Morning After: Strong defense leads to offense in Flyers win

The box score this morning will show the Flyers scoring three goals in the third period to claim a 5-3 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins after being tied, 2-2, entering the final 20 minutes. But it wasn't a goal that really led to the Flyers third-period scoring.

Ray Emery stopped Evgeni Malkin from point-blank range. Moments later, R.J. Umberger scored the go-ahead goal. The Flyers never looked back.

It was just one of the many cases where defense led to offense for the Flyers.

There are certain ways to stop the Penguins. One is by containing Sidney Crosby and Malkin. They had their chances, but didn't come up with the points. Sean Couturier was once again responsible for that.

"He does a good job on both of them," head coach Craig Berube said. "He takes away their speed. He has a great stick and is smart. The biggest thing he does is he is tight on them and does not give them room."

Couturier added three points, assisting on goals by Pierre-Edouard Bellemare and Matt Read.

The Flyers third and fourth lines also managed to produce. The line of Couturier, Read and Umberger was the best for the Flyers. Bellemare scored moments after the Flyers killed a penalty.

The Flyers top line was certainly present as well, generating plenty of chances and setting up the Flyers offense. Claude Giroux and Jake Voracek each added two assists.

Putting the focus on defense first was not the only way the Flyers generated scoring chances. The Flyers played their most physical game of the season. They disrupted the Penguins progress into the zone. That physicality also won puck battles offensively. 

After playing their worst game of the season, the Flyers responded with their best.

"We played a very solid game for 60 minutes for the first time this year," Voracek said. "It was a huge game for us. I said before the road trip if we got four points out of it, it would be successful and that’s what we got."

"In the neutral zone, we did a real good job without the puck," Berube said, "and took away their speed."

The Flyers long October road is nearly over. They have games against the Red Wings, Kings and Lightning left before the road takes a different turn. After this road trip, four points are a massive success.

Now the Flyers bring that home again. The road trip featured the first two wins of the season. If the Flyers play like they did on Wednesday, the first home win is not far off.

Kevin Durso is Managing Editor for Flyerdelphia. Follow him on Twitter @KDursoPhilsNet.