Game 6 Caps @ Flyers 4-21-2008 Post-Mortem

Paging Mr. Hunter. Paging Mr. Dale Hunter... Onto the Battle Damage Assessment...

THE GOOD:

• You Everybody knew it was coming, A.O. got loose on a breakaway and it was all over after that.
• However, A.O. wouldn't have had a chance to break free tonight if Alexander Semin and Nicklas Backstrom had not provided the secondary scoring the Caps need in order to win. The Flyers have made it clear that they are not going to let A.O. beat them which is why it is so important that the Semin and Backstrom have gotten going. Quite simply, it's "Pick Your Poison."
• Shaone Morrrissonnn laying people out again. Still think this guy is soft?
• The Caps posted double digits in shots in every period and outshot the Flyers 40-35. In the third period, the Flyers got only 8 shots on goal. A better third period lock down performance.

THE BAD:

• Giving up 35 shots on goal and the first two goals of the game. That's not a recipe for winning in the playoffs and the Caps were lucky to get away with it tonight.
• The Penalty Killers finished off 2 for 5 but got off to a rocky start giving up both Flyers goals on their first two chances. The Caps were lucky to get away with this too in a series where the first team to score had won every game before tonight.

THE UGLY:

• Tonight's John "Coach's Pet" Erskine Bowles Bonehead Play of the Game goes to its namesake again tonight as the slow-footed, dim-witted defenseman was badly out of position on the first penalty kill and looked rather lost as a wide open Mike Richards hit a wide open net for the game's first goal. In a MUST win game where scoring first was very important, this was a huge gaffe.
• Yet another too-many-men penalty on the Caps in Philadelphia. Couldn't they have gone to a silent count? (Though the deafening roar of the crowd in the third period did throw the home team off too.) Even worse was the seven penalties the Caps took and the :50 5-on-3 the Caps allowed. They were lucky to get away with this too.

We have not been impressed with Biron at all in this series. It was no surprise to us that the Caps scored two goals off of the rush and got another off a rebound from a goaltender who has been fighting the puck for most of the series. We will admit that this is a devastating loss for the Flyers on many different levels. However, they still have a chance to recover and comeback tomorrow night and win this series. But you should hear these Flyer fans calling into their radio Post-Game show tonight. These great fans who always support their team win or lose have already turned on Coach John Stevens calling for his head, calling this the worst collapse they've ever seen, and questioning the leadership of the team. It isn't over yet folks and this roller coaster ride has a few more climbs and drops to get through before we glide back into the station sometime tomorrow night.