Now that’s how you start a turnaround, boys

I’ve gotten some criticism that this blog is often too, for lack of a better word, frowny. That I look too much at the grey and sad side of the Orange and Black. To those individuals, I offer this. Oh, and this:

We can applaud, too!

Yes, the Flyers may not have gotten the job done last night. Yes, they only managed one point in a home-and-home against their hated rivals. But damned if they didn’t look good getting that one point last night. Philadelphia took the Penguins to the limit before falling 3-2 in a shootout, forcing Marc-Andre Fleury to make fantastic saves to keep the game knotted. If not for an absolutely god-awful turnover that led to Sidney Crosby’s 22nd goal of the year, the Flyers would have been protecting a lead rather than pressing for the win in the third.

But we mustn’t dwell. No, not today. Not on Rex Manning Day! The Orange and Black played strong on both ends of the ice, forcing Pittsburgh to block an ungodly amount of shots. You know that fat friend of the hot girl at the bar that just always impedes any progress you might make? That was Jay McKee and the rest of the Pittsburgh defensemen last night. I think they may have blocked over 20 shots by night’s end. Sadly, none were blocked by Sid the Skid’s face. Dare to dream, people.

This should, for a little while at least, quell the rumors that the Flyers were getting ready to make a major move to alter the core of this team. Prior to last night’s contest, Philadelphia had been rumored to be in talks with many teams about some of their low-salary, high-ceiling talent. The most popular rumor had goaltender Jaroslav Halak coming to Philly in exchange for Claude Giroux.

I know. I just threw up too. Giving up a kid who is a top-six forward on your team for a young, unproven goalie is just….stupid. It’s akin to the Justin Williams/Danny Markov deal under the Bobby Clarke regime. And we all saw how THAT worked out.

Besides Halak, other big names have been bandied about. Sources had linked the Flyers to L.A.’s Dustin Brown, Vincent Lecavalier of Tampa Bay, Carolina’s Eric Staal, and Atlanta’s Ilya Kovalchuk. To me, the only plausibe acquisition of the names listed here is Brown. The Kings and Flyers have been linked for quite some time, and given the depth of scoring that Los Angeles has, they could afford to deal a guy like Brown.

Personally, unless we’re able to move one of our big, free-agency c-blocking contracts (looking at you, Mr. Briere), I’d prefer the team stand pat. We’re still missing Gagne, and considering he’s nearing his return, we don’t really know what we have here yet. Remember how this team started when healthy, after all. They didn’t just magically turn to shit overnight in mid-November. If Gagne can re-start the offense and the Olde City Crew can manage to tip back a few less nightly and work harder on conditioning for Laviolette’s system, there’s no reason they can’t climb back up the standings. They’re only a win out of the #8 seed in the conference even now.

Now, I promised a reward if the Flyers got the job done last night. They may not have won, but god damnit they looked good in the process. That’s really what’s important, especially playing against the *shudder* defending Stanley Cup Champions. I punished everyone after Tuesday, so now I bestow a gesture of good faith for the team’s hard-fought point last night. If this isn’t motivation for Carter, Richards and Co., I don’t know what is:

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you adult film starlet Gina Lynn.

I feel like if Ms. Lynn could talk, she’d have to say this on a loop. As a programming note, I’ll be at the Flyers/Rangers game this Saturday and then at Eagles/49ers the following day. So don’t expect an immediate update following Saturday. Because I’ll be frozen solid, most likely.

Oh, and Gina? Maybe a little more of this would help out the ol’ captain. Whaddya say?

Bow chicka wow wowwwww

Next Game: Tomorrow vs. New York Rangers (1 p.m., CSN)

Tags: Barney Stinson, Christian Ingram, Everyone hates Pittsburgh, excessive references, Flyers sexy time, mon amour, Philadelphia Flyers, Say no more