Sidney Crosby
A deflection goal by Scott Laughton tied the game with 6:23 remaining, then Claude Giroux’s second goal of the game with 2:08 to play proved to be the difference in the Flyers 4-3 comeback win over the Penguins on Thursday night.
The second game is set for Thursday night, and the Penguins will remain without their captain due to COVID protocols. Meanwhile, the Flyers get another chance to respond to adversity and to play with a full lineup after their own COVID situation.
With their full lineup back on the ice, the Penguins showed the formula that defeats the Flyers, and did it without Sidney Crosby in the lineup. Following a quick response to a Flyers goal off a turnover, they commanded the play from there, and it didn’t seem to matter that the Flyers were throwing plenty of rubber at the Pittsburgh net.
The Penguins took control in the second period and erased a Flyers third-period goal in short order on their way to a 5-2 result over the Flyers on Tuesday night.
After a weekend sweep in Buffalo, the Flyers were gearing up to face one of the best in the world and get a test from a team right there in the playoff race. But on Tuesday morning, Sidney Crosby was ruled out for Tuesday upon his placement on the NHL’s COVID list. Now, the Flyers will face the rest of the Penguins without their captain, as this three-game series begins on Tuesday night.
Former Flyers GM Ron Hextall is about to get back in the GM chair, as he is reportedly in negotiations with the Penguins to become their next GM, according to TSN’s Frank Seravalli.
Perhaps the biggest moment though was the return to the lineup of a player the Flyers had desperately needed to get back, and while his presence didn’t solve all of their problems, it did help them get back in the win column. Here are five takeaways from Sunday’s 7-4 win over the Capitals.
The good: the Flyers did not play close to their best on Friday night against the Pittsburgh Penguins and still won 5-2. The bad: it was a sloppy game throughout, a game that required goaltending to be at its best and may have cost the Flyers their top forward.
Travis Konency recorded his first career hat trick, and Carter Hart backstopped the Flyers with 31 saves in a 5-2 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins at Wells Fargo Center on Friday night.
After defeating the Penguins on Wednesday, they return to the ice at Wells Fargo Center on Friday night for the second meeting of the season. With Wednesday’s result still fresh in their minds, expect a more determined effort from the Penguins, as the Flyers look to get off to a 2-0 start. The opening face-off is at 7 p.m.
