Thanks for the Stanley Cup, Lavi. Hope your team does terribly tonight.

At least it got to OT this time!

Carolina played a pretty uninspired game. Too many missed chances (as usual this season), too many penalties, some really untimely turnovers, an absolute inability to control play for much of the game. This is par for the course when it comes to Carolina playing Philadelphia. I’m unwilling to just say “well that’s how it is”, because that’s a pretty reductive statement, but…well, that’s just how it is. Laviolette and the Flyers play a game that manages to punch through Carolina’s defense time and again.

After McBain’s singularly unimpressive performance against Ottawa, I probably shouldn’t be surprised he was scratched – but I am a bit surprised. I don’t love Muller’s tendency to keep everyone on as short a string as they’re being kept now. I know it makes sense, the shortened season being what it is, but it hurts my delicate consistency-loving soul, or something. It worked well for Ward, though, and I’m sure it’ll serve for McBain, too.

Speaking of Ward – he was one of the only bright spots in an otherwise shitty game. He kept the Canes in it when they had no right to be, and (while he did get lucky, with some posts), was definitely the person who earned the loser point the Canes ended up with. Hopefully he can keep this streak going.