What you missed last night while you were doing the NYMag Crossword Puzzle

Penguins come back to beat Sabres, 5-4: Crosby scored from weird angles on both his first and second goals. However, a lot of credit should go to Alex Goligoski for the selling the fake slap shot on the first goal, as that gave Crosby the room to score from below the dot.

Oilers beat the Hurricanes, 4-2: Its hard to believe that these 2 shitty teams were in the Stanley Cup finals together only a short time ago.

Flyers shut-out the Flames, 3-0: Really necessary that Flames delayed the trade with the Rangers so that Jokinen could play and be a minus-1. Great backhand goal from Giroux. Sold that he would go to forehand and Kipper slid across leaving the room for Claude to score.

Ducks shut-out the Panthers, 3-0: Why wasn't this game on TV?

What you missed last night because you were taking advantage of Restaurant Week

Blues beat the Oilers, 2-1:
Short side goals are not
acceptable. The Oilers
should get demoted.

Senators beat the Penguins, 4-1:
Malkin went high glove
and then Elliot said, "no
more." Fleury was soft.

Coyotes beat the Flames in the shoot-out, 3-2:
At least in the next
Battle of Alberta one
team will have to win.

Hawks beat the Sharks in OT, 4-3:
I feel like this game
is a metaphor for the
Sharks in the play-offs.

Wild shut-out the Avalanche, 1-0:
What a great play for
the game-winning goal. Perfect
drop pass to Havlat

Thrashers come back to beat the Flyers, 4-3:
Claude Giroux had a
sick goal, but no one cares when
you lose. No one. no.

Hurricanes beat the Islanders, 4-1:
So the Isles
suck again and the Canes are
hot. The world makes sense.

2 Things

Brad May scored last night by the way. I can't even believe....I can't BELIEVE they did not call that a goal. Now obviously I'm a little salty because I started Howard last night in one league but looking through the lens of truth at what happened it was totally a goal. May throws a whimmy back-hand at the net in case you missed it...in live play you didn't see anything and than the whistle blows and one of the wings throws his hands up. We watch the replay several times with the announcers with sound so you could clearly see the puck in the net..1..2..3..4..5 secs pass and than the whistle blows. The ref initially says no goal so you need evidence to overturn which if it went up to Toronto there would be. The ref wants to continue play and TORONTO not the ref TORONTO which I have never seen actually calls for it to go up-stairs for review. They wave it off. What the hell did you want another look for than. It went in...five seconds later the whistle blows. I'm missing the point totally I guess.

Secondly...James Van Riemsdyk is 16 million right now. Lets look at his game-log as of late because he has done something that in fantasy I have NEVER ever seen adn you probably won't see for a very long time.

First off, 6 goals, 11 assists in 15 games. Yes! American born...6'3" 205lbs. From Old Bridge, New Jersey...scored my first ever away travel goal against that team...the Old Bridge Wings. Making a case for an olympic spot. He'll most likely have to wait four years but 1000.

3 games without a point in his rookie campaign. But most impressive...truly unbelievable is in the last 5 games, he has 4 goals...ALL of which are the GWG. Carrying fantasy teams right now...just carrying them. 2 out of the 4 games were big wins so it was by chance obviously however the last 2 games were 3-2 wins...yes!!!! I like Philly...i really do...I did last year...they need to just validate me and make it far this year. Ton of upside on that squad. Carter, Richards, Gagne, Briere, Hartnell, Pronger, Coburn, Van Riemsdyk, Giroux, Emery, Boucher backing up. Good stuff there.



I don't know why I find this funny but this is me and Nemmy in our minds all day everyday...yours truly at the 2man.


- Claude Giroux

Crib Notes - Philadelphia Flyers

I'm going cover all 30 teams. Aggressive? Not really. No information in these crib notes is new or useful.



Philidelphia Flyers
Last season - 3rd in the Atlantic, Lost to eventual Cup winner, Pittsburgh in round 1of the playoffs
Lost steady winger, Mike Knuble to Washington via free agency
Lost Andrew Alberts to Carolina via free agency - whatever
Lost goalies Marty Biron and Antero Niittymaki to NYI and Tampa, respectively, via free agency - this must have felt like finally passing a kidney stone
Acquired oft-injured O-K Tollefsen from Columbus via free agency
Signed Ray Emery from some garbage squad in the KHL
Traded Joffrey Lupul, Luca Sbisa and 2 1st round draft picks for 6'6 215 lbs. of pure aggression in Chris Pronger

Questions going into 2009-2010:
Is the Brian Boucher and Ray Emery combo really an improvement from the Biron and Niittymaki duo?
How long before Ray Emery fights in and/or shows up late to practice?
Will Daniel Briere stay healthy enough to help this squad past the first round?
Is Simon Gagne's groin tweak at the Canadian Olympic camp anything to worry about?
Will Scott Hartnell cut that ridiculous head of hair?
How many suspensions will this team accrue with full seasons from Pronger and Carcillo?
How long can Philly go without striking gold with a goalie prospect? Hasn't every other NHL team drafted and developed a strong netminder except Philly?
On paper doesn't this roster look like a serious contender?

Questions after 2008-2009:
Didn't it feel like Biron and Niittymaki were always good at the same time or bad at the same time?

Poised for a breakout season:
Claude Giroux. Young guy was strong against Pittsburgh last playoffs.

Dodgy math:
Coming up with Scott Hartnell



If you had to buy one Philly sweater:
Mike Richards is the obvious choice. I'm not tough enough to wear a Cote or a Laperriere and I can't wear a Briere because I have a set of balls.
If you want to get a throwback go with a Kjell Samuelsson.

Player whose game you sneaky like:
I've said it before but if Scott Hartnell is on your favorite team he automatically becomes your boy.

Player on the Philadelphia Eagles roster with no soul:
Mike Vick - tortured and killed animals.

Old guys:
Ian Laperriere is 35 but still plays like Rambo
Pronger and Timonen are 34

Young guys:
Carter, Carcillo, Richards, Powe, Coburn and Carle are 24.
Claude Giroux is only 21.

Tough guys:
Pretty much everyone other than Briere and Gagne.
Cote is the heavyweight but takes more headshots than John Kennedy Jr.

Interesting:
Arron Asham once spent a total of 15 minutes at an Ace Bailey Children's Foundation function in Brooklyn. He signed 3 autographs and ducked an interview request by the 2Man while Adam graves spent 2 hours on the ice handing out trophies. Not our first snub but come, Aaron.

Nostalgia:
Seeing a skater with the name "Parent" on the Flyers throwback 3rd jersey in 2009.

NHL 94 players:
Lindros, Recchi and Rod the Bod started up front. Hard to believe that the one guy not still playing is Lindros.
Dmitri Yushkevich on D and Tommy Soderstrom in net. Dave Brown was rated a 35.

YouTube:
Dave Poulin rips one top shelf on Mario Gosselin shorthanded. Is that Tim Kerr coming over for a hug? What a crowd.



- Nemmy