ECF Game 4: #%&#@$ - 4, Penguins - 2

This was an extremely frustrating game on so many levels. In terms of gameplay, it was a story of three periods. The first was disastrous for the Penguins. It should have been expected though. The Flyers were desperate, playing to save their season. The Penguins, on the other hand, looked like they were getting ready for the Red Wings. As mature as they have become, lapses like this show that this team is still very young and has much to learn. The second period seemed like a stalemate, while the Penguins we knew came alive in the third. But two goals by Jordan Staal wouldn't be enough to make up for that horrible first period. Another source of frustration came from the officiating. Now I'm not gonna whine about it like a Flyer fan. But did they just decided to leave their whistles at home today? A game this brutal and penalties were virtually non-existent, except for the ones that burned the Pens in the first period? The last and probably biggest source of annoyance is Versus itself. It was a little noticeable at first but now it's just ridiculous how biased they are for the Flyers. Versus might as well be Comcast Sportsnet. Seriously! Every other word was heaping praise on the Flyers. They pretty much recited love poems to the Flyer fans all night. Any moment they got, they would show the Flyer fans. In Game 1, the Penguins staged a white-out with their fans. But instead of showing the Penguins fans celebrating in the thousands unified in white, they would cut away to some bar in Philly showing a few Flyer fans celebrating. WTF?! Yes, Versus is owned by Comcast, which owns the Flyers.. but come on. If you want to be a respectable network, you can't do this kind of stuff. That's why Versus will always be second rate and never be anything like ESPN. And one more correction, I am tired of people commenting on what a remarkable turnaround this Flyers team had, going from last place last season to the 3rd round here. Normally, yes, that would be an amazing story. But this isn't the same Flyers team. They gutted half the team and replaced them all with high-priced free agents. They bought this team. It's nothing like last season's team. It's not like last year's players got better, they bought players that were better!

Penguins, I know you're angry. Good! Use it, end this series on Sunday and never let it go back to Philly or Versus. Let's shut them both up!