Game 1: Flyers 3, Pens 2

Sloppy, Sloppy, Sloppy...
Flyers- 3
Daniel Briere (Richards, Leino) 2-2:51
Blair Betts (Powe, Van Riemsdyk) 2-17:15
Claude Giroux (unassisted) 3-4:55
W- Bobrovsky (29-31)
Penguins- 2
Tyler Kennedy (Martin, Letang) 3-0:44
Alex Goligoski (Michalek, Kunitz) 3-5:14
L- Fleury (24-27)
RECAP
There really isn't much that can be said for this game that can't be found on any other recap you may come across. Sergei Bobrovsky made the Pens look silly at times, and they couldn't put all three periods together. They came out like a war machine in the 1st, looked flatter than pancakes in the 2nd, and then tried to recover in the 3rd but was just unable to dig themselves out. They put 15 shots on the rookie in the 1st period, and he stopped every single one of them. The mistakes and sloppy play became dominant in the 2nd, and the Pens began to show the rust from the offseason. They came out hard in the 3rd, but couldn't buy a call from the refs and just couldn't get one past Bobrovsky to tie the game up. There was a lot of "excitement," but both teams really lacked the physical play that has come to define these games. To be honest, this game looked more like "croquet on steroids."

Game Changing Moment
I have to say Betts goal late in the 2nd period. It really took the air out of the building, especially since it should have never happened. Mistake by the Pens changing, mistake by Fleury playing the puck, and a mistake by every Penguin on the ice for losing sight of the puck.

Grades
Offense- C+ 2 goals against a first-time starter isn't exactly a marvelous accomplishment. They had several opportunities to bury one, but just couldn't get the shot on goal.
Defense- C Nobody really stood out as having a "good game." Michalek was decent, and Martin wasn't bad but everyone else was quite disappointing.
Fleury- B- Ok, so 2 of the 3 goals weren't his fault but he also let like 3 shots behind him that hit the iron. He can do better.
Powerplay- B They moved the puck well, but just had a hard time getting the shot off. Deja vu?
Penalty Kill- B- One major hiccup but they actually looked pretty good after that.

3 Big Points

-Despite a few flashes of brilliance, Letang and Goligoski really were plagued by a few glaring mistakes with positioning and turnovers and ended up costing the Pens a few goals. Boy I hope this trend doesn't continue.

-Kennedy looked pretty good, while Talbot and Adams came out flat. This may become significant if Asham returns to the lineup in deciding who to bench.

-This game didn't count for any more points than the next one does. Get back on the horse and go get 'em on Saturday.