"Of Leafs & Men"

The Flyers are starting to fall into the annual curse of not being able to score more than one goal in a game. What looked like a short series with the Flyers up 2-0 go flip turned upside down when the Leafs came out on fire in Game 3 and the Flyers have yet to find a way to put it out. The Flyers have been the Maples Leaf’s little bitch from that point on, and allowed the Leafs to bounce them around like bocce balls. Every Flyer played most notabely Brasher and Recchi have spent the better half of the past two games on their belly’s with their helmets dangling off after being crushed against the boards.

Meanwhile JR seems out of sorts and one if he is seeing stars again from his major injury during the regular season. Once in the offensive zone JR the last two games he has seemed confused and intimidated and coughed the puck up an alarming amount of times. Handzeus has appeared as if he is skating through mud. Of course that could be said about most of the Orange and Black the past few days. Now the lead has been erased and it’s a best of 3 series.

The Flyers take it back to Philly tomorrow (Sunday) and really need the fans behind them. I am not saying its time to melt the ice for the season (or forever pending hockey Armageddon) but its certainly time for concern. Hopefully the Flyers can black out the past two games as if they never happened. It is time to just give it the old Sporty Jones spirit and step it up.

All the Flyers are being outplayed with the exception of Robert Esche who has had to stand on his head to keep the games at respectable scores. The Leafs have been free to toss everything and the kitchen sink at the Flyers net-minder. On the other end of the ice the Flyers remind my of an old hockey computer game that I used to have when a glitch would occur. For some two forwards are going so deep that they are spending most of the time dilly dallying behind Eddie the Eagle. Since even the Great One only scored a few goals in his entire career maybe that isn’t the best position to be in to put the puck in the net. Meanwhile the third man in is too deep in the goalies face that he could practically has his nose against the Maple Leaf logo. How the hell are you going to score a goal when you have almost no room to move your stick, while your line mates never bother to utilized the face off circles or the slots to any degree? So many stupid plays.

Now the player I have the biggest beef with is John Lecalir. Some people still love him though I remember Alyssa’s ex-boyfriend Anthony used to say how great he was, and I would argue that his post season performances were constantly sub-par. For years he would use his bad back as a crutch, but the last two seasons John Leclair has seemed healthy to me. So that excuse is out the window.

Leclair is for lack of a better word , useless. Including the last the last series when everyone and their dachshund were racking up points against the Devils, John Leclair has one assist in 9 post season games. ONE ASSIST!!!!!!!! For a guy making 9 million a season it’s an understatement to say he has to step it up. At least you hear Recchi and JR’s name several times during the game; I haven’t heard Leclair’s name once this entire series. The only evidence he has to prove he played at all recently was the dumb penalty he took. You might as well dress Peter White with kind of production you are getting from this sad sack. Every post-season Leclair does a disappearing act. Sadly with the money he makes Hitch will likely never bench him even though he should, so we are doomed to have this roster spot wasted for the remanding playoff games. Leclair has no heart and knows we can’t trade him ever and will get his 9 million dollars, not to mention amble ice time even if he stands at center ice and starts doing the triple axles for no apparent reason. Did I mention he sucks?

So the Flyers have overcame the Demons from north jersey. Now its time to shake the spring time zombie syndrome that have the Flyers looking like the walking dead every time they are about to be sent out to the golf course for the summer. Time to over come this like men. Don’t give up Flyers fans, but remember who ever wins this game 5 is likely going to win the entire series. Tomorrow the Flyers get take a step forward to everyone I can think of getting R-rated angry emails full of frustration or a step towards a parade down broad street. I will be having my fingers crossed the rest of the series and the other hand on the caps lock.