There’s nothing fun about getting your butt kicked 7-0. There isn’t much that can spark a team down by a touchdown with 15 minutes left. But give the Philadelphia Flyers credit, they were going to give the home fans at Wells Fargo Center who stayed something to cheer for.
The line brawl that featured a goalie fight between Philadelphia’s Ray Emery and Washington’s Braden Hotby began seconds after Joel Ward scored his third of the game to make the score 7-0. The puck just entered the Washington zone when Wayne Simmonds drove Tom Wilson into the boards and the gloves started dropping. During their fight, Emery skated down the ice and challenged Holtby to a fight. Holtby initially declined but went on with it anyway and was subsequently pummeled by Emery. Emery is a noted boxing fan, as he’s featured images of boxers on his goalie masks dating back to his time with Ottawa.
The drawl itself led to 116 penalty minutes, with 29 going to Emery alone. While Emery didn’t cause the brawl, he helped fuel the fire. Don’t be surprised if he will have a meeting with Brendan Shannahan at the NHL Monday over the fight. He watched the rest of the game from the locker room, with Steve Mason replacing him. It was originally Emery replacing Mason early in the second period trailing 3-0 when Mason allowed three goals in a five minute stretch between the first and second periods.
To make things worse for both teams, the fight caused injuries to key players. Steve Downie, acquired Thursday from Colorado, suffered a concussion according to GM Paul Holmgren. Holmgren also said that Vincent Lecavalier suffered a facial injury and will miss time. It was the Washington’s largest margin of victory against Philadelphia since the Capitals started play in 1974 and matched the Flyers’ largest shutout loss since 1994.
If anyone can explain how Emery received the third star in that game should receive a gold star. Because I could name just about every player from both teams who deserved it over Emery. What Emery did (provoking a fight against a goalie who didn’t want it) was completely uncalled for and he should be suspended for a few games.