Penguins continue dominance of Flyers in Game 4

PHILADELPHIA -- The latest examples of the Pittsburgh Penguins' dominance against the Philadelphia Flyers this season came in yet another blowout.
The Penguins defeated the Flyers 5-0 in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference First Round at Wells Fargo Center on Wednesday to take a 3-1 lead in the best-of-7 series.

Pittsburgh's three wins in the series have been by a combined 17-1. Counting the regular season, the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions have won seven of eight games against the Flyers by a combined 37-17. They've scored at least five goals in all seven wins.
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"Amazing team," Penguins center Evgeni Malkin said.
They again made it look amazingly easy against Philadelphia in Game 4.
There was the time early in the first period when the Penguins were on the power play, snapping the puck around as if there weren't any defenders. Malkin to Sidney Crosby. Crosby to Phil Kessel. Kessel to Crosby. Crosby to Malkin. Malkin to the back of the net at 4:33.
The Flyers couldn't defend them. There may not be a team in the League that can when they move the puck like that.
"When you get a chance to send Crosby, Malkin, Kessel together on the ice, they're going to make you pay," Penguins defenseman Kris Letang said.

There was the time later in the first period, when the Flyers were dominating puck possession, the crowd on its feet, roaring. Until they weren't anymore.
A turnover by Philadelphia center Scott Laughton -- turnovers have crushed the Flyers in this series. A rush chance for Malkin and Kessel. A goal for Kessel at 14:37 of the first period, his first of the series.
The Flyers had the puck in the Penguins zone for 2:04 of the previous 2:27, the other 23 seconds spent retrieving it from their own zone.
Malkin and Kessel needed six seconds to score after getting the puck off the turnover.
"We [were] tired, but coach said to our line, 'Guys, you need to go on the ice and try to play in the offensive zone,'" Malkin said. "We jumped on the ice and here's our moment. I'm glad to play with Phil. We need [a] small chance to score, and I know Phil's going to score. He's got the best shot in the League, probably."

How about when Jake Guentzel won the puck on the half-wall, found Letang, who cut inside Flyers forward Jakub Voracek, walked in alone, and scored his first goal of the series with a wrist shot from the top of the right circle at 8:04 of the second period.
"Voracek was reading the play there, and by the fact that he was going forward on it, it kind of opened up the entire slot," Letang said.
Don't forget about the time four Flyers, including goalie Michal Neuvirth, lost sight of the puck behind the net. Crosby didn't. He scored at 10:56 of the second period.

That goal gave him 173 points in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, a new Penguins record, topping Mario Lemieux's 172. Crosby has nine points in this series.
"A fortunate bounce," Crosby said, "but we worked hard on the forecheck there, created a turnover, and we were able to put it in."
It's not just that the Penguins are scoring and dominating; it's who is doing the damage.
Crosby, Malkin, Kessel, Letang and Guentzel have combined for 28 points (10 goals, 18 assists), including the nine from Crosby, who has five goals, including a natural hat trick in Game 1, and four assists. He had six points (two goals, four assists) in Games 3 and 4.

Guentzel has seven points (one goal, six assists), building on his impressive run last postseason, when as a rookie he had 21 points (13 goals, eight assists) in 25 games.
Malkin is up to five points (three goals, two assists), including four in the past two games. Letang has four points (one goal, three assists), including three in the past two games. Kessel has three (one goal, two assists), all in the past two games.
"Usually if we need a momentum change or something of that nature, it's usually our leadership group that goes out there with a second-effort shift or a really good shift … or a big goal for example," Sullivan said. "That's what these guys have shown an ability to do."
In fairness to the Flyers, they played without arguably their most irreplaceable player, center Sean Couturier, who missed Game 4 because of a lower-body injury sustained in practice Tuesday.
But Couturier didn't make up for seven goals in Game 1 or five goals in Game 3. His presence might have helped the Flyers come out with a better start Wednesday, but the way the Penguins are going, the blowout likely would have happened anyway.
"I can't say any bad words tonight," Malkin said.
They haven't dispatched the Flyers yet, though. Game 5 is back in Pittsburgh on Friday (7 p.m. ET; NBCSN, CBC, TVAS, ATTSN-PT, NBCSP).
"You always look to match that urgency, that desperation to get that fourth one," Crosby said. "We understand that. We expect a tough game at home, so we have to be ready for that."
The Flyers likely will make it tougher than it's been on the Penguins in Game 5.
It might not matter.