Flyers
Danick Martel scored two goals, while Alex Lyon backstopped the Phantoms to a 3-2 win over the Bruins in Game 1 to take a 1-0 lead in the series.
It turned out that the biggest lineup addition was a leading player gutting it out. Sean Couturier missed Game 4 and was a lingering question mark for Game 5. Not only did he play, he scored the biggest goal of the season for the Orange and Black.
Sean Couturier scored with 1:15 left in the third period to give the Flyers the lead in a 4-2 win over the Penguins on Friday night in Game 5, sending the series back to Philadelphia for Game 6 on Sunday.
It’s a tall task to try to beat the defending back-to-back Stanley Cup champions in three straight games, but all the Flyers can do is focus on Friday and deliver a better effort. That, of course, is easier said than done when the powerhouse Penguins are playing in their home building with a chance to advance on the line.
See the emotion and despair of a team now trailing in the series, 3-1, after the Flyers 5-0 loss to the Penguins in Game 4 through the lens of photographer Kate Frese. Check out her Frese Frame gallery here.
The end of the season is now in sight and the Flyers possible final act in front of the Wells Fargo Center crowd was another embarrassing showing with no effort.
Flyers forward Sean Couturier was named a finalist for the Selke Trophy, given to the best defensive forward. Anze Kopitar of the Los Angeles Kings and Patrice Bergeron of the Boston Bruins were also named finalists.
Sean Couturier suffered an injury in a collision with Radko Gudas and hobbled off the ice in pain. He is being ruled as a game-time decision, but it appears the Flyers are preparing to play their biggest game of the season and the series without their most indispensable forward.
It’s on to the conference finals in the CHL’s three leagues and five Flyers prospects remain in the running to play for the Memorial Cup with just 12 teams in the CHL left playing.
After the disappointing outcome of Sunday’s contest, the Flyers find themselves in what may be a must-win situation being down 2-1 in the series against the Penguins with potentially just one more chance at grabbing a home-ice win in the series.
