POSTGAME 5: Cates and Frost Ice Penguins, 4-1

The Philadelphia Flyers defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins, 4-1, in a nationally televised game at the Wells Fargo Center on Sunday. Philadelphia took a 2-0 lead into the third period. The Flyers' long-struggling power play then added some extra insurance in the third period.

The Flyers finished the season series with Pittsburgh at 1-1-2.
Morgan Frost (5th goal of the season) opened the scoring with a tap-in rebound goal in the latter stages of the first period. It was the stanza's only goal for either team. In the second period, Noah Cates (4th) scored a deflection goal to make it 2-0. In the third period, another Cates deflection goal -- this time on a power play -- gave Philly a 3-0 lead and Cates' his 5th goal of the season. Sidney Crosby (31st) got one back on a 6-on-5 attack but Travis Konecny (16th) got it back with an empty-net goal.
Both Frost and Cates enjoyed multiple-point games: Cates with two goals and an assist and Frost with a goal and an assist (plus a faceoff win that started the sequence leading up to Cates' second goal of the game). Later, Konecny's empty-netter put him in sole possesion of the team scoring lead
Martin Jones narrowly missed his first shutout of the 2021-22 season. The veteran netminder stopped 37 of 38 shots to earn the win. Louis Domingue took the loss. The Penguins' goaltender stopped 32 of 35 shots.
The Flyers went 1-for-3 on the power play. Pittsburgh went 0-for-2.
TURNING POINT
The work by the line of Frost centering Cates and Tippett produced the game's first two goals and several other prime scoring chances.
MELTZER'S TAKE
1) Kevin Hayes hit the post on the game's first shift. James van Riemsdyk fired one on net on the next shift. Shots on goal were 2-2 through the first 3:30, and 4-2 Penguins through 5:03.
Oskar Lindblom registered back-to-back hits on Kris Letang and Brian Dumoulin. At 6:30, Jones stopped Danton Heinen point-blank to keep the game scoreless.
Morgan Frost won back-to-back faceoffs against Jason Zucker (subbing for a tossed-out Evgeni Malkin) and Jeff Carter. In between he ripped a side angle shot on goal, hoping to catch Domingue unprepared as he scrambled back to his net after a turnover.
Owen Tippett landed a big hit on Malkin at the defensive blueline but the Penguins retained possession and stayed onside. Shortly thereafter, Malkin was stopped in close on the backhand by Jones.
Domingue gloved down a Scott Laughton shot from the deep left slot off a dart of a cross-ice pass by Travis Konecny.
Heinen had his second dangerous scoring chance of the first period but was denied in the low slot by Jones.
At 15:49, the Flyers scored the game's first goal as the third line created a scramble near the Pittsburgh's net. A Tippett shot from in front was stopped by Domingue's pad but the rebound went to the post to the goalie's left and Frost knocked it home. The assists went to Tippett and Noah Cates.

As time ticked down near the final minute of the opening stanza, Linus Högberg's defensive stick broke up what appeared to be a developing scoring chance for the Penguins.
2) First period shots on goal were 15-14 Flyers. The entire period was played at 5-on-5 with Pittsburgh attempting 25 shots to 23 attempts by Philly. Overall scoring chances were 9-8 Penguins with a 5-4 high-danger edge for the Flyers. The Flyers were credited with 10 hits to six for Pittsburgh and the Flyers blocked eight shots to four by the Penguins. Ivan Provorov skated 8:11 of the 20-minute frame.
3) There were no shots on goal through 3:46 but the Penguins had the puck possession edge as Ronnie Attard took a hooking penalty. The Penguins power play generated strong puck movement but struggling to put shots on net. With 35 seconds left on the kill, Malkin sliced through the defense and fired a shot that Jones fought off. The Flyers got through the kill.
With play back at 5-on-5, Frost was under pressure in the D-zone left corner but didn't panic with the puck. He protected the puck, dished it ahead and it turned into a breakout. Earlier this season, that play might have been rushed and the puck turned over.
The Flyers made it 2-0 at 6:49. Frost won a left circle offensive zone draw cleanly vs. Carter. From behind the net, passed out to Yandle at the point. Stationed in front, Cates deflected it home. The assists went to Yandle and Frost.

With 12:34 left in the middle period, Zucker got open in the middle slot and took a pass from Malkin for a prime scoring chance. Jones stopped it.
At 9:43, Cates won a puck battle.Frost then set up Tippett perfectly as he broke toward the net. Tippett didn't score but he drew a slashing penalty on Matheson. The power play was unsuccessful.
At the 12:20 mark, Zack MacEwen skated unimpeded down the wing and ripped a shot on net. Domingue stopped it and held for a whistle. Shots were 9-6 Flyers.
Nate Thompson landed a board-ratting hit on Marcus Pettersson on a neutral zone dump-in at 12:59.
The Frost line buzzed again on their next shift. Frost made a backhanded pass to Cates driving the net. Cates tipped the puck on net, and Domingue held on.

A neutral zone turnover by the Joel Farabee line and Yandle being beaten to the outside resulted in Jones moving across his crease to stop a Rickard Rakell wraparound at 14:51.
The Penguins complained about a delay of game penalty on Provorov for flipping the puck over the glass from the defensive zone at 14:56. After a lengthy conference among the officials, Provorov was called. Seventeen seconds into the 5-on-4, Jones stopped a Malkin shot from a flat angle -- but one he's very capable of scoring from -- off a pass from Crosby. Crosby broke a stick on a subsequent one-timer. The lane closed on Bryan Rust on a look from the center slot.
The Flyers had a 3-on-1 rush with a chance to take a 3-0 lead but were unable to score. Farabee appeared to be shaken up (shoulder?) after contact around the net. He remained in the game.
The Flyers went back to the power play at 19:13 as Guentzel was called for tripping. The Flyers took 1:13 of carryover power play time into the third period.
4) Second period shots were 13-11 Pittsburgh. Shot attempts were 26-15 Penguins across all manpower situations. Scoring chances were 16-6 Penguins (but high-danger chances were much more even at 5-4 Penguins). Through two periods, faceoffs were even at 25-25. Hits in the second period were 7-2 Flyers (led by four for Lindblom). Through two periods, Sanheim had logged 18:06 of ice time and Provorov had 16:20.
5) The Flyers were unable to capitalize on the remaining power play time and then there were some nervous moments at the other end after the penalty expired.
At 4:49, Jones stopped a puck through traffic and covered it as players from both teams converged on the net. At 5:38. on a broken play with the puck bouncing to Cates, Domigue stopped a bang-bang chance.
At 7:20, Jones stopped a center point slap shot by Letang. He did not allow a rebound. Shots were 4-4 in the third period at this point.
Frost won a left circle faceoff in the offensive zone with Cates going to the net. Pittsburgh's John Marino took a desperation hooking penalty at 7:46.
The Laughton power play unit started the man advantage, generating some decent puck movement. The Hayes unit gave up a shorthanded odd-man rush but recovered. Frost won a right circle draw back to Yandle. The puck went D to D (Yandle to Provorov back to Yandle) and Cates tipped the shot home for his second goal of the game and a 3-0 lead at 9:38.

Travis Konecny had a breakaway attempt with a chance to make it a 4-0 game with about seven minutes left in regulation. Domingue said no.
Down by three, Penguins pulled Domingue for a 6-on-5. Crosby made it 3-1 on a rebound goal at 17:28. Guentzel and Malkin drew assists.
Cates had a chance for a hat trick but was stopped. With Domingue off again for another 6-on-5, Konecny scored an empty net goal at 17:26, assisted by Hayes and Linus Högberg.