PIT vs PHI

Well, Stanley, that’s a fine fix you’ve gotten us into…

The Flyers are down 0-2 in the Eastern Conference finals to those upstart Pittsburgh Penguins. Truth is, can anyone say they’re surprised? The Penguins have a better, all-around skill set than the Flyers.

On the other hand …

As Flyers’ general manager Paul Holmgren said Monday, “We’re 0-2. We have to play better if we expect to win a game.”

COBURN’S STATUS

Flyers’ defenceman Braydon Coburn is “doubtful” for Game 3 Tuesday at the Wachovia Center. He has no structural damage to his left eye.

“We’re still waiting to hear how his eye is,” Holmgren said. “Right now, it’s swollen shut. There are no fractures. He’s doing better. We have no reason to think there’s anything wrong with the eye.”

THE KID COMES IN

Ryan Parent, who is 21 and has played just one playoff game - the opening contest of the Washington series - will replace Coburn.

“We’ve got confidence in him. He’s a good, young player who just continues to get better,” Stevens said. “A very good defender. He’s getting close to being an everyday NHL player. He does a lot of little things well, for a young defenceman.”

RETRIBUTION

Evgeni Malkin elbowed Danny Briere to the back of the head in the second period of game 2. Briere admitted feeling like he was in “la la land” as he missed a shift.

Asked whether the Flyers were going after a pound of flesh from Malkin in Game 3, Holmgren replied, “We’re in no position to be out for retribution. We need to win games. And in order to win games, we have to play better.”

WHAT THE FLYERS NEED

How about a little offence from their No. 1 unit of Vinny Prospal, Danny Briere and Scott Hartnell. They don’t have a point in the series.

“We capable of getting more from our forward group,” Stevens said. “It’s been our strength all year. There’s a lot of pucks we can take and get going with it. There’s a lot of pucks between the top of the circles and the blue line where we have to make stronger plays with. And there’s more of an attacking that we need to get going. We need more composure and urgency from our forwards.”

When someone asked Briere about some of the physical shots he’s taken, he replied, “I’m not worried about the physical stuff. That’s the last of my worries. I just worried about our line getting back to scoring goals and helping our team.”

SIDNEY AND THE PHILLY MOB

Sidney Crosby was asked about playing in Philadelphia.

“I would say it's a pretty tough place to play,” he said. “But at the same time, in the playoffs it makes for a great atmosphere. The worst thing? I can't really name one thing. They're just a tough crowd. They're not afraid to say anything. You know, they're just very vocal. A vocal group.”

THE ‘NO GOAL’

Regarding Sergei Gonchar’s ‘no goal.’

One replay shown in the press box showed the puck clearly over the goal-line. So what were the video replay officials looking at? That’s what Crosby would like to know and he was the guy trying to jab at it at the post.

“Yeah, I got a look,” Crosby said. “Looks like it was in, but I don't know, I didn't have the right angle. But I saw a picture that showed it. It showed the puck over the line, so I don't know. I think from what I heard, they couldn't get the right angle and it was inconclusive. Then the call on the ice is I guess the next opinion. And they called it a no goal on the ice so that stood.”

MICHEL THERRIEN SAYS

The Flyers are upset with the cheap shot Malkin threw at Briere’s head. The Penguins are upset with the punch Scott Hartnell threw at Jarkko Ruutu.

Here’s what Penguins coach Michel Therrien had to say: “I read some comments about John Stevens, about how he's disappointed about some calls. But at the same time, we're disappointed about some calls as well. Jarkko Ruutu got punched in the face, by Hartnell, we should have been a five-on-three, and that could have been a turning point in the game. We didn't get those calls. So that's playoffs. There are times you're going to get a call, there's times you're not going to get a call. It's not about complaining. It's about playing the game. You hope to get the calls. It doesn't happen all the time, and what are you going to do?”