Playoffs. Please feel free to leave your feedback or thoughts on the caption motif, as I might try to change things up with the next contest. To the winners, congratulations! The shirts are great (I’m wearing one now) and all you have to do is email MattP (at the top of the level’s site) your address.
Small
“Coburn’s Handyman Service Specializes in: Screen Removal.” Posted by Erk.
Medium
“Jackson: ‘Coburn launches him into the stands… and Koharski has the arm up for delay of game. Another controversial penalty against the Flyers.” Posted by Joe.
Large
“This is what we call a ‘Thoresen’…” posted by Gerry.
XL
“Braydon Coburn’s goal celebrations are a little more extreme than Alex Ovechkin’s.” posted by Steve.
Original Story:
http://www.the700level.com/2009/03/fl...
