Postgame 5: Flyers Prevail in Pittsburgh, 4-3

In the front end of a home-and-home set, the Philadelphia Flyers defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins via shootout, 4-3 (1-0), at PPG Paints Arena on Saturday evening. The win marked the Flyers' first win this season after giving up the first goal of game (1-9-2)

Philly ralled back from deficits of 1-0 in the second period and 2-1 in the third. The Flyers weren't able to close the game out in regulation. They had to kill a 4-on-3 Pittsburgh power play in the final minute of overtime in order to get the match to a shootout.

In the shootout, Sean Couturier's "Martin St. Louis move" where he makes a late turn and backhand to forehand worked to perfection in the top of the second round. It was the only successful attempt for either team.

In regulation, the game was scoreless for the first 24-plus minutes. At 14:31 of the second period, after a failed clear by Travis Sanheim was intercepted by Kris Letang, Sanheim blocked Letang's shot but accidentally deflected it into the Philly net. The goal, Letang's second of the season, was unassisted.

Owen Tippett was denied on a breakaway attempt shortly after the Letang goal. A few minutes later, he had another. Tyson Foerster made a good aerial lead pass, sending Tippett off with speed. Moving in, Tippett (8th) went to his backhand and scored at 16:47.

Pittsburgh retook the lead at 1:50 of the third period. Erik Karlsson put the puck at the net from a sharp angle on the right boards. The puck was heading wide but it hit the skate of Jake Guentzel (8th) in the blue paint and went in the net. The assists went to Karlsson and Rust.

The Flyers' outstanding penalty kill, which went 5-for-5 on this night, stepped up big on a third-period kill in which Pittsburgh generated its most prolonged attack. The Penguins had tired players on the ice by the time Seeler banged the puck off the defensive zone boards and out of the zone. Down the ice, Scott Laughton (SHG, 2nd goal of the season) outworked Evgeni Malkin for the puck, moved in and scored to make it a 2-2 game with one second left on the kill. The lone assist went to Seeler.

The other side of the Flyers' special teams, the power play, connected for a second straight game. Couturier started a puck rotation from the half wall to Cam York at the point. York passed to Tyson Foerter. From the left flank, Foerster fired off a snap shot that found the mark (PPG, 4th) for his third goal and fourth point in the last two games. The assists went to York and Couturier.

Overall, the Flyers were 1-for-4 on the power play.

The Flyers were not quite able to close out the game in regulation. With Pittsburgh attacking on a 6-on-5, Tippett could not work the puck past Letang on the defensive zone. Philly never got the puck back. At 19:39, Guentzel (second goal of the game, 9th of the season) re-directed home a puck sent at the net by Rust. Malkin was credited with the secondary assist.

In overtime, the Flyers had a couple forays down the ice but were unable to make connections to generate chances. With one minute left in OT, the Flyers were called for too many men on the ice after Joel Farabee jumped out too early to replace Scott Laughton (who had wiped out in the corner of the offensive zone.  

Yet again, the penalty kill stepped up for the Flyers. The Flyers were outshot in overtime, 6-1, but got the game to the shootout.

Winning goaltender Samuel Ersson took care of the rest, with some help from Couturier. Ersson stopped 29 of 32 shots in regulation and overtime, and then all three he faced in the shootout.

Tristan Jarry took the loss. Jarry stopped 31 of 34 shots in regulation and overtime. He denied two of three in the shootout.

Apart from Ersson getting the start in net, the Flyers had one lineup change. Veteran defenseman Marc Staal re-entered the Flyers lineup. Egor Zamula exited.

FLYERS STARTING LINEUP

71 Tyson Foerster - 14 Sean Couturier - 11 Travis Konecny
86 Joel Farabee - 21 Scott Laughton - 89 Cam Atkinson
74 Owen Tippett - 48 Morgan Frost - 10 Bobby Brink

44 Nick Deslauriers - 25 Ryan Poehling - 19 Garnet Hathaway

8 Cam York - 6 Travis Sanheim
24 Nick Seeler - 26 Sean Walker
18 Marc Staal - 55 Rasmus Ristolainen

33 Samuel Ersson

[79 Carter Hart]

TURNING POINT

From the "Captain Obvious" files: Flyers penalty kill was the biggest difference maker in the game. Philly may have come away with a regulation loss had Laughton's shorthanded goal not been a springboard for the club. The overtime 4-on-3 kill was the difference between settling for one point and having the opportunity for the shootout bonus point.

POSTGAME 5

1) The Penguins iced the puck on the game's opening shift. Couturier lost the ensuing offensive left circle faceoff, and Pittsburgh cleared the zone. At 1:15, Laughton made a good defensive play in the neutral zone.

At 1:34, Frost took a high-sticking penalty along the defensive half boards. York blocked two shots. After a couple of failed clears, Sanheim denied a pass intended for Evgeni Malkin.

With play back at five-on-five, Ersson poke-checked Joona Koppanen. At about the eight-minute mark,   Tippett and Brink had a 2-on-1 rush. Tippett shot and missed the net. Shots were 4-1 Flyers at mid-period.

The Frost line created several looks at the net including one each for TIppett and Frost. at 12:35 and 12:50 respectively.

2) First period shots on goal were 7-4 Flyers. Shot attempts were 16-14 Penguins. Scoring chances were 5-3 Flyers with a 3-0 high-danger edge to Philly (one each for Tippett, Frost and Seeler). Faceoffs were 10-7 Penguins.

3) York was called for interference at 2:48 of the second period. Pittsburgh went to their second power play.  Pittsburgh created a scramble late in the advantage off a seam pass. Ersson stopped Bryan Rust. After 5-on-5 play resumed, Brink sent up a chance for Tippett.

At 5:18, Philly went to their first power play as Zohorna was called for what was classified as a roughing penalty against York. On the ensuing power play, Frost teed up a cross-ice chance for Foerster. That was the Flyers' lone shot.

Konecny got clipped by a high stick from Drew O'Connor on a chip-and-chase at 9:55.  The Flyers went to their second power play. Atkinson had an early scoring chance. With 40 seconds remaining, after a three-man puck rotation, Foerster had a look.  The Flyers extended their possession well past the expiration of the man advantage. They applied heavy pressure but the Penguins survived it.

With 6:06 remaining in the period, Atkinson iced the puck.  Laughton won the ensuing right circle defensive faceoff, but Philly iced it again. Crosby won the ensuing right circle draw against Laughton back to Kris Letang, whose shot was blocked out of play.

After yet another icing, the Penguins parlayed a Philly turnover and a little puck luck into the game's first goal at 14:31. 

TIppett had breakaways at 15:30 and 16:47, scoring on the latter.

Frost cut across the bottom of the circle toward the slot and was blatantly tripped up, but there was no call. However, at 19:16, Rust caught Konecny up high (it was called a roughing minor). The Flyers maintained possession for the remainder of the period. Frost tipped a puck into the net but the clock had clearly expired a full second earlier.

4) Second period shots were 14-9 Flyers (21-12 Flyers overall). Shot attempts were 23-18 Flyers (37-33 Flyers overall). Scoring chances were 8-5 Flyers (13-9 Flyers overall). High-danger chances were 3-0 Flyers (6-0 Flyers through two periods). Through two periods, faceoffs were 24-18 Pittsburgh.

5)  The Flyers did nothing with the carryover power play time from the Rust minor.  The Penguins cleared the zone as the power play expired. Pittsburgh got a lucky bounce goal at 1:50. 

Deslauriers was called for a boarding minor in the right corner on Graves at 5:02. With 1:02 left in the penalty, Ersson gloved down a Rust shot. Pittsburgh had a lot of puck possession  but yielded the Laughton shorthanded goal at 7:01.

At 9:08, Crosby very narrowly missed a short side goal from the right circle. Ersson got a piece of the puck and knocked it to safety. The wheels to the wild final 10 minutes of regulation and five minutes of sudden death were now in motion.

Third period shots were 15-11 Penguins. Shot attempts were 33-16 Penguins. Scoring chances were 16-10 Penguins with an even 5-5 split of high-danger opportunities. In OT, the Penguins had a 6-1 shot on goal edge and a 13-2 shot attempt advantage. OT scoring chances were 9-0 Pittsburgh (2-0 high-danger).

After surviving OT, this how the shootout transpired:

Top of the 1st:  Foerster was stopped by Jarry on a low-glove wrister.

Bottom the 1st: A Guentzel backhander went over the net.

Top of the 2nd: Couturier scored his second penalty shot/shootout goal on the backhand-to-forehand move he practiced while rehabbing from back surgery.

Bottom of the 2nd: Crosby was denied by Ersson's glove.

Top of the 3rd: Konecny's glove-side attempt was stopped by Jarry.

Bottom of the 3rd: Rust's backhander was stopped by Ersson to end the game.