Game 4 Recap: It's Marc-Andre Fleury's world, you're just living in it

by Hooks Orpik on Apr 21, 2009 10:29 PM EDT in Game Recaps Comment 28 comments

Pittsburgh Penguins' Sidney Crosby, left, congratulates goalie Marc-Andre Fleury after the Penguins defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 3-1 in Game 4 of a first-round NHL hockey playoff game Tuesday, April 21, 2009, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Tom Mihalek)

6 months ago: Pittsburgh Penguins' Sidney Crosby, left, congratulates goalie Marc-Andre Fleury after the Penguins defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 3-1 in Game 4 of a first-round NHL hockey playoff game Tuesday, April 21, 2009, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Tom Mihalek)

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As my series outlook goes, you take care of your home ice and then split the first two on the road and you're in great shape. The Penguins accomplished just that, by winning 3-1 tonight to take a commanding 3 games to 1 series lead. But this recap can not go any further without recognizing the night's greatness that Marc-Andre Fleury provided. 45 saves on 46 shots. The Penguins were out-shot 34-13 after the first period and the only reason they're coming home with the lead.

Scoring recap:

--The Pens would strike first, immediately after a Flyers power-play ended in the second period, Chris Kunitz collected a pass from Matt Cooke and went down the side. Kunitz threw the puck to the net with Sidney Crosby driving hard to the far post. Puck careems off of his stick, arm and body and both Crosby and the rubber disc ends up in the net. Martin Biron wasn't interfered with, and Crosby never made a kicking motion, so the goal stood even if it was unusual.

--The Penguins third line of Cooke, Jordan Staal and Tyler Kennedy found their mojo again with several good shifts of cycling. It would pay off four minutes after the first goal with Cooke finding TK and then a little dangle by Kennedy to deposit the puck by Biron. The way the Flyers were waiving their sticks at Kennedy reminded me of the way the Pens did at Flyers players in Game 3. 2-0 Pens now.

--Then it became the Marc-Andre Fleury show in full effect. MAF was up to everything the Flyers threw at him in the second period, stopping all 15 shots and flashing the glove on several big-time saves. Fleury was seeing the puck well and looked very comfortable. And once he gets in that zone it's really tough to beat him.

--Finally, mid-way into the third period after tremendous pressure the puck bounced out to wildman Daniel Carcillo and he roofed it, a situation no goalie could still hold onto.

--The Pens would hang on the rest of the way with Maxime Talbot finally putting the dagger in with a little less than a minute left. The game was 3-1 and now the series is too.

Various thoughts on the game:

The immediate thing to notice was the amount of post-whistle scrums in Game 4, compared to Game 3. Or, more appropriately, the lack there of. The Penguins didn't succumb to the rough-and-tumble "Flyer style" hockey. And, really, it didn't look like that Philadelphia was as aggressive or attempting to instigate as much as they did in their first game back at home.
Through two periods, only two Penguins had less even-strength ice time than Bill Guerin were 4th liners Max Talbot and Craig Adams as well as the struggling Petr Sykora. The Pens seem to be picking their spots for the 38 year old Guerin, and hopefully they'll be able to receive the benefits of no drop-off in play from Billy G.
Matt Cooke, two assists (couldn't have had the goals without him) but he took two penalties and almost got goaded into a couple more, including an inadvertant high stick (that didn't get called) but still. Cooke is that unguided missle and you never know when he's going to fly off and really hurt the team.
In the final minute, Dan Byslma sent out Adams, Talbot and Staal as his three forwards and the combo of Hal Gill + Rob Scuderi for defensemen to take the big face-off. If you're wondering who the coach trusts the most to hold a one goal lead, now you know.
And now who the coach doesn't trust: Kris Letang was on the ice for the Flyers goal (which happened about halfway into the 3rd period), and Letang didn't get 1 single second of ice-time after it. Did Letang mess up in the sequence before the goal, did he blow an assignment somewhere along the line? I didn't notice it, and I was watching Versus, so of course they didn't say.
Sidney Crosby, with the game's first goal, pushed his series total to two goals and four assists. Mike Richards and Jeff Carter have two goals and two assists combined through four games....Who sucks now, Philadelphia fans.

In conclusion, the Penguins have Marc-Andre Fleury to thank. Though the team blocked 20 shots (defensemen blocking 12 of those) but MAF definitely bailed them out time and time again. The Penguins didn't play their customary puck possession game, the Flyers did well to keep the action in the Pens zone for much of the game. But Fleury carried the night and now the Penguins have three chances to beat Philly once and move on to the second round of the playoffs.

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Fleury! Fleury! Fleury!

Incredible, incredible performance tonight!

by Presidentjlh on Apr 21, 2009 10:50 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

good win. it’s your series to win, when the flyers cant beat a team with 10 powerplays, they dont deserve to win. fleury just showed why he makes his money.

by kolparty on Apr 21, 2009 11:21 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Pens didn't score on any power plays either.

Special teams were not the difference tonight. Marc-Andre Fleury was. I agree that some of the Flyer power plays were sloppy, but in the end it didn’t matter. I was at the game and I could just tell as it went on that Fleury was NOT going to lose. The Flyers could have outshot the Pens 75-25 and they still would have lost.

Do you see what happens when you find a stranger in the Alps?

by mikefive on Apr 21, 2009 11:59 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Word is Letang sustained a minor lower-body injury.

by twisted_wrister on Apr 21, 2009 11:52 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Thanks for the info…I just found it suspicious that Letang didn’t get a shift after the goal, and I didn’t happen to see him go down on that play. Hopefully he’s good to go for Game 5.

by Hooks Orpik on Apr 22, 2009 11:07 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Richards slashed Tanger’s legs earlier in the game…during a Pens PP if I remember correctly. He went right to the Pens runway and Steigy or the Bibster made a comment about it. FSN’s camera cut to a shot of just his lower legs…Bibster said he was ‘trying to shake it off…’ He didn’t take a lot of shifts after that happened. Hopefully keeping him out was just a precaution. Carcillo’s goal was pretty much on Sykora.

by foreurs58 on Apr 22, 2009 10:34 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Fleury

Marc-Andre Fleury deserved to win. The team around him did not. But this is what happens in the playoffs.

Do you see what happens when you find a stranger in the Alps?

by mikefive on Apr 21, 2009 11:55 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

been there…see JS Guguerre, 2003, Mika Kiprusoff, 2004, or Dwayne Roloson, 2006…for a while there, there was a curse of the Red Wings in effect, with any team daring to beat the Wings destined to lose game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals.

Wouldn’t wish that on MAF, and the Pens….well, not unless they’re playing the Red Wings again

by ahtrap on Apr 22, 2009 12:05 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Is there a video of the Crosby goal?

From the NHL Rulebook. Surely one of these situations applies to the goal:

69.3 Contact Inside the Goal Crease – If an attacking player initiates contact with a goalkeeper, incidental or otherwise, while the goalkeeper is in his goal crease, and a goal is scored, the goal will be disallowed.

If a goalkeeper, in the act of establishing his position within his goal crease, initiates contact with an attacking player who is in the goal crease, and this results in an impairment of the goalkeeper’s ability to defend his goal, and a goal is scored, the goal will be disallowed.

If, after any contact by a goalkeeper who is attempting to establish position in his goal crease, the attacking player does not immediately vacate his current position in the goal crease (i.e. give ground to the goalkeeper), and a goal is scored, the goal will be disallowed. In all such cases, whether or not a goal is scored, the attacking player will receive a minor penalty for goalkeeper interference.

If an attacking player establishes a significant position within the goal crease, so as to obstruct the goalkeeper’s vision and impair his ability to defend his goal, and a goal is scored, the goal will be disallowed.

For this purpose, a player "establishes a significant position within the crease" when, in the Referee’s judgment, his body, or a substantial portion thereof, is within the goal crease for more than an instantaneous period of time.

Do you see what happens when you find a stranger in the Alps?

by mikefive on Apr 22, 2009 12:09 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I suppose that rule will get a lot of attention over the next day or so with the whole Brodeur situation and, perhaps to a lesser extent, Crosby’s goal.

Follow the Penguins on SBN @ Pensburgh.com and twitter.

by FrankD on Apr 22, 2009 12:32 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

You're probably right.

I’m not trying to be a sore loser here. MAF was damn near perfect tonight. Kennedy’s goal was a thing of beauty. Obviously the Pens were destined to win, and that’s just the way it goes sometimes. I just wish the Crosby goal weren’t so damn questionable.

Brodeur’s situation was different – Jussi Jokinen bumped him on the shot BEFORE the game-winner. Brodeur still made the save – his ability to defend the goal was not nearly as impaired as Biron’s was. I thought Gagne had maybe pushed Crosby down and that Crosby’s momentum had carried him in, but it did not appear that way on the replay. John Stevens was none too happy about it either, and he usually does not respond as he did tonight.

Do you see what happens when you find a stranger in the Alps?

by mikefive on Apr 22, 2009 1:38 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Nah I agree it was odd. In fact I even said to my friend, “Not the ideal first one but I’ll take it.” I mean, would you really argue the call if your team got the bounce? When it comes to playoff goals, especially crucial ones like that, it helps to have a clear indication so as to alleviate tension from both sides. As it is there’s a strong rivalry between these two teams. Questionable things like that only fuel it more.

John from In Lou We Trust is referencing a different rule in his comments but I guess it’s mildly similar.

Follow the Penguins on SBN @ Pensburgh.com and twitter.

by FrankD on Apr 22, 2009 2:31 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I just realized what that quote is from…TV edited quote from the greatest film of all time.

DO YOU SEE WHAT HAPPENS LARRY?

by pascaldupweevil on Apr 22, 2009 3:10 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

My friends and I have had many a good laugh over that one.

Although, I think the oft-quoted line from Snakes On A Plane might have an even better TV edit.

Before each game, please remember to feed the bats.

by Cool Hand on Apr 22, 2009 8:19 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

watch the replay…the puck was off Crosby’s stick before his body contacted either Biron or the goal-line. He does then slide into the goal, with the puck bouncing off of his crotch, then his left forearm, and across the goal-line. The puck is indeed across the line WELL before the net is off its moorings, and Crosby’s motion does not interfere with Biron’s ability to play the puck. Unfortunately for Biron, it all happened so quickly that he didn’t know where the puck was until too late.

It will be talked about and reviewed for the rest of the series, not because it is actually questionable, but because the media will want to continue singeing Flyers’ fans butt hairs with their zippos. Sorry about your butt hairs, blame pierre maguire.

No question about TK’s goal though. THAT was a thing of beauty.

by pascaldupweevil on Apr 22, 2009 2:49 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I really don't think it will affect Crosby's goal.

The contact was foot to foot, and Biron wasn’t noticeably affected, he was in no position to make a save on the puck in the air.

That’s what the rule is meant for, and I think that is how they will see it.

That and it’s Sid, if they didn’t count it Gary Bettman would go and personally interfere with Biron till Sid scored.

by Phantaskippy on Apr 22, 2009 7:56 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

the700level.com

has an excellent breakdown of the crosby goal, objectively i don’t think it was a good goal, yes it hit his stick but crosby was already interfering with birons ability to make a play by physically carrying the puck in with his body essentially. if richards had done it or jeff i would say no goal either. but it doesnt matter it was only one goal and when you cant turn it on you cant. they had the effort but fleury just was unstoppable, it really took the air out of the place until carcillo finished.

by kolparty on Apr 22, 2009 11:47 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

correction, left knee, no left forearm. actually its hard to tell. no kick or toss motion though, definitely. after watching the replay several more times, I think the puck may have actually contacted the shaft of his stick a second time just as it crossed the goal-line.

by pascaldupweevil on Apr 22, 2009 2:55 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Ok. I’ve watched the replay several more times. I can’t tell whether it’s his left forearm or his left knee, but one thing that is clear is that Biron’s Glove hand is entirely free, and the forced movement of Biron’s left skate by Crosby’s left skate is not what caused the goal. Had Crosby somehow found a way to not slide into the crease and redirected the shot/pass ina similar fashion, the save would have to have been made by Biron’s glove, which, as I already mentioned, was not interfered with in any manner.

by pascaldupweevil on Apr 22, 2009 3:07 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Today’s headlines:
1. The Penguins grab a 3-1 series lead over the Flyers.
2. Flyer coaches, players, and fans are upset about a Penguins player charging hard at the net to score.

In other news, Pittsburgh is now known worldwide for its cheese steaks, and Philadelphia for its steel industry. Also, it will be raining lollipops this afternoon.

P is for Latrobe.

by holiday park on Apr 22, 2009 1:11 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Lollipops might hurt. I’d rather marshmallows.

Follow the Penguins on SBN @ Pensburgh.com and twitter.

by FrankD on Apr 22, 2009 2:45 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Awww, does that mean we get stuck with Primanti Bros.??? I HATE that shit.

by Geoff Detweiler on Apr 22, 2009 9:14 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Look at the rule book.

The Flyers were not complaining about Crosby going hard to the net to score. They were not upset about the puck’s bouncing pattern before it went in. That’s not the point.

The goalie is supposed to have an opportunity to stop the shot, otherwise the goal is to be disallowed. You can say “Well Biron’s glove hand was not interfered with” but the rest of his body was. Crosby was right on top of the puck as well. So not only was Biron being pushed back into the net, he couldn’t see the puck.

For the sake of clarity, here’s part of the rule. The first paragraph applies, but then again you can make arguments for other parts of it too. Notice how it doesn’t say “If a goalkeeper is contacted by an opposing player and a goal is scored, the goal will be allowed so long as the goalkeeper’s glove hand is free.”

Do you see what happens when you find a stranger in the Alps?

by mikefive on Apr 23, 2009 12:57 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Congrats! As a Devils fan, I have no compassion for the Flyers, who have been the Devils most hated rival for over a decade (while I suppose a case could be made for the Rangers when it comes to that dubious honour, New Jersey has met Philadelphia more often in the postseason than the Rangers, including the ‘95 & ’00 Eastern Conference Finals, and nothing intensifies an already existing rivalry quite like a playoff series) so I’m definitely pulling for the Penguins in this one.

It’s been a pretty awesome series, thus far. Most of the games have been really exciting, and I especially liked Chris Kunitz’ hit on Kimmo Timonen. I haven’t seen a crushing shouldercheck like that since Scott Stevens retired. And when Marc-Andre Fleury is on his game, he is possibly one of the best goaltenders in the league. He’s already proven that he can carry a team through multiple playoff rounds. I think if he stays healthy and gains a little more consistency during the regular season he could become one of the names mentioned among the elite level goaltenders currently playing in the NHL.

by kellyn on Apr 22, 2009 4:21 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Just when we forget about the Devils, you have to go and ask for more attention. Sorry Philly’s hatred has shifted West. I guess we only hate teams that consistently fill their arena.

See that? Philly hated the Devils when Pittsburgh was still BC, and now the Devils still can’t sell out despite winning the division. Double burn! (For those with a short fuse, it was meant to be funny.)

by Geoff Detweiler on Apr 22, 2009 9:18 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

You know, I don’t think I’ll ever understand why Philadelphia fans bring up attendence statistics when talking trash to Devils fans, as though we are somehow supposed to find it shaming. Do you want to know something? Because I don’t feel that way at all. Just because financial constraints and where I live in relation to Newark prevents me from seeing the Devils play live more than a few times a year doesn’t mean I love my team any less than the fans of other hockey clubs who attend every single home game.

I honestly have nothing to say to Flyers fans that hasn’t already been said by the three Stanley Cup Championship banners hanging from the rafters of the Rock, two of which were won after Scott Stevens, Martin Brodeur and the rest of the Devils eliminated the Flyers in the Eastern Conference Final to advance to the final round of the playoffs. I suppose the belief that my team has a legitmate shot at not only qualifying for the playoffs each and every season (this year the Devils made the playoffs for the twelth consecutive season, the longest streak of any NHL franchise not named Detroit), but to make some noise once they get there means more to me than whether there are 16,000 fans in the building as opposed to a capacity crowd for a game against the Thrashers in February.

by kellyn on Apr 22, 2009 11:50 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs