Penguins Paste Flyers, Snatch 2-1 Series Lead

Back in the early 2000s, the Flyers entrusted their netminding chores to a goalie named Roman Cechmanek. Fluxing between stretches of sheer brilliance and extremely erratic play, the Czech Republic native earned the moniker ‘Bipolar Goaler.’

An apt word to describe the Penguins-Flyers series, too. Talk about peaks and valleys. After eviscerating Philadelphia, 7-0, in the series opener, the black and gold fell victim to their bitter in-state rival in Game 2 by a 5-1 margin.

During this crazy-quilt, hot-air balloon of a series, what goes up must come down…and vice versa. Mercifully, with the series arguably on the line, the Pens turned the tables yesterday afternoon in Game 3 to score a resounding 5-1 victory over a thoroughly undisciplined and penalty-plagued Flyers squad at the Wells Fargo Center.

Things didn’t look too rosy for our boys at the outset. Continuing their surprising dominance from Game 2, Philly piled up an 11-4 edge in shots on goal during the first period while enjoying a decided advantage in territorial play. However, two big plays made all the difference.

A mere 75 ticks after the opening faceoff, Flyers rookie Nolan Patrick scooped up a loose puck in his end, breezed through the neutral zone and blew past Olli Maatta just inside the Pens’ blue line. Breaking in alone on Matt Murray, he showed backhand before attempting to go top shelf. Murray robbed him with a terrific glove save.

Then, just past the midpoint of the period, Brian Dumoulin pinched to keep a play alive in the Flyers’ zone. The puck skittered to Patric Hornqvist, who chipped a short pass to Sidney Crosby. In another subtle yet heady display of skill, Sid kicked the puck to his stick, circled behind the cage and beat Philly netminder Brian Elliott to the far post for his fourth goal of the series.

The game was still very much up for grabs until Flyers captain Claude Giroux carelessly high-sticked No. 87 early in the second frame. Derick Brassard took a short pass from Phil Kessel in the left circle and ripped the puck over Elliott’s left shoulder to stake the Pens to a 2-0 lead.

The floodgates opened a short time later, thanks to an ill-timed hooking penalty to Philly’s Jakub Voracek. Kris Letang slid a perfect feed into Evgeni Malkin’s wheelhouse. ‘Geno’ did the rest, blowing a wicked one-timer past Elliott from the right faceoff dot. Five seconds later, Dumoulin gathered in a gorgeous cross-ice drop pass from Crosby and beat Elliott through the five-hole to give the Pens a commanding 4-0 lead. The tally effectively ended Philly’s chances for a comeback.

After Flyers rookie Travis Sandheim ruined Murray’s shutout bid late in the second period, Justin Schultz capped the scoring early in the third with yet another power-play tally on a drive from center point. In all, our guys went 3-for-7 with the man advantage. Indeed, the Flyers’ largesse was a pivotal factor in the lopsided outcome.

“We took six minor penalties in a 30-minute span in the middle of this hockey game,” Flyers coach Dave Hakstol duly noted. “You’re not going to win hockey games that way.”

Puckpourri

Crosby led the way with a clutch four-point performance, giving him seven points after three playoff games. His effort earned him star of the game honors and praise from his coach.

“It’s an indication of how competitive he is,” said Mike Sullivan. “When the stakes are high, if we’re in an away building and they’re important games, Sid tends to play his best. And he’s done that time and time again.”

The Malkin-Dumoulin markers tied an NHL record for the fastest two goals in playoff history. Oozing his trademark passion, Geno was named No. 3 star behind Crosby and Murray, who made 26 saves in another sterling performance.

Around the League

In other Eastern Conference playoff action Boston, Columbus and Tampa Bay hold 2-0 series leads over Toronto, Washington and New Jersey, respectively.

Out west, Nashville and San Jose hold similar advantages over Colorado and Anaheim. The Vegas Golden Knights and Marc-Andre Fleury are up 3-0 on Los Angeles. Winnipeg has a 2-1 lead over Minnesota.