Postgame 5: Spreading the Wealth

TURNING POINT
The Penguins led, 1-0 then trailed by scores of 2-1, 3-2, and 4-3. Finally, great hustle by Scott Laughton to create a chance off the rush for Nicolas Aube-Kubel, retrieve the puck after the play was neutralized and feed Raff for a scoring chance and a go-ahead goal put Philly back on top again to stay.

MELTZER'S TAKE
1) The Penguins had the shot on goal (13-10 overall), shot attempt, scoring chance (6-3) and high-danger (2-1) edge at 5-on-5 in the 1st period -- mostly from the stretch of the Jankowski goal and the shifts that followed til TV timeout. But the Flyers' power play was the big difference, as the Flyers struck twice.
2) Play was even in the early minutes of the first period before Pittsburgh's Jankowski gave them a 1-0 lead at 5:13. The Penguins won a battle behind the net and Jared McCann's pass across the ice out in front eluded the defense and went right to Jankowski in point blank range on the low right slot. Pittsburgh generated momentum from the goal for about the next six minutes, although the Flyers killed off the game's first penalty. The great equalizer for the Flyers as the period progressed was the power play. At 15:11, Gustafsson's point shot was tipped home in front by JVR. At 19:52, Gustafsson's point shot into a layered screen was tipped in the high slot by Patrick. Joel Farabee assisted on both goals.

3) The Flyers' penalty kill on two Pittsburgh 5-on-4s was one of the strongest elements of the period for Philadelphia but, nonetheless, Pittsburgh's Crosby got a goal late in the man advantage. Hart played the puck behind the net and tried to pass it out front but Crosby swatted it down on his backhand and put the puck in the wide-open net.
4) Philly had trouble generating shots in the second period -- they were stuck on two until the latter portion of the period -- but one was a Kevin Hayes breakaway where Jarry robbed him with the pad. Early in the period, Travis Konecny passed up a shot opportunity on a developing scoring chance, trying to pass to Oskar Lindblom for a potential tap-in but the play missed connections. Finally, late in the frame, Hayes won a battle for the puck and passed to Farabee. Moving to his left just in front of the goal line, Farabee found room low to the far side on the deep-in-his-crease Jarry to restore a Flyers lead at 18:54. Second period shots were 9-6 in the Pens' favor. Through two periods, the Flyers had a 44.1% team Corsi and were outchanced 10-8 (but held a 4-3 high danger edge).

5) The Flyers failed to make Pittsburgh pay for a too-many-men penalty early in the third period, After a Flyers turnover in the neutral zone by Gustafsson, Tanev took a cross-ice pass from Jankowski and beat Hart high to the glove side from the left circle just above the dot. But then Raffl got the goal back to put the Flyers ahead yet again, and it seemed to take some of the wind out of Pittsburgh's salis.
The Flyers then broke the game open with closely spaced goals at 12:14 and 12:34. On the first, Couturier lugged the puck up the ice, Lindblom dug at a loose puck in the crease and Konecny chipped it home for a 5-3 lead. On the latter, Farabee collected his fourth point. Taking a pass from Giroux,he fired on net from the right wing and Hayes potted the rebound.