Flyers blanked by Penguins in Game 4, 5-0

(Kate Frese/SB Nation)

By Rob Riches, Sports Talk Philly staff 

 

Murphy's Law has long stated that anything that can go wrong will go wrong, and as the Flyers looked to shift momentum with a Game 4 home game, that held true.

 

Missteps and mistakes early on came back to haunt them in quick order, as Pittsburgh took control of the game early. Not much could go right for the Flyers, and they fell, 5-0, to slide into a 3-1 series hole.

Matt Read found himself in the penalty box early, giving the Penguins a man-advantage for holding just three minutes after puck drop. Evgeni Malkin had no problem cashing in, taking a 1-0 lead on a one-timer from Sidney Crosby. From there, though, the Flyers were able to mount pressure and do what they can to even the game.

Midway through the 1st, though, the Penguins countered that pressure and capitalized on a lucky break with a goal up the other way from Phil Kessel, for his first of the series. Before the period could end, the Flyers had a chance to chip at the deficit on the power play, but a Wayne Simmonds slashing minor just eight seconds in thwarted it.

Kris Letang tripled the Penguins' lead in the 2nd after burying a shot off Andrew MacDonald's stick and the goal post, chasing Brian Elliott from the game. With Michal Neuvirth in goal, Sidney Crosby welcomed him nearly three minutes later with a stealthy wraparound goal and a commanding 4-0 lead.

With the game seemingly out of the reach entering the 3rd stanza, both teams played a seemingly-innocuous period. Riley Sheahan earned a breakaway off a Travis Konecny mis-played puck with 4:14 to play, though, and took a late 5-0 lead.

Matt Murray urned away all 26 shots he faced, earning his second shutout of the series. Elliott made 14 saves on 17 shots before giving way to Neuvirth, who picked up 11 saves the rest of the way.

With an assist on Malkin's opening goal, Crosby earned his 162nd career playoff point, tying Mario Lemiuex for most all-time in franchise history. His goal in the 2nd gave him sole possession.

After a 7-0 Penguins rout in Game 1, it was tough to imagine how things could get worse for the Orange and Black. Now on the doorstep of playoff elimination, they'll have to rebound pretty quickly if they want their season to continue.

Game 5 shifts back to the other side of the state on Friday, with puck drop set for 7 p.m.

Box Score

Scoring Summary

1st Period

• PIT Evgeni Malkin (3) PPG (Sidney Crosby, Phil Kessel) 4:33
• PIT Phil Kessel (1) (Malkin) 14:37

2nd Period

• PIT Kris Letang (1) (Jake Guentzel) 8:04
• PIT Sidney Crosby (5) (Guentzel, Dominik Simon) 10:56

3rd Period

• PIT Riley Sheahan (1) (Olli Maata, Zachary Aston-Reese) 15:46

Game Statistics