Postgame RAV4: Flyers Take 3-0 Series lead

The Philadelphia Flyers defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins, 5-2, on Wednesday at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Game Three of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinal series. The Flyers are now ahead, three games to zero.

Pittsburgh scored the only goal in the first period. Evgeni Malkin (PPG, 2nd of the playoffs) gave the Penguins an early 1-0 lead.

The Flyers exploded for three unanswered goals in a feisty and chaotic second period. After Trevor Zegras (PPG, 1st) knotted the score, goals by defensemen Rasmus Ristolainen (1st) and Nick Seeler (1st) built a 3-1 edge for Philly.

In the third period, an Erik Karlsson power play goal  (1st) cut the lead to 3-2. Goals by Noah Cates (PPG, 1st) and Owen Tippett (ENG, 1st) sealed the win.

Dan Vladar turned away 28 of 30 shots to earn the win. Stuart Skinner made 25 saves on 29 shots.

FIRST PERIOD SYNOPSIS

At 1:41, the Penguins benefited from a quick whistle on an uncovered puck by the net. 

Sean Couturier was called for tripping at 3:19. Shots were 7-2 Penguins at this point. The Penguins took their first lead of the series as Malkin potted a cross-crease pass at 4:18. The assists went to Bryan Rust and Sidney Crosby.

The teams traded off odd-man rushes. Cam York broke one up defensively. At the other end, Travis Sanheim whiffed on a one-timer and Christian Dvorak hit the post. Porter Martone set up the initial play Martone. Shots were 9-6 Pens through 8:18.

Gradually, the Flyers started to generate more offensive zone possession time.

At 18:47 during a stoppage, Garnet Hathaway and Crosby both went off. Crosby got an embellishment penalty to offset a Hathaway high sticking minor. Forty-seven seconds of 4-on-4 time carried over into the second period.

Shots: Flyers 11 - Penguins 11
Faceoffs: Flyers 10 - Penguins 6 

SECOND PERIOD SYNOPSIS

At 1:39, Travis Konecny and Kris Letang went for offsetting unsportsmanlike conduct penalties. Play went back to 4-on-4. The Flyers got a 4-on-3 powerplay  at 2:40 on an Erik Karlsson tripping minor. At 3;40, Martone went to the net for a chance in close.

Skinner made a huge save on Trevor Zegras at 4:31. A giant scrum broke out at the whistle two seconds later.  There were numerous penalties with all 10 players on the ice getting penalties and the Flyers receiving a power play for an extra minor on Bryan Rust. At 5:18, Trevor Zegras blasted home a one-timer from the right dot to tie the game at 1-1. The assists went to Jamie Drysdale and Martone.

There was yet another scrum at 5:34. The lone penalty went to Nick Seeler (cross-checking). Sean Couturier cut through the middle for a scoring chance. He exchanged cross-checks with Kris Letang. No penalties were called.

Luke Glendening hit the most. Moments later, at 9:06, Ristolainen threaded a shot through the five-hole for a 2-1 lead. The assists went to Noah Juulsen and Couturier.

With traffic in front of the net, a Seeler point shot found the net over Skinner's glove for a 3-1 lead at 11:18. Glendening provided the screen. The assists went to Juulsen and Couturier.

Vladar made a save through traffic at 12:02. More pushing and shoving ensued with 7:33 remaining.

At 14:20,  Play went to 4-on-4: two for cross-checking on Malkin and two for embellishment on Michkov. Ristolainen broke up a scoring chance. 

Ristolainen's stick broke in blocking a shot. The Flyers survived.

Vladar gloved down a shot at 18:18. The Flyers had a 3-on-1 in the waning seconds. Skinner made a tough save on Couturier

Shots: Flyers 14 (25 overall)  - Penguins 8 (19 overall)
Faceoffs: Flyers 8 (18 overall) - Penguins 9 (15 overall)

THIRD PERIOD SYNOPSIS

Vladar's skate blade came off at 1:48. No harm resulted.

Ristolainen knocked Crosby to the ice at a stoppage at 3:27.

Seeler blocked a shot to kill a play. However, at 5:11, Foerster was called for tripping Ben Kindel. With 30 seconds left in the kill, Vladar's blocker came off and he came up holding his right hand. He stayed in the game.

More feistiness and stickwork ensued. At 8:12, Michkov took a roughing minor amid a scrum.With 33 seconds left, Karlsson's point shot trickled past Vladar.  The assists went to Rickard Rakell and Tommy Novak at 9:39.

At 11:12, Anthony took a delay of game penalty when he was not under any pressure. Cates had a breakaway off a Drysdale stretch pass. Skinner made the save. Parker Wotherspoon got away with a crosscheck to the head.

Zegras patiently held onto the puck. After the puck went to Cates at the goal line, the forward whirled around and put it under the glove at 12:30. The assists went to Zegras and Drysdale.

The Penguins went to the power play yet again at 13:28. Couturier was called for a hooking minor. Exiting the box, Couturier had a 2-on-1 rush with Tippett. Skinner made the save.

The Pens pulled Skinner for a 6-on-5 in the final three minutes. With a burst of speed, Tippett scored into an empty net at 18:48

Shots: Flyers 4 (29 overall)  - Penguins 11 (30 overall)
Faceoffs: Flyers 15 (33 overall) - Penguins 7 (22 overall)

FLYERS STARTING LINEUP

Tyson Foerster – Trevor Zegras – Owen Tippett
Travis Konecny – Christian Dvorak – Porter Martone
Denver Barkey– Noah Cates – Matvei Michkov 

Sean Couturier -- Luke Glendening – Garnet Hathaway

Travis Sanheim – Rasmus Ristolainen
Cam York – Jamie Drysdale
Nick Seeler – Noah Juulsen

Dan Vladar
[Samuel Ersson]

POSTGAME RAV4 (RAV4 Things Revisited)

1. Exits and Entries

The  Penguins came out quickly in the first period. They tweaked their entry strategy, trying more cross-corner dumps. They also shot pucks from a variety of angles and distances, working to get traffic in front. By mid-period, Philly started to settle things down and start to get a little more possession. By the second period, the Flyers started to dictate the play.

2. Discipline and Special Teams

The Flyers went 2-for-3 on the power play. They were 3-for-5 on the penalty kill.

The second period was feisty and nasty to say the least. That worked to the home team's benefit. The Penguins started to come unglued.

3. Marty McFlyer

Porter Martone collected his first career Stanley Cup playoff assist. Through two periods, he dished out five hits and had a pair of shots on goal.

4. Odd-man rushes

The Flyers had multiple odd-man rushes for the third straight game. Finishes remained elusive.