Big Lead Sports Bar

4/18/2009

BILL. GUERIN.

PENGUINS 3
FLYERS 2
OT

I don't know if the conditional draft pick the Penguins surrendered in exchange for Bill Guerin will ever turn out to be anything special. But if last night was any indication, that player-to-be-named already has some catching up to do in the category of huge playoff goals.

The 38-year-old import from the New York Islanders scored two of the team's three goals last night, including the overtime winner shown above, in a 3-2 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers, who leave town buried in a 2-0 series hole that they probably will never escape from.

After playing a disciplined game throughout the first 60 minutes (especially by their standards), the Flyers became unglued in the extra time, racking up enough penalties to not only negate a two-minute time-out for Hal Gill but to also give the Penguins a 5-on-3, which would be cashed in by Guerin just moments later.

It's worth noting that the Penguins would probably be headed back to the other end of the state in a 1-1 series tie if not for the play of Marc Andre Fleury, who had what could probably be called "The Save II" on Jeff Carter in the third period. That play kept the window of opportunity open long enough for Evgeni Malkin to score the game-tying goal nearly 17 minutes into the third frame, a power-play goal set up by Kris Letang and Sergei Gonchar that you could just feel coming.

So where do the Flyers go from here? A team completely changing identities from one game to the next is a dicey proposition, regardless of the fact that Philly nearly pulled off on Friday night. But they're going to have to do some serious soul searching to have a shot in this series, and that's sorta tough for a heartless group like the Flyers.

Sunday's game is set for 3 PM in Philadelphia, and don't forget, no watching on the big screen. NBC obviously needs every viewer they can get.

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3 comments:

HotDog_Zanzabar said...

I think from now on he needs to be known as Bill F'ing Guerin.

Unknown said...

Although he'll probably never be the folk hero that Gary Roberts is around here, Guerin is starting to make a name for himself.

Penn.DOT(DadOf2) said...

Mr. Guerin, where have you been? Oh, that's right, you played for the Islanders, so we can forgive you if you actually feel happy playing for a team that ACTUALLY wins games. I pray that he signs his next contract in Pittsburgh. Seems like everyone that Ray Sherro finds, they are an instant hit as soon as they put on a Penguins jersey.

Go Penguins!!!