Apr 08 2009
Flyers clinch playoff berth; Phillies and Sixers fall
The Flyers, Phillies, and Sixers were all in action last night, and the results were mostly not good.
Let’s start with the Flyers, who clinched a playoff spot with a big 2-1 win over the Florida Panthers. Neither team scored in the first period, but Brett McLean put the Panthers ahead early in the second period with a wrist shot from the slot after taking a centering pass from Michael Frolik. The Flyers tied it late in the second period with a fluky goal when Matt Carle poked a shot that bounced off Joffrey Lupul’s skate into the net. Lupul was credited for his 24th goal of the season. In the third period, Jeff Carter’s shot from the side of the crease dribbled past Florida goaltender Tomas Vokoun, who made 28 saves, and gave Philly a 2-1 lead. That would be more than enough for Martin Biron, who had a spectacular performance and stopped 29 shots, as the Flyers held on for a 2-1 victory.
With the win, the Flyers remain tied with the scorching Carolina Hurricanes for fourth place in the Eastern Conference with 97 points. However, Philly has one game in hand over the Canes. The Flyers have three regular season games remaining–a home and home with the New York Rangers sandwiched around a road game against the New York Islanders. Philly travels up to Madison Square Garden tomorrow night to take on the Rangers. The last time that the Flyers traveled up to MSG, they left with a 4-1 loss. Let’s hope this trip is more successful.
Let’s Go Flyers!
Now, let’s talk about the Phillies, who were completely shut down by Jair Jurrjens and the Atlanta Braves during a 4-0 loss. Just like the first game, the Braves got off to a quick start. Kelly Johnson led off the game with a first pitch homer off of Jamie Moyer. One batter later, Chipper Jones doubled off the center field wall and came around to score on an error when Brian McCann’s grounder skipped under Chase Utley’s glove. Atlanta added to its lead in the fourth on Johnson’s infield single with two outs, and Moyer escaped further damage when Raul Ibanez gunned down Casey Kotchman at home on a perfect, no-hop throw. However, Jones led off the fifth inning with a solo shot to left to make it 4-0 Braves. The Phillies’ offense never got it going and couldn’t push a run across the plate against any of Atlanta’s pitchers as they were dealt their second loss of the year.
Through the first two games of the season, the Phillies have been outscored 8-1 and outhit 16-10. However, the silver lining is that the 2008 Phillies started out the year 0-2 and went on to have a pretty decent season if you’re the kind of person that measures success by winning World Series titles. The Phightins are getting guys on base, so they’re due to breakout sooner or later. The Phillies will receiver their 2008 championship rings this afternoon and hopefully they’ll be able to avoid a three-game sweep. However, it wouldn’t be the first time that the Braves swept the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park to open the year. It happened all the way back in 2007 and the Phils still made the playoffs.
Go Phillies.
Finally, the Sixers suffered a devastating 101-98 loss to the Charlotte Bobcats after rallying to completely erase a 19-point first half deficit. With 36 seconds left in the fourth quarter, Philly was clinging to a 98-97 lead. Although Raymond Felton’s go-ahead shot fell way short, Gerald Wallace was in the right place at the right time. Wallace caught the air ball and scored the go-ahead bucket before tacking on two free throws after Andre Iguodala missed a go-ahead jumper. Philly had two opportunities to force overtime, but Iguodala and Willie Green both missed three-pointers as the Bobcats held on for the win.
The two Andres once again did the heavy lifting for the Sixers. Miller led the way with 23 points, seven assists, four rebounds, a steal, and a block, while Iguodala poured in 19 points with four rebounds, four assists, and three blocks. Surprisingly, Willie Green had a solid night and added 17 points, two rebounds, two assists, and a steal. Louis Williams provided major scoring punch off the bench with 20 points.
In the wake of North Carolina’s national championship victory, Tar Heels alum Raymond Felton had a monster night with 32 points, six rebounds, and five assists. Wallace poured in 29 points with 11 rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Boris Diaw added 17 points, six rebounds, six assists, two blocks, and a steal. Off the bench, D.J. Augustin chipped in eight points, six assists, three rebounds, a steal, and a block.
Despite the loss, Philly only remains a half game behind the Miami Heat for fifth place in the Eastern Conference and have one game in hand. The Sixers return to the court tomorrow night when they hit the road to take on the Chicago Bulls. The last time these two teams met, Philly escaped with a 104-101 in the final game at the Spectrum.
Go Sixers.
