The Philly Flyers, despite having an assload of consecutive powerplays, could not win Game 1 and nearly lost game 2. We're going to OUR home ice.

Looks good.

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"Counting all the assholes in the room, I'm definitely not alone!" ~ Michael Poulsen, Volbeat, Still Standing.

Man how bad could we use Leopold & Roy right now ?

Any idea when Leopold comes back? I know Roy is out at least until the 2nd round, if we make it that far that is...

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"If you want to know what I've been doing lately, I've been driving around from Tim Horton's to Tim Horton's, rolling up the rim. Haven't won anything yet. Thanks." - Lindy Ruff

Leopold is out of the question until AT LEAST Game 6 was the last update I heard on WGR...

And since it seems to be butt hurt day these days, it was Friday afternoon when I was driving home. No link, no citation source, it's just what Mike Schopp said on his show...

No word on Roy that I've heard. Spend about 40% of my day listening to WGR most days, so I do hear a lot of what goes over the air.

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"She's like plan C after an 18 pack"

Squanto 7/27/2010

I thought it was weird how we would get the extra penalty during those scrums. Gerbe and I think Kaleta both got the extra penalties...would love to hear the ref's justification for that.

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"Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Hockey Night in Buffalo

I tweeted Mike Harrington about Roy a couple days ago because I haven't heard about him.

He said that Roy skates every single day and he's skating hard enough to realistically return in time for round 2.

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Wheelhouse

There was only one dive, when Myers "Tripped" Hartnell it was neither a trip nor a dive. Hartnell was on edge and lost it on his own accord.

Gerbe should have never gotten 4, JVR and Giroux should have been in the box at that time. In the third, that clear interference on Goose was overlooked and the ref was staring right there, would have given us a 5-on-3 chance.

The Kaleta roughinf call was completely right, he hit a guy way late. the puck was gone from O'Donnell?? for 2 seconds before Kaleta nailed him. There was one more penalty or two that were just really weak calls, one interference call where both players were basically skating backwards into each other or our player had his back to him and turned and accidentally hit him, and the tripping on Weber or something at the blueline was a weak call, once again for tripping.

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My problem is that going up 2-0 or losing by one in a tough game and being tied 1-1 could be the difference between beating Philly and losing to them in this series. We NEED to take games like that. I know we got boned several times, but it still sucks to lose like that.

In the 1st period Carter dove when Montie grazed his arm, and I think it was Timmonin who flopped like a carp behind his own net in the first after ZERO contact.

Hartnell knew Myers would give him a shot in front of the net and so he used that to try to injure Miller, classless and gutless that's Flyer's Hockey.

Giroux did a triple flip when 5'5" Gerbe pushed him from the front of the net, and then he fainted when Gerbe pushed him again but he got up giggling.

The Myers Trip on Hartnell was embellished.

The Flyers think of it as "smart, savvy, rough and tumble hockey". Some agree, some think they are actually innocent or that every club does this sort of thing. Maybe there is truth to all of that, and in the NHL it makes sense to play that way BECAUSE IT WORKS. But the reason why I hate the Flyers is because this is what they always resort to, they are the ones who always initiate this kind of play and drag the league down with them. They ruin hockey for me. But they are the ying to my yang, without their bullshit could I ever truly appreciate GOOD hockey? No, you need balance in the universe so while I have a very reasonable life long dislike for all things Flyers Hockey, I do acknowledge that their presence makes hockey more meaningful.

It's up to this young Sabres defense to learn their lessons quickly but maintain the intensity and skill level that has made them the better team in this series. The Flyers are the bad guys, and the good guys are going to win this time.

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"I love that you know how to do that." Cheryl/Carol/Crystal

"And I love that I have an erection that doesn't involve homeless people." Kreiger

I could care less about embellishing anything, it's the fact the NHL just looks the other way that pisses me the fuck off. Legit stanley cup contenders are stonewalled by acting, and the fact that the NHL doesn't allow for penalty review. Imagine what an NFL type system of penalty recall would be like in the NHL?

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ive always felt that officiating hockey is the toughest to call, because of the huge grey area and how every ref sees things differently. working with refs in the past, i also know they can only call what they say. they can hear a stick hit a helmet, but if they dont see it, they cant call it. nor do i really believe in individual team bias, where refs will specifically call against certain teams.

ive been upset at officiating before, but overall, i really do believe they are doing the absolute best they can, and just like the rest of us, they make mistakes.

i remember in game 1, someone here complaining about the myers tripping call, when it was clear as day myers was beat, so he stuck out his leg to trip him. shit like that annoys me. yeah, it sucks, but it was the right call. i feel most of em are.

just my two cents.

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Yes, that was a penalty.

What annoys me is when the Flyers defensemen do the exact same thing , right in front of the official, and it's not called. They highlighted that in the broadcast on Saturday.

If it's a penalty, call it. Both ways. The same. That's all I ask for.

and i completely agree. usually, i chalk that up the grey area but i do agree. call it both ways. and remember, we have the benefit of slow mo, multiple replays. refs do not. so i try to cut them some slack, unless they simply fuck up. and if they do fuck up, man up and admit it after the game (see jim joyce)

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Well Timmonen did the same exact thing in Game 2 and they called it. Some calls are so blatantly obvious that they are going to get it right almost every time. But then there are the calls that depend on what kind of a mood the officials are in, and those calls can be very annoying. And the fact that this is a topic right now, during a playoff round, is also annoying--but it simply cannot be a Flyers series without them doing their dirty tactics.

Anyways a lot of things besides the rules factor into a refs decision making: home ice, momentum, who leads the series, things that are said on the ice, things that are said from the fans, Diving, player influence, distractions, coach influence, who has the most calls against in the game, who has the most calls against in the series, the score, how much time is left, and even the different interpretations of the rules can help make up a refs mind. Add into it, the style or personality of the ref and you can have an endless combination of results. This is why the NHL keeps shuffling the refs around because it becomes too personal, everything adds up. You would think that after the NHL has been in existence for like 80 years, they would have it all down to a science...

There's a lot not to like and even more to not understand if you're trying to figure out hockey, but we are only human, and like it or not the refs are always going to be a BIG part of a hockey game. The Flyers really know how to work the system, and when they are called out on it you get the same old responses for 25+ years.

here's hoping the Sabres work the system in their favor tonight. Cheers.

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"I love that you know how to do that." Cheryl/Carol/Crystal

"And I love that I have an erection that doesn't involve homeless people." Kreiger

1. What Butmman told Colon to tell them in the pre-game cell phone conversation to ensure good ratings and a strong bottom line.

i remember during the 09 playoffs, the finals especially, red wings fans cried foul, and the refs "gave pittsburgh the cup"

i then pointed out that the red wings had.. i think it was 11 more power play chances the whole series then the pens. some shut up, others ignored me. but i think every teams fanbase thinks the refs are out to get them. just part of being a sports fan.

just call it how ya see it, try to be consistent, and im happy. if a team is over aggressive, and takes 12 penalties, call em.

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Oh right, how could I have forgotten the flavor of the week wild card?! Periodically the league will tell every team that they are "cracking down" on something, like Diving. What they really mean is that we are going to try something out and see how it goes. So then the refs start calling Dives for a little while and then they stop.

It's annoying.

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"I love that you know how to do that." Cheryl/Carol/Crystal

"And I love that I have an erection that doesn't involve homeless people." Kreiger

It's a hard job, I've done it and I've felt the sting of many unhappy players and coaches and fans lol. The human element is there, the persuasion factors is very real, and it is a very difficult job to stay focused on. And when you realize that you made a mistake, a bad call or non-call, you can't help but want to even it up. It's only natural and it happens all the time.

Understanding all of these things, I think the officials are incredibly good at their jobs and this season in particular I think they have been great. But in a Flyers series the refs always play a bigger role. And that's a fly in the ointment for a team with less playoff experience like the Sabres, but I know they will be fine and win this series.

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"I love that you know how to do that." Cheryl/Carol/Crystal

"And I love that I have an erection that doesn't involve homeless people." Kreiger

Some teams DO have to beat the refs and the other team. Anyone with fair intelligence who watches a lot of games during a season will be able to see this. It's no conspiracy theory that teams get favoritism. The NHL operates for profit on a crony system. That setup guarantees some teams get advantages. In fact, the biggest myth surrounding the league is that the cap was created to ensure parity. Truth is, it only guarantees revenues for owners. Parity was a hoped for(by some) side effect.

As for your Red Wing conspiracy buddies, if they look back the past 4 years, they will see DET at the top of PP goals for, and at the bottom of penalties called. This allowed them to stack their PP, and be great. If discipline was all it took to be a perennial great, you'd see more of it everywhere. I'm not knocking the Wings, but it's always easier to play with an advantage(literally). Any Wings fan who cries they get screwed is an idiot.