Jobbed. Flyers Lose Game 1 in OT

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Say what you will about the high-stick goal. It looked like it was above the crossbar, but there was no perfect replay angle. Still, sight unseen, you knew it'd be a goal as soon as they went to the War Room. Okay, we'll live with that. But the kneeing call on Mike Richards? Unbelievable. Only one penalty was called in the game's third period, after 50+ minutes of "let 'em play" hockey, sending Richards to the box. His knee never made contact with Alexei Kovalev, and he cleanly laid a check on a player who had the puck. A referee with a clear, unimpeded view of the play said Richards led with a knee, despite no camera angle showing any such contact. On the ensuing power play, the Habs tied it up, and 48 seconds into overtime, Tom "Uncle Jesse" Kostopolous poked home the game winner, 4-3.

Unbelievable.

But the Flyers played pretty well (despite blowing another 2-goal
lead), better than did the Canadiens, and they showed they can score on
Carey Price. Last round, they showed that they can come back from a 1-0
deficit. A quick start saw Philly up by 2, on goals by Dowd and
Umberger. After Montreal tied it up, Joffrey Lupul scored his second
goal of the playoffs. Kostopolous answered, and the OT went by in a
flash.

Marty Biron played well again, notching 30 saves, the most notable
of which was a great pad stop on an Andrei Kostitsyn's penalty shot.
The outcome isn't ideal, but if the Flyers can play that well all
series, they can definitely win it.

Unrelated: Another Flyer was the target of a fan tossed beer. After Jeff Carter was hit with an empty bottle following the series finale in DC, Mike Richards was welcomed to the penalty box after his phantom kneeing call with a beer shower. The cameras didn't show it, but the aftermath was all over the glass in front of him, and Richards confirmed it after the game. But yeah, no one's worse than the Philly fans.

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