The first divisional game between the Flyers and Penguins this year was a miserable, forgettable night for the Flyers as Sidney Crosby’s four-point night highlighted a 7-3 win over their longtime foes from Broad Street Monday night.
Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
The basics
First period: 1:29 – Bryan Rust (Sidney Crosby, Rickard Rakell), 6:12 – Egor Zamula (Ryan Poehling, Scott Laughton), 11:53 – Rickard Rakell (Bryan Rust, Erik Karlsson), 16:15 – Michael Bunting (Evgeni Malkin, Sidney Crosby) (PPG), 17:44 – Philip Tomasino (Sidney Crosby) (PPG)
Second period: 4:29 – Noah Cates (Bobby Brink, Cam York), 13:06 – Sean Couturier (Travis Konecny, Scott Laughton), 18:48 – Michael Bunting (Evgeni Malkin, Erik Karlsson)
Third period: 17:30 – Sidney Crosby (Unassisted) (ENG), 19:48 – Blake Lizotte (Ryan Shea) (PPG)
SOG: 26 (PHI) – 22 (PIT)
Some takeaways
Crosby remains lethal against Flyers
One got the sense if Sidney Crosby was 73 points away from tying or eclipsing another franchise record on this night he might have got within striking distance. Needing three points to tie Mario Lemieux for the team’s all time assists leader, Crosby was tied with Lemieux after roughly 18 minutes of play. Fortunately the Flyer shut him down in the second but another costly (and incredibly untimely) goal late in the second stifled the comeback the Flyers were attempting. Crosby capped off the night with an empty-netter to end up with another four points against Philadelphia.
Back and forth implosion
The Flyers decided to get into a track meet with Pittsburgh to start the game. It blew up in their face in the opening period. While the Flyers speed was an asset in getting through the Penguins’ back end and a few times eliminating what would’ve been an icing against most other opponents, the run-and-gun style of play was not helping them much in terms of structure. The fact the style of play made for more mistakes, more penalties and thus more time for the Penguins top talent (currently being quite effective on the power play) to score more, which they did.
Nothing exemplified the Flyers’ collective brain cramp more than a three-on-one they had killing a penalty. Scott Laughton took a high wrist shot Jarry stopped. With Laughton believing he was going to hold on to the puck, Jarry simply put the puck down and passed it forward, creating one of the easiest two-on-ones you’ll see in your lifetime. Pittsburgh didn’t score on that attempt but struck gold seconds later.
To show how bad the Flyers were in the first, the top three skaters regarding chances for were all defensemen.
Couturier’s return
After one game away for personal reasons, center Sean Couturier returned but like most of the Flyers looked like they had checked out mentally for the Christmas season. At least after the first period concluded. But like the rest of the team, Couturier kept chipping away during the game, eventually making it a one-goal game with a shot that found its way through Jarry to make it a one-goal tilt.
The personal reason? Well see below!
Cates a’coming!
Noah Cates may start to be mistaken for Owen Tippett if this streak continues. Cates got Philadelphia a little closer with another goal that cut the Penguins lead to 4-2. It marked his fourth in four games and sixth for the season. More importantly it also stopped the proverbial bleeding.
The goal gave the Flyers more life and stalled whatever mojo the Penguins might have had to start the game. In the first 12 minutes of the second Sidney Crosby and company had just one shot.
Ersson leaky
The Flyers had a good first shift, and a seemingly good second shift. Sadly the Penguins’ Bryan Rust took a shot that was stoppable, but not by Sam Ersson. It was a bad start and put the Flyers behind from the beginning, leaving coach John Tortorella shaking his head on the bench. It’s never a good time to give a goal, but one so early in the game left the Flyers back on their heels and not up on their toes, establishing a forecheck and driving play. Fortunately a second Pittsburgh goal was challenged for offsides. The review overturned the goal and kept things from temporarily getting out of hand.
Ersson looked shaky from the opening drop and after forty didn’t look a lot better. The Pens’ fifth goal deflected off a defenseman’s stick but is just one where you somehow need a stop. It’s even more damning as it was one of five shots Pittsburgh had the middle frame. Ersson sat for the third period but rather than going with six skaters, the Flyers put Aleksei Kolosov in.
If there was one saving grace, it’s that Penguins’ goalie Tristan Jarry isn’t a candidate for the Vezina anytime soon. Egor Zamula had a clean and clear shot on Jarry and beat him easily top corner to put the game even 1-1.
Tippett feeling it
After four points against Columbus, Owen Tippett had his wheels early and often, creating two scoring chances in his initial two shifts with speedy rushes through a slow, aging Penguins blueline. Although he didn’t come close to scoring after that, Tippett needed to be crucial in some sort of comeback effort in the final forty minutes. In the second he had a good chance flying into the zone while seconds later Morgan Frost had a chance to make it a one-goal game.
Another silent night from Michkov
Matvei Michkov had a chance late in the game with the Flyers down two and the goalie pulled. But other than that he wasn’t really a factor at all. Overall he was a minus-3 in just over 11 minutes of time on ice. Perhaps this Christmas break can be a reset of sorts so he can look as good as he did when the team set out on their first West Coast trip to start the season.
