Flyers drop another to Pittsburgh, 4-3. In what has become a recurring story, the up and down Flyers, who had loaded up the Stanley Cup Parade caravan on Thursday, flat out blew a game and the three-game series to a team they should handle, the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Pittsburgh (13-9-1) climbed into tie-in points with team nonchalant, the Philadelphia Flyers (12-6-3). The Pens could have and should have, swept the pivotal series.. a near-miracle on Thursday saved face for the visitors. Showing that when he is on his game, Claude Giroux is among the NHL elite. Unfortunately, his game is, to say the least, very sporadic.
This was simply a game, quality teams find a way to win. Bad goals, lack of shots (22?), and a defense that seems confused at times have been a crippler.
Two bad goals, one a dump on the net that Brian Elliott mishandled and the other confusion on a line change. These were obstacles that team Philadelphia could not overcome. Penalty killing, like the other maladies, played a role in the loss with Pittsburgh getting two-man-advantage goals (Malkin and Bryan Rust) in three chances are never good.
After Jared McCann put the home team in front, the Black and Orange had 9:19 to get one past Tristan Jarry, the Pens netminder, but to no avail. Jarry did not look very comfortable in either of the last two games but came up big when it mattered.
Blue Lines
Shots were anemic for both squads with Philly firing all of 22 and Pittsburgh fared a bit better with 27. Jake Voracek picked up an assist which gives him 47 points (23g,24a) in his 48 games versus The Pens in the regular season. Flyers drop another to Pittsburgh.
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Kevin has followed and promoted the game of lacrosse since May 19, 1974.
The same day the Philadelphia Flyers won the Cup, the Philadelphia Wings were introduced to Neibauer and Philadelphia.
Kevin has covered many sports, including baseball, football, basketball, and.. lacrosse. A former licensed football referee and baseball umpire, Kevin brings a unique insight to his game coverage.
A published writer in JustHockey Magazine, Kevin covered the American Hockey League as well as a monthly story on a pugilist where Kevin used the pen name, The Rink Rat. Neibauer turned his attentions to lacrosse for a few years and does his part, whether podcasting or writing to grow the game. Kevin branched out to his roots and currently provides insight for all Philadelphia teams for Edge of Philly as well as his full-time duties with LaxPhilly.
