Flyers Find Scoring Touch in Rout of Penguins

By Kevin Durso, Sports Talk Philly editor 

For one night, the Flyers looked like the team on display down the stretch last season. They were dominant. They were in control. They frustrated the opposition. They got the bounces and took advantage of miscues.

It all spelled out a 7-2 win for the Flyers over the East Division-leading Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday night at Wells Fargo Center.

The Flyers came out with some jump early in the game. Just under six minutes in, a great scoring chance appeared to be robbed by an incredible save.

Casey DeSmith used his glove to rob Kevin Hayes at the side of the net after a bounce off the endboards. After a few minutes of play passed, it was determined on replay that Hayes shot crossed the goal line entering DeSmith's glove, making it a goal and giving the Flyers the lead.

The Flyers had a power play moments later, but it was the Penguins who got two glorious chances after killing off the penalty. First, a shot by Kasperi Kapanen went in the air and landed behind Alex Lyon, who sprawled back without a stick to get his blocker hand on the puck and clear it off the goal line. Shortly after, another puck got behind Lyon as Zach Aston-Reese went to the blue paint. Shayne Gostisbehere followed up the play and was able to clear it out of danger with his stick just before it crossed the line.

When the Flyers were back on the power play moments after that, it was goal-saver Gostisbehere who fired a point shot past DeSmith to give the Flyers a 2-0 lead at 14:08.

Just 64 seconds later, a deft deflection by Travis Konecny got the puck into the slot to a wide open Claude Giroux for another goal, making it 3-0.

The Flyers had an 18-11 lead in shots through 20 minutes.

The Flyers kept the pressure on in the second, outshooting the Penguins, 20-10, in the middle frame. They got the only goal too.

At 7:50, the Flyers caught the Penguins in a change as Gostisbehere connected on a perfect stretch pass to Scott Laughton. Laughton set up Wade Allison for a one-timer, beating DeSmith to make it 4-0. Following the second, Tristan Jarry replaced DeSmith in goal.

The Penguins got on the board with a power-play goal on a deflection by Sidney Crosby at 2:30 of the third.

Back on the power play at 8:24, the Penguins added another on another deflection. This time, Jason Zucker went to the net and got the goal to make it 4-2.

The Flyers did have an answer just over three minutes later, as Joel Farabee made a power move to the net and finished to make it 5-2.

In the final minutes, the Penguins pulled the goalie and Giroux sealed the result with an empty-net goal with 2:21 to play. Robert Hagg also scored a goal with Jarry back in net with 1:05 remaining to cap the scoring.

Giroux finished with two goals and an assist, while Farabee had a goal and two assists and Jake Voracek had three assists. Gostisbehere had a goal and an assist, while Konecny had two assists. 

Lyon finished the game with 35 saves in the win. DeSmith made 33 saves on 37 shots through two periods. Jarry made five saves on seven shots in relief.

The two teams get back on the ice for one more matchup this season on Tuesday night at 7 p.m.

Box Score

Scoring Summary

1st Period

• PHI Kevin Hayes (12) (Joel Farabee, Jake Voracek) 5:58
• PHI Shayne Gostisbehere (9) PP (Travis Konecny, Claude Giroux) 14:08
• PHI Giroux (15) (Konecny, Sean Couturier) 15:12

2nd Period

• PHI Wade Allison (2) (Scott Laughton, Gostisbehere) 7:50

3rd Period

• PIT Sidney Crosby (21) PP (Kris Letang, Evgeni Malkin) 2:30
• PIT Jason Zucker (8) PP (John Marino, Kasperi Kapanen) 8:24
• PHI Farabee (17) (Voracek, Travis Sanheim) 11:37
• PHI Giroux (16) EN (Unassisted) 17:39
• PHI Robert Hagg (2) (Farabee, Voracek) 18:55

Game Statistics