Or as he said after last night's 3-1 loss to Pittsburgh pushed the Flyers closer to an early summer, "Our line is here to play good defense and to score goals and provide offense. It's not really going that way. It's tough, especially in a playoff series when you lose four games you're done."
Within the first 3 minutes last night, Carter had already hit the crossbar, repeating a scene from each of the three previous games. Later he would hit a post. Even later he would be denied on a shorthanded attempt from the left circle. In the waning minutes, with the Flyers needing just one goal to tie, Carter blazed down the right boards, forced Marc-Andre Fluery to come out, looped around him and slid a puck through the crease, with the net vacated.
The puck slid all the way through and hit Sidney Crosby on his stick. He seemed surprised.
"It's kind of how the whole game went," said Carter. "We had a lot of chances, a lot of pucks just out of the reach of guys."
The Flyers put 46 shots on Fleury. Only Carcillo's shot from the slot found net, and then only after Fleury had stopped Richards on a stuff try from behind the net. Carter was credited with five shots, three missed shots, one shot blocked.
"I'd be more concerned if he wasn't getting those chances," said Flyers coach John Stevens. "He hasn't scored the way he has, but he's getting the opportunities he's had all year. He's skating, playing hard. That whole line is creating some great scoring opportunities."
Joffrey Lupul has an assist, on Carter's goal. Scott Hartnell has a goal and an assist. Last night that line accounted for 13 of the Flyers' 46 shots, about the number you would expect from a scoring line.
So what gives?
