Malkin, McCann power Penguins in win against Flyers

PITTSBURGH --Evgeni Malkin had a goal and an assist, and the Pittsburgh Penguins twice rallied from down one goal to defeat the Philadelphia Flyers 4-3 at PPG Paints Arena on Saturday.

"I thought [Malkin] had a good game," Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. "He's competing out there. He commanded the puck. He felt like a threat every time he went over the boards. … [Malkin] had an impact on the game on both sides of the puck, and that's what we've come to expect from him because he's such a generational talent."
Jared McCann scored the go-ahead goal at 10:41 of the third period and Tristan Jarry made 19 saves for the Penguins (13-9-1), who have won six of their past nine games. Pittsburgh defeated Philadelphia 5-2 on Tuesday and lost 4-3 on Thursday.

Travis Konecny had a goal and an assist, and Brian Elliott made 23 saves for the Flyers (12-6-3), who had won three in a row entering the three-game set.
"Tonight, we were right there. Two teams, same schedule," Philadelphia coach Alain Vigneault said. "A little sloppy play out there from both sides, so it's going to be a fine line one way or the other. ... They made us pay on a couple of our mistakes, and we were right there, but we made one mistake too many that cost us the game."
McCann put Pittsburgh ahead 4-3 with a wrist shot off a rebound from Brandon Tanev. He scored three points (two goals, one assist) in the three games against Philadelphia.
"Jared's a great player," said Tanev, who had two assists. "He's got a knack for the net. He's got great confidence right now. … Right now, he's playing the right way. He's playing a full 200-foot game."

Konecny gave the Flyers a 1-0 lead on a 2-on-0 at 6:08 of the first period after Scott Laughton intercepted a pass from Sam Lafferty. Konecny and Laughton traded passes in front of Jarry before Konecny dropped to a knee for a one-timer.
"I did think in a lot of areas that we played the right way," Konecny said. "There's no question for our work ethic on our team. I think we always push the pace. We're always trying to do the things that are asked of us. … Obviously, you want to win them all, but you can't win them all. The only way to get better is to lose a few games and make a couple mistakes, look at those and regroup."

Malkin tied it 1-1 with a power-play goal at 7:54 of the first. He froze Elliott at the right post with a deke before going behind the net for a backhand wraparound.
Bryan Rust put Pittsburgh ahead 2-1 on the man-advantage at 18:01. Sidney Crosby made a cross-ice pass to the right face-off circle for Jake Guentzel, who moved it to the left post for Rust.
"It's obviously a big win for us," Rust said. "We weren't too happy with how we played the other night. So to be able to come out here and put together a good effort was key for us."
Kevin Hayes tied it 2-2 at 1:20 of the second period with a shot past a screen from Nolan Patrick on a power play. Shayne Gostisbehere scored during a 4-on-4, giving Philadelphia a 3-2 lead at 12:04.
Zach Aston-Reese tied it 3-3 with a sharp-angle shot that snuck under Elliott's left pad at 18:10.
"I thought we gave a pretty good effort," Flyers forward Joel Farabee said. "I thought that third period could've went either way. We have some things to clean up. … We just have to move on from this one."
NOTES: Flyers forward Michael Raffl left after taking a shot off his hand early in the third period. Vigneault said he was waiting to hear more on Raffl's status. … Philadelphia defenseman Philippe Myers did not play because of an undisclosed injury. His status is uncertain for Sunday against the Washington Capitals. … Farabee did not have a shot on goal in his return from missing one game while in NHL COVID-19 protocol. … Penguins forward Colton Sceviour did not play and was added to the protocol list. … Pittsburgh defenseman Brian Dumoulin returned after missing 15 games with a lower-body injury. He had three hits in 23:46 of ice time.