Not the best of nights, sports fans.

Let’s start with the Flyers. This one is simple. They will not beat the Penguins if they insist on taking penalties and playing short-handed.

The fans were barely in their seats in the Burgh went the Flyers took their first penalty. It didn’t take for the Pens to cash in. That’s the way it went. The Penguins led, 4-0, in the third before Simon Gagne got the Flyers on the board.

This one was never in doubt. And it won’t be so long as the orange and black are playing short-handed. The Pens are probably a more talented team when they’re at even strength. Constantly playing short-handed is almost suicidal.

The Flyers have until Friday night to figure that one out and try to steal a game in Pittsburgh, otherwise this series could be over early.

Then there’s the Sixers. They won last night in Cleveland. Thumb’s up, right? Not exactly. Lebron James did not even dress, even though the Cavs were looking to tie an age-old mark held by the Celtics for best season home record in NBA history.

In effect, the Sixers beat the Cleveland JV team, and they had to go to overtime to do it.

The Sixers secured the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference and will face the Magic. The first game tips off Sunday at 5:30. Don’t look for the Sixers to be around long.

We don’t even have Chester native Jameer Nelson to look forward to in this series. He’s still on the shelf with a bad shoulder.

It’s likely about the only thing local fans would have had to cheer about in this series.