Flyers defeat Penguins in first NHL regular-season game since March

PHILADELPHIA --Joel Farabee had a goal and three assists, and the Philadelphia Flyers defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 6-3 in the NHL season opener at Wells Fargo Center on Wednesday.

Nolan Patrick scored his first goal in 22 months, and Michael Raffl, Oskar Lindblom and Kevin Hayes scored in a three-goal third period for Philadelphia. Carter Hart made 31 saves.
"I feel a lot more comfortable this year," said Farabee, a forward in his second NHL season. "I think we had some great additions to our team this year. I feel like we have four really good lines, all our defensemen] are really strong. I think as a team we're just feeling really good. I just happened to get a little lucky tonight with some bounces."
***[WATCH: [All Penguins vs. Flyers highlights]*
Mark Jankowski and Brandon Tanev each had a goal and an assist, and Sidney Crosby scored for Pittsburgh. Tristan Jarry made 19 saves.
"I thought there was a lot to like about our game tonight," Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. "We had periods where we carried the play. The types of breakdowns that we had resulted in some high-quality scoring chances. We've got to do a better job of minimizing those catastrophic-type scenarios."

It was the first NHL regular-season game in 308 days. Last season was paused March 12 due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus.
Patrick last played April 2, 2019; the center missed last season because of a migraine disorder. The goal was the first since March 9, 2019, for the No. 2 pick in the 2017 NHL Draft.
"It's been pretty fun watching 'Patty,'" Philadelphia forward Travis Konecny said. "He's in a really, really good spot right now. It's just good to see him having fun again. ... He's working hard and he deserves to get rewarded there."
Lindblom scored his first point since scoring a goal Nov. 30, 2019, and led the Flyers with three blocked shots. The forward was diagnosed with Ewing's sarcoma, a form of bone cancer, on Dec. 11, 2019, and didn't play again until returning in September to play Games 6 of 7 of the Eastern Conference Second Round against the New York Islanders.
"Just to have those guys in the room, their personalities, what they bring to our team, it definitely got our team up for this game," Hayes said of Lindblom and Patrick. "[Oskar] battled through a lot last year, everyone knows his story. He worked really hard to get into shape. Those two guys are elite players in this league, and tonight they showed it."
Tanev tied it 3-3 at 3:01 of the third, but Raffl scored from the slot at 5:37 to put the Flyers ahead 4-3.

Lindblom made it 5-3 at 12:14, and Hayes' goal on the rebound of a Farabee shot made it 6-3 at 12:34.
"I think it's just how the puck goes and the bounces," Tanev said. "They weren't going our way. I thought we played a great game. I thought we had a lot of great chances. We had some momentum at times. I think there was a couple breakdowns in our game, but I think as the group grows and we get better day by day, we try to eliminate those things from our game."
Jankowski gave the Penguins a 1-0 lead at 5:12 of the first period. A video review showed the puck crossed the goal line.
James van Riemsdyk tied it 1-1 for the Flyers with a power-play goal when he redirected a shot by Erik Gustafsson.
Patrick put Philadelphia ahead 2-1 with a power-play goal at 19:52 of the first with a deflection of Gustafsson's point shot.
Crosby tied it 2-2 with a power-play goal at 3:39 of the second after knocking down Hart's clearing attempt.
Farabee gave Philadelphia a 3-2 lead with 1:06 remaining in the second.
The teams play at Wells Fargo Center on Friday.
NOTES: Crosby's goal was his 44th in 71 games against the Flyers. ... Jankowski was making his Penguins debut. The forward agreed to a one-year, $700,000 contract Oct. 9. … Gustafsson had two assists in his first game with Philadelphia. The defenseman signed a one-year, $3 million contract Oct. 12. … Hayes had an assist on Farabee's goal, giving him two points.