Not Without a Fight

Oh, they’ve had their share of fisticuffs, but the Flyers are not going away. Last night, they shut out the Capitals in Washington. I repeat, shut out. In Washington. Michal Neuvirth is a goalie on a mission from God. The shots at game’s end were 44 to 11 for the Caps, yet Neuvirth refused to let one by him.

So it’s back to Philly for game six tomorrow. I did not see it coming. Oh ye of little faith.

I missed the first half, last night. I had an acupuncture appointment and you just can’t rush a treatment. The third period is what counts anyway, but imagine my astonishment when I got home, flipped on the TV, and saw the Flyers with a one goal lead and eight minutes remaining in the second. Best of all—and no real surprise considering they logged the most ice time—the fourth line guys were the ones who scored because most of the game was played in the Flyer zone. Shot after shot was aimed right at Neuvirth and each time he said, “No.” I had the sense that he’d told his teammates before the game, “I’ve got this one, guys.”

An axe to grind isn’t always a bad thing. The way I heard it, when he was with Washington, he lost the top goalie spot to Semyon Varlamov and then to Braydon Holtby, so when he left the team, he might have been a little bitter.

Bitter is good. Bitter makes you strong. Bitter makes you a tower of strength when facing the team who bailed on you. (See what I mean about that carbon-based competitive streak messing with my higher self?)

Alex Ovechkin is so frustrated that he glared murder as he left the ice. Frustrated is good. Frustrated leads to mistakes. Stupid penalties. Giveaways and muffed shots and loss of focus. I’ve seen it in the Flyers, and now I see it in the Caps. Philly must generate some offense if they hope to win this series, or indeed tomorrow’s game, but in the meantime, I’m happily contemplating a name change in Washington from the Capitals to the Lower Cases.

Go, Flyers!