On the eve of game six, Scott Hartnell preached that his team needed to “get hurt” by means of desperately blocking shots.
The message was heard loud and clear as the Flyers blocked 40 shots en route to the series clinching win.
Claude Giroux scored 32 seconds into the game, Marc-Andre Fleury allowed 4 goals on 23 shots, and the Flyers eliminated the Penguins 5-1 for the first time since 2000.
Giroux, seen slamming his stick against the goalpost after a game five loss, leveled Sidney Crosby off the opening face-off, and scored 32 seconds into the game to set the tone.
While on the power play, Giroux added an assist off a one time shot that was originally stopped in front until Scott Hartnell dove to push the puck through the five-hole of Marc-Andre Fleury.
The Penguins controlled the puck for the majority of the game but failed to get quality chances on the usually unstable, Ilya Bryzgalov. At the same time, any momentum the Penguins were trying to build was instantly taken away by a Flyers’ goal.
Marc-Andre Fleury was unable to replicate his dynamite performance in game five, highlighted by the last two goals he surrendered in game six.
Erik Gustafsson, playing in place of Nicklas Grossman, scored on a wrist shot 5:25 into the second period. Gustafsson’s innocent looking wrist shot from 60 feet away handcuffed Fleury and squibbed through his shirt.
After a tirade form Dan Bylsma during a TV timeout, the Penguins got to work and drew a power play. A Sidney Crosby turnover almost led to a Sean Couturier shorthanded breakaway goal but Fleury was able to make the stop which directly led to a Evgeni Malkin goal to cut the Philadelphia lead to 3-1.
The momentum would be short-lived, however, as Danny Briere scored 36 seconds later. The referees originally ruled no-goal as Briere was jabbing at the puck in the crease, however, video replay showed the puck clearly crossed the goal and the call was overturned.
From there, the Flyers went into a defensive shell. The Penguins outshot the Flyers 12-3 in the final period but were unable to generate any goals. James Neal scored with under four minutes remaining in the game, but the referees deemed he shoved Bryzgalov, and the puck, into the net.
Brayden Schenn added an empty net goal to seal the deal as the Flyers punched their ticket to the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
It was a series in which nothing appeared to be normal. The Flyers had three shorthanded goals and scored a record setting 12 power play goals in 23 chances. The Penguins responded to an 0-3 series hole to score 10 goals in game four for the second time in franchise history.
The Penguins made the series interesting with back to back wins in games four and five, giving belief they could become the fourth team in NHL history to come back from an 0-3 series deficit.
In the end, the Flyers were able to stave off a desperate comeback and clinch the series at home in game six. Now, the Flyers will get plenty of rest as they wait for the rest of the Eastern Conference series to finish. Meanwhile, the Penguins will rest, go back to the drawing board in September, and prepare for a Stanley Cup run in the 2012-2013 season.
- The Flyers are 4-2 against the Penguins in playoff history.
- Claude Giroux leads all players with 14 points in the playoffs.
- Marc-Andre Fleury finished with a league worst .834 save percentage in six playoff games.
Three Stars
- Claude Giroux
- Erik Gustafsson
- Ilya Bryzgalov
Photo courtesy of Yahoo! sports
Discussion about this post