Photo Credits: FNG’s Rob Windfelder
There’s a huge difference between “doing something quickly” and “rushing it”.
After the Flyers Game 1 victory in Pittsburgh one of the main stand-outs was the fact that the Flyers are quicker on their skates than the Penguins. Pittsburgh had to make some adjustments after Saturday night’s loss. It couldn’t be a carbon copy of Game 1 or they would just lose again. You might think an experienced and wiser opponent may come up with a brilliant strategy to counteract the differential in skating ability.
It appears their plan was just do everything faster. At first the uptick in speed was definitely noticeable. By the end of the 1st period they had 19 shot attempts and 2 shots on goal. They were rushing things. Not playing smart, shooting into shin pads, there was nothing wise about their approach.
The Flyers really didn’t have to adjust much. The Penguins fresh approach was making things easier on the Flyers not harder. The officiating was more of a challenge than anything. Five-on-five play was scarce. Pittsburgh had plenty of opportunities in the opening period. They went 0-for-3 on the power-play. By the first intermission the Penguins didn’t look fast, they looked panicked. As they say, haste makes waste.
Porter Martone
For the second game in a row Porter Martone scored what would turn out to be the game winning goal. Christian Dvorak passed from behind the goal line to Travis Konecny at the side of the net. Konecny teed up a shot from the circle. Pens goalie Stuart Skinner was committed to the right post square to the shooter. The shot deflected off of a Penguin and onto the stick of Martone who buried it into the gaping side of the net 6:21 into the 2nd period. Martone is a clutch goal guy.
Garnet Hathaway
Much has been said about the role that Flyers captain Sean Couturier has been playing for his team. He has been centering the 4th line and the contribution that move has been to the team has been huge. Couturier looks at home in this role and he’s excelling. One of the by products of this move is he’s on the ice a lot with Garnet Hathaway. You can see the effect this has had on Hathaway as well.
Hathaway was already having a good game on Monday night. He was winning foot races, forechecking aggressively, and making his presence known physically. Hathaway has also been a staple in the Flyers penalty kill this season.
With just 2:17 left in the 2nd period and Luke Glendening serving a hooking penalty Owen Tippett had control of the puck in the Pittsburgh zone. Skinner squared up to Tippett at the left hand post. Tippett passed off to Hathaway who was coming up the slot. Hathaway smacked the puck into the open net for the shorthanded goal and a 2-0 Flyers lead.
Dirty Stickwork
One of the 1st lessons you learn as a hockey player is to have control of your stick. Keep your stick down. Keep your stick down, you could really hurt somebody. You hear it over and over again until it sticks. Using your stick as a weapon out of frustration or inadequacy is frowned upon at every level. When someone is called a dirty player, or a cheap-shot, or a hack it is not some sort of slang complement.
For some reason traditionally the Penguins have never been embarrassed about delving into this behavior. And it’s baffling that it’s often overlooked. Some calls are made but plenty are not. Somehow it’s acceptable because they always do it?
At one point earlier in the game Tippett skated by an official and showed him a hand full of blood. The ref looked for a second and went about his business. Martone was intentionally tripped by Skinner away from the play. No call. Martone also at one point was skating to the bench checking for blood after a stick to the face. No call.
At the end of the 2nd period Travis Konecny took two sticks to the face. He went to the bench bleeding. The original double minor went to review. Evgeni Malkin caused his stick and Rasmus Ristolainen’s stick to go up and into Konecny’s face cutting him.
The play was reviewed to ascertain which stick actually cut him. In what world should that even matter? Malkin was holding and directing both sticks! It was ruled that Risto’s stick caused the injury and Malkin’s stick didn’t seem to break the skin, so a two minute minor was assessed. The gymnastics they are going through for some of the calls in this series are totally baffling. In a league where at tap on the gloves now gets you two in the box it’s hard to fathom the rational.
Shutout
Dan Vladar stopped 27 of 27 shots to post the shutout. He was spectacular in the Flyers net. As the 3rd period got underway the Penguins were swarming at times. They knew the implications of losing both games at home. Saturday they lost their home ice advantage. Tonight they were losing their chances of bouncing back in this series.
Vladar was up to the challenge. After registering only two shots in the 1st period the Penguins were quickly catching up to the Flyers in shots-on-goal. Through out the first six minutes of the final period Vladar made challenging save after challenging save. He stopped Rust all alone point blank from the slot. He stopped a rocket by Crosby from the circle. The Flyers were back on their heels a bit and their system was breaking down. Vladar was perfect. He weathered the storm until the ship righted itself.
Stuart Skinner also played a good game. As time was getting short things could have gotten a lot worse for the Penguins. Skinner stopped Coots and Glendening on a 2-on-0 breakaway. He stopped Owen Tippett on a penalty shot. Goaltending was not the Penguins problem in this game, the Flyers were. Even their own coach agreed.
Seconds after Pittsburgh pulled their goaltender for the extra attacker the Flyers put the puck into the empty net. Hathaway to Couturier who passed to Glendening for the shot. 3-0 Flyers.
Boiling Point
With just 1:47 remaining Kris Letang steam-rolled Noah Cates in the Penguins zone. Cates didn’t even have the puck. It was not a clean hit and it caused all heck to break loose. Letang also punched Cam York in the face. Seeler jumped in. Mantha jumped in, 34 penalty minutes were handed it out.
Faceoff in the Penguins zone. Parker Wotherspoon cross-checks Owen Tippett. Tippett is bleading from the face. Noel Acciari jumps in. Rasmus Ristolainen jumps in, another 32 penalty minutes are handed out. What was the point to all this mess? The game was already lost, the stands were already empty, it certainly was not the flex the Penguins thought it was.
The Flyers ended up with a power-play that lasted throughout the remaining time in regulation. They played catch with the puck just inside the Pittsburgh blue line as the Penguins sat on their bench in stunned silence. Slowly passing the puck back and forth as time was running down keeping any threat to Dan Vladar’s beautiful shutout far, far out of reach. It was a smart and classy way to end the trip to Pittsburgh.
Next Up: Flyers vs Penguins Game 3 in Philly Wednesday 7PM.
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