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Wrapup: Flyers Fall 5-4 to Penguins |
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WRAPUP: FLYERS FALL TO PITTSBURGH, 5-4
The Philadelphia Flyers outplayed the Pittsburgh Penguins for much of Saturday night's game at the Wells Fargo Center but came away with a 5-4 regulation loss to drop to 3-5-1 on the young season. Philadelphia has led or been tied within the third period of every game to date, but has been leaving points on the table.
The Flyers did not make a lot of defensive mistakes against Pittsburgh in this game but remained prone to the "big error" (especially a turnover on the fourth Penguins goal) and series of smaller momentary lapses where the puck ends up in their net.
"Fifty-plus minutes where you’d say it’s a blueprint of how you want our team to play.” Flyers head coach Dave Hakstol said.
“We don’t have to change anything. We have to tighten up a couple of things. Tonight it wasn’t enough. Sometimes that’s the way the game is. There’s no solace in it but also there’s no discouragement either.”
In six of the nine games to date, the Flyers have not gotten the caliber of goaltending they've needed to get from either Steve Mason or Michal Neuvirth.
Mason, after a stretch of three straight promising outings, has let in four iffy goals -- two apiece -- in each of the last two games. On this night, he lasted just the first period and stopped 10 of 13 shots.
“From a personal standpoint it’s not a great showing and it pushes us back after the other night as well. It was definitely a missed opportunity here," Mason said.
In relief, Neuvirth was neither spectacular nor awful -- Philly carried most of the play -- but really had little chance on either of the two goals he yielded on 14 shots in ultimately taking the loss.
In each of the last two games. Mason has allowed particularly galling short side goals from tight angles. Sidney Crosby got Mason on a somewhat similar goal last year in Pittsburgh but that came on a perfect shot with Mason in the butterfly and a little better shooting angle. This one, which started a blitz of three goals in 55 seconds, was on the goalie.
Crosby and Evgeni Malkin scored twice apiece for the Penguins, while Matt Cullen tallied on a wraparound goal. Malkin's game-winning goal, scored at 8:33 of the third period, came off a friendly bounce as an Olli Määttä shot blocked by Brandon Manning on the other side, bounced off the defender's skate or shin pad and went directly to Malkin near the opposite post.
Marc-Andre Fleury was erratic in goal for Pittsburgh but ultimately authored 36 saves on 40 shots despite puck-tracking and rebound control issues. Flyers coach Dave Hakstol praised the Pittsburgh goalie as the difference maker in the game, and said that the Flyers goalie (Mason) needed to make at least one more save in the first period.
Jakub Voracek had a spectacular game for the Flyers, even apart from scoring at even strength and converting a penalty shot. The right winger, who now has five goals and 10 points in nine games, made things happen all game including creating a pair of power plays for his team. His feet were moving all night.
Philly also got a goal and an assist from Wayne Simmonds and a power play goal from Claude Giroux (his first goal of the season to go along with nine assists) that withstood a Pittsburgh challenge for an offside on the initial zone entry by the Flyers.
The Giroux goal was made possible by a spectacular keep at the blueline by Radko Gudas (two assists).
"I got a little bit lucky. Those pucks are flying by so I was just trying to do my best. Lucky for me I stayed on the blue line and Simmer made a great play and G even a better shot," Gudas said.
For the first time since opening night, the Philadelphia Flyers scored first. The team tallied just its second and third goals of first period and built a 2-0 lead over the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Then, in the 55-second span, the Flyers gave up three goals and found themselves back in the all-too-familiar position of playing from behind. The deficit grew to 4-2 before the Flyers stormed back to tie the game at 4-4 heading into the third period.
In every game this season, the Flyers have either led or been tied within the third period -- often via multi-goal comebacks -- but have only seven of a possible 18 points to show for it.
1st Period
The Flyers came out with good energy early, generating a 3-on-2 rush and a pair of shots in the game's opening two minutes. It took 4:01 of whistle-free hockey before the game's first stoppage on a Pittsburgh icing.
Provorov made a great play to cut into the slot with the puck and open up a shooting lane for himself but his shot missed the net. Play remained in the Pittsburgh zone, however, and the Flyers had an offensive-zone faceoff at 5:29 that they won but were unable to hold in over the blueline.
The Flyers took a 1-0 lead on a fluky goal at 9:48. After Fleury turned the puck over going up the wall, Voracek took a pass from Brandon Manning and wired a wrist shot from well above the right circle that went off Fleury's glove and into the net. Manning and Radko Gudas got the assists.
Philly extended the lead to 2-0. Trevor Daley left the puck dangerously out in front of his own net and Fleury missed a pokecheck attempt on Brayden Schenn, taking himself out of position in the process. Schenn made a pass to find an open Simmonds in the right slot,and Simmonds had what turned into an easy goal into a yawning net for his sixth goal of the season. Shayne Gostisbehere received the secondary assist.
With 5;35 left, Sine Crosby beat Ivan Provorov off the rush and went in on Mason, who made a tough stop for his sixth save of the period.
Over a disastrous 55-second span, the game turned dramatically. In franchise history, the only other time that three goals were scored against Philadelphia in 55 seconds or less was on Nov. 23, 1991 by the New Jersey Devils in a 5-5 tie. The New Jersey goals were scored in 42 seconds in the second period; the last one on a penalty shot.
The Pens cut the gap to 2-1 at 15:44. Off the rush, Crosby beat Mason short side high under the crossbar. Patric Hörnqvist and Scott Wilson got the assists. While a nice shot from Crosby, it was one Mason -- whose head trajectory also pulled his shoulder down, creating room for Crosby to go upstairs -- needed to stop.
Provorov was sent off for hooking in a scramble around the net. Pittsburgh received its first power play at 16:15. It took Pittsburgh 12 seconds to tie the game. Crosby, stationed inside the left hash marks took a pass out from and snapped a shot past Mason for his second goal of the game.
On the very next shift, the Penguins went ahead on a Cullen wraparound goal at 16:39. Mason was pressured into a turnover by Cullen,who received the puck back behind the net from Tom Kuhnhackl and stuffed it on on the wraparound before Mason could get over. Compounding the problem was the fact that Schultz took himself out of position to chase a Pens forward all the way over to the opposite slot.
Shots in the first period were 13-12 Pittsburgh. Neuvirth came into the game to start the second period.
2nd Period
The Flyers and Neuvirth survived a couple of near-misses in the opening four minutes, including a scrum near the net where Neuvirth was down and out.
At 5:16, the Flyers received their first power play. Ian Cole got the gate for grabbing Voracek circling around the net. Philly was well set up during the delayed penalty but Fleury made a stop on Manning. Fleury made a good stop with 1:23 left on the advantage, tracking a Gostisbehere shot through heavy traffic. He later made a pair of saves on a Voracek.
A bad turnover by Couturier on the defensive half-boards to the blueline turned into a 2-on-1 down low and a tap-in goal by Malkin after a pass from Phil Kessel. Chris Kunitz, who intercepted the puck at the blueline, got the secondary helper.
The Flyers went back to the power play at 11:17 on another Cole hold on Voracek. With 7:02 left, offsetting penalties for diving (Hagelin) and hooking (Streit) were called. At 13:16, Giroux got the Flyers back within a goal after a costly Pittsburgh turnover by Olli Määttä following a diving keep at the right point by Radko Gudas. Gudas got the puck to Simmonds, who pased to Giroux. The Flyers captain blasted a shot past Fleury. Pittsburgh challenged the goal, claiming the Flyers' initial rush into the zone went offside. The lengthy review was inconclusive, making the good-goal ruling stand on the power play tally.
Simmonds nearly tied the game off a friendly bounce but Fleury fought off the backhanded shot to keep Pittsburgh ahead at 4-3.
Voracek, sprung on a breakaway on a perfect Manning stretch pass, was fouled from behind and awarded a penalty shot at 15:28. He turned Fleury inside out with a deke to his backhand, went left on his forehand and scored his second goal of the game and fifth of the season to tie the game at 4-4.
The penalty shot goal was Flyers 1st successful one since November 13, 2011 (Matt Read at Florida), first successful at home since Nov. 3, 2011 (Max Talbot versus New Jersey). Since then, the Flyers had failed on six in a row -- including a pair in Tampa on opening night last season -- until Voracek converted this attempt.
Philly went back to the power play with 49.4 seconds left as Wilson tripped Streit in the Flyers' defensive zone. Giroux missed the net from between the circle with time about to expire. The Flyers took 1:11 of carryover power play time into the third period.
Shots in the second period were 16-5 Flyers (26-18 Flyers overall).
3rd period
Simmonds was unable to find a Voracek rebound that Fleury left sitting in the crease. The Flyers power play was unsuccessful. Shortly after it expired, Provorov rang a shot of the post.
At 3:08, Fleury denied Simmonds' right circle shot after Simmonds sped up the right wing after corralling the puck and finding daylight.
With 16:16 left, VandeVelde was unable to finish off a 2-on-1 rush as he tried to pull the puck to the backhand moving across the crease. The teams then traded good scoring chances at both ends -- including another open chance for Simmonds -- with the shots for the game at 35-20 in the Flyers' favor at a TV timeout at 6:59.
Couturier nearly scored on a wraparound -- and then Konecny on a followup -- but neither try made it to Fleury.
The Pens retook the lead at 8:32 as a Määttä shot deflected off Manning and directly to an open Malkin near the right post with half the net staring at him.
Pittsburgh got a power play with 8:11 left as Voracek was called for hooking behind the Pittsburgh net. The Flyers survived the kill. With 5:13 left, Neuvirth denied Crosby's hat trick bid after he cut in around Gudas.
The Giroux line generated heavy pressure but no tying goal in the Pittsburgh offensive zone. Finally, the play came back in offside with 2:38 left. Shots overall were 40-26 Flyers at that point.
With Neuvirth pulled for an extra attacker, Philly put on a heavy push but Gostisbehere missed the net from the pointand Philly ran out of time.
15-9 Flyers (42-27 overall)
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
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