Just seconds into Monday night’s game between the Flyers and Penguins at Wells Fargo Center, the Penguins were on the board with a power-play goal. Mere minutes after that, the game became the secondary story with the news of a blockbuster trade between the Flyers and Ducks, headlined by prospect Cutter Gauthier.
The Flyers didn’t exactly do anything to change the order of significance. The Penguins were in control early and eventually finished off a 4-1 defeat of the Flyers.
It took the Penguins just 45 seconds to get on the board. After Sean Couturier took a tripping penalty 28 seconds in, the Penguins used a perfect passing play to set up Rickard Rakell on the back door for the easy goal, his fifth of the season, to make it 1-0.
The Penguins added to the lead at 7:37. Continuing their relentless pressure, a point shot by Erik Karlsson got through a screen and beat Carter Hart, making it a 2-0 Pittsburgh lead.
The Flyers got a power play later in the period and cut into the lead. Owen Tippett scored his 13th goal of the season to make it a 2-1 game at 14:55.
Through 20 minutes, shots were 17-13 Pittsburgh.
Both teams had opportunities off the rush in the second period, with the Penguins out-shooting the Flyers slightly, 14-13. Only one found the net, and it helped extend the Pittsburgh lead.
Using more sustained offensive-zone pressure, Chad Ruhwedel put a shot on goal that deflected off Tippett’s stick and past Hart, making it a 3-1 game.
Through two periods, shots were 31-26 Pittsburgh.
Early in the third, Evgeni Malkin essentially iced the game with the Penguins’ fourth goal, scoring with a great shot from the right circle for his 15th goal of the season.
Hart finished with 35 saves on 39 shots in the loss. Alex Nedeljkovic made 36 saves on 37 shots in the win.
Malkin also had an assist to finish with two points on the night.
The Flyers conclude the homestand on Wednesday night, taking on the Montreal Canadiens at 7 p.m.
Box Score
| 1 | 2 | 3 | T | |
| Penguins | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Flyers | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Scoring Summary
1st Period
- PIT Rickard Rakell (5) PP (Evgeni Malkin, Jake Guentzel) 0:45
- PIT Erik Karlsson (7) (Jansen Harkins, Jeff Carter) 7:37
- PHI Owen Tippett (13) PP (Egor Zamula, Joel Farabee) 14:55
2nd Period
- PIT Chad Ruhwedel (1) (Bryan Rust, Ryan Graves) 8:07
3rd Period
- PIT Malkin (15) (Drew O’Connor) 4:29
Game Statistics
| Penguins | Flyers | |
| Shots | 39 | 37 |
| Power Play | 1/6 | 1/2 |
| Hits | 10 | 26 |
| Faceoff % | 45% | 55% |
| Giveaways | 6 | 8 |
| Takeaways | 7 | 4 |
| Blocked Shots | 16 | 10 |
| Penalty Minutes | 8 | 16 |
