Burn the Game Tape: Penguins Thrash Flyers 10-3, Force Game Five

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Well, the Flyers scored first. They also held a 3-2 lead at one point. Quite simply, it just completely unraveled from there. The Penguins took full advantage of an undisciplined and unorganized Flyers team and embarrassed them to the tune of a 10-3 score.
I give full credit to a Penguins team facing elimination. They could have folded down 3-2, but instead they poured it on. And then poured it on some more. And then they went ahead and just kept on pouring. 
For a couple of reasons I am going to spare you the video highlights. First, I am guessing you'd rather not relive double digit Penguins goals. Second, the cumulative running time of the highlights would exceed that of the entire Rocky franchise. 
In light of what happened in Game Three the players had to know that the officials would call anything and everything tonight. The guys in the black and white striped shirts did not disappoint. The Flyers were the beneficiaries of a 5 on 3 power play in the first period. The Pens enjoyed 9:37 of power play time in the second period. Both teams took advantage of their power play opportunities. The Flyers were 3/5 on the power play. The Penguins were 4/9 with the man advantage. 
I don't know how much you can take from a 10-3 hockey game, but if you're a Flyers fan there were some concerning developments. First, Evgeni Malkin, who had been kept relatively quiet through the first three games, picked up his first two goals of the series. Penguins goaltender Marc Andre Fleury, who seemed lost the first three games, made a number of confident saves. The Flyers have to hope that he has not regained his regular season form.
On the flip side, Ilya Bryzgalov looked very shaky early on. He was spilling rebounds, did not seem able to push off and go post to post, and generally looked lost prior to being pulled by Peter Laviolette during the second period. True, the defensive coverage was awful, but Bryz didn't really help things either. Matt Carle had an awful turnover which led to a goal. Matt Read did too. It was a forgettable night for the Flyers blue liners (stating the obvious).
Speaking of the defensemen, Nik Grossmann did not play in the third period. He was shaken up after absorbing a Tyler Kennedy hit, but briefly returned to the ice during the second period. It remains to be seen whether in light of the score he was held out as a precautionary measure, or if he suffered a dreaded upper or lower body injury.
It's not too often you see a team concede eight unanswered goals, but the Flyers somehow managed to do just that. This is a game where you just burn the game tape and move on. The Flyers still enjoy a 3-1 series lead. It's not time to panic. The Penguins still have a long road ahead of them. 
Game Five is in Pittsburgh on Friday night.
Photo Credit: Eric Hartline, US Presswire

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