Goals that are considered "flukes" happen. The puck sometimes ricochets off of players and changes directions enough to head in. That's part of the game. The fact is that the Blackhawks only cut the deficit to 1 goal because of a "fluke" goal. What matters is that it goes in. Hell, hockey players will tell you that they don't care if every goal they score is a fluke so long as it's in the back of the net.
If we get right down to it, the Flyers could have taken game one. I mean, if not for the refs not seeing that the puck hit Kopecky when he was on the bench waiting to get on the ice. Play should have been whistled dead. Instead Kopecky scores the game winner right there. Crap happens. On both sides. It's hockey.
I looked at some comments, especially some on Yahoo.com and some of them are atrocious.
Among some of the most egregious was that the Blackhawks will kick the Flyers' butts once they get serious and bring their A game. If the Blackhawks weren't bringing their A game from the first game of the Stanley Cup Finals then they don't deserve to win. And in all fairness, it's not like some of the Flyers' top players are turning it on either. Until Richard's game 4 goal, Richards, Gagne and Carter had zip. The Flyers are a really team that is arguably as talented and contain as much depth as Chicago.
Chris Pronger is a dirty player. Listen, he's not the cleanest player but he plays just barely within the rules. Chicago fans know damned well that if Pronger was playing for Chicago, they'd be loving the way he played right now. It's like why Sidney Crosby is reviled by Philadelphia. He's a great player but Philadelphia hates him cause he plays for our cross state rivals.
The refs are conspiring against Chicago. Look, guys, the Flyers have more power plays so far but I think it's cause the Flyers are irritating the hell out of the Blackhawks who are retaliating. And if you asked Flyers fans before this series, they'd be saying that the refs and the league have been conspiring against them for at least the last 25 years. There have been some ticky tack, I'd even say phantom, calls against both teams and there have been some absolute non calls against both teams. Blackhawk fans, I know you guys will be paying attention to non-calls against the Blackhawks but Flyers fans can point to penalties that weren't called against the Flyers as well.
This has been a very entertaining series and I really thought the Flyers had a great chance to win it all before the series started and my thinking hasn't changed. The Flyers had little love and most predicted them to lose in 5 or 6 games. Considering the way the series is turning out it could easily be 3-1 Flyers or 3-1 Blackhawks. Instead its a 2-2 tie and essentially turns this into a best of 3 series.