Despite Game 4 defeat, Flyers fans still believe this team can get it done against the Penguins

At any given moment during Saturday’s Flyers game, a fan could have closed their eyes and been able to follow the game based on the sounds bellowing from inside Xfinity Mobile Arena.

Loud cheers after a whistle probably meant a roughing penalty. A roar of boos likely meant Penguins captain Sidney Crosby had the puck. And the occasional sound of public address announcer Lou Nolan’s voice would alert to power-play opportunities.

It was almost like a language shared among Flyers fans, where the only words needed were “Let’s go Flyers,” and your choice of expletives directed at the referees and Crosby.

» READ MORE: Flyers’ comeback falls short as Penguins win 4-2 to push series back to Pittsburgh

Despite those instructions being simple enough to follow, Flyers fans didn’t want to miss a minute of Game 4. That’s why Tom Esola, a Pennsauken native, arrived two hours early.

He wanted to take it all in.

“I’ve been to my seats twice. I’ve been walking around this place. I’m just very excited,” Esola said. “My blood is flowing.”

He wasn’t the only one. Fans were bringing the energy long before puck drop. While the players were warming up on the ice, fans were doing the same in the concourse.

Craig Johnson, a season-ticket holder from Reading, said the environment ahead of the game was “electric” as fans taunted Penguins fans everywhere they went.

“Boos rain down on them,” Johnson said. “They’re not safe anywhere.”

» READ MORE: The Flyers have to pass an unfamiliar test after losing Game 4 to the Penguins.

Nathan Marsico, a Plymouth Meeting resident and devout Flyers fan, felt the effects of that, despite his allegiance. Marsico was attending the game with his two cousins, Penguins fans Morgan Thrush and Shane Thrush from Quakertown.

“It’s been embarrassing, just for me myself, even as a Flyers fan, because I feel like these ‘boos’ are kind of towards me,” he said.

His cousins, who correctly predicted the outcome of Saturday night, were unfazed by the taunts and more concerned about soaking up whatever time they had left watching the “big three,” Crosby, Kris Letang, and Evgeni Malkin play together.

“It’s good for hockey when the Battle [for Pennsylvania] is competitive,” said Morgan Thrush, as those “boos” rained down around her. “They are due, so I’m not gonna be that upset if we can’t pull this one out, but in the grand scheme of things, we’ve had it for a while.”

Others were less enthusiastic about seeing Crosby play and more interested in continuing to make it clear that, after all this time, Philly still doesn’t like him either.

Elizabeth Glazman from Collegeville and Brooke Wallace from Middletown, Delaware, even took it as far as to bring a prop with them, a baby doll with the name “Crosby” written on its forehead and an “87” on its shirt. Glazman said, based on previous games, “we all know that Crosby is a crybaby.”

“Being a Philly fan, this is a no-brainer,” Wallace said. “He needs a little thumb in his mouth.”

While Wallace and Glazman kept their insults verbal, Gritty took a more physical approach, with a repeat performance of his assault on a penguin.

This time, he beat an already battered and bruised penguin stuffed animal, turning its own crutch into a weapon against it, before launching it from the upper level.

Ultimately, it was the beat-up Penguin who got the last laugh on Saturday, as a Pittsburgh empty-net goal with a minute left made it 4-2 and quieted the once deafening South Philly crowd.

But it was just a temporary hush. The Flyers faithful were not silent, especially when expressing their thoughts on how the rest of the series is going to go.

Following the game, fans Suzanne Fitzgerald from Mullica Hill, New Jersey remained optimistic about the Flyers’ ability to close things out in Pittsburgh.

“We have that energy and we can outlast them. It’s the energy that we have. We have the no-quit attitude that this whole younger team has,” Fitzgerald said.

Another fan, Shane McWilliams from Philly, felt similarly, emphasizing that the Penguins taking one game doesn’t take away from the fact that the Flyers are still up three games to one in the series.

“Flyers in flipping five,” McWilliams said.

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