Jake Guentzel
Tuesday night marks the final meeting of the season between the Flyers and Penguins, the very matchup that opened the 2020-21 season for the NHL nearly four months earlier. One team is headed for the playoffs in another three games, seeding to be determined. The other has a critical offseason ahead, but before that begins, four more games remain.
The final week of the season begins with a back-to-back against the Pittsburgh Penguins. It starts on Monday night at 7 p.m.
Notably in Thursday’s game, the Flyers saw their goalie perform at the level he’s shown before but struggled to get to this season. And he had to take center stage in the skills competition coin flip that is the shootout to secure a 2-1 victory over the Penguins.
Carter Hart was the center of attention in the Flyers 2-1 shootout win over the Penguins, making 31 saves in regulation and overtime and two more in the shootout.
The Flyers head to Pittsburgh to face the Penguins on Thursday night, who recently acquired a familiar face at the deadline.
As the third period progressed in a tie game, the Flyers started to show the lack of energy that comes with playing so frequently, while the Penguins got the only goal that mattered and finished off the game, claiming a 4-3 decision in the rubber match of the three-game series between the two teams on Saturday afternoon.
The Flyers and Penguins meet for the third and final time this week, trying to decide the winner of the three-game series.
The second game is set for Thursday night, and the Penguins will remain without their captain due to COVID protocols. Meanwhile, the Flyers get another chance to respond to adversity and to play with a full lineup after their own COVID situation.
With their full lineup back on the ice, the Penguins showed the formula that defeats the Flyers, and did it without Sidney Crosby in the lineup. Following a quick response to a Flyers goal off a turnover, they commanded the play from there, and it didn’t seem to matter that the Flyers were throwing plenty of rubber at the Pittsburgh net.
After a weekend sweep in Buffalo, the Flyers were gearing up to face one of the best in the world and get a test from a team right there in the playoff race. But on Tuesday morning, Sidney Crosby was ruled out for Tuesday upon his placement on the NHL’s COVID list. Now, the Flyers will face the rest of the Penguins without their captain, as this three-game series begins on Tuesday night.
