The Philadelphia Flyers (14-8-3) dropped an important Metropolitan Division matchup on, falling to the Pittsburgh Penguins (13-7-5) in a game heavily dictated by special teams, 5-1.
Philadelphia went just 1-for-7 on the power play, while Pittsburgh, entering the night with the league’s second-best unit, converted 3 of their 4 opportunities, which ultimately proved to be the difference.
First Period
Bobby Brink came out flying, generating a pair of early scoring chances, but neither found the back of the net. The Flyers earned the first power play of the game when Blake Lizotte was called for slashing Garnet Hathaway at 6:59, but the power play did not convert.
Sidney Crosby opened the scoring with his 58th career goal against the Flyers, assisted by Bryan Rust and Anthony Mantha.
Despite the goal, the period remained evenly played. Both teams registered eight shots, with Brink contributing three of Philadelphia’s shots. The Flyers held a slight edge in the faceoff circle, winning nine draws and Rodrigo Ābols going 4-for-4, while the Penguins won eight. Hathaway also had an immediate physical presence with five hits in the opening 20 minutes.
Second Period
The Flyers quickly found themselves with a 5-on-3 early in the period. Erik Karlsson was sent to the box for tripping Travis Konecny at 3:40, and Connor Clifton joined him just 43 seconds later for interference on Matvei Michkov.
Philadelphia finally broke through when Tyson Foerster ripped home a power-play goal, his 10th of the season, off feeds from Konecny and Trevor Zegras.
Another delayed penalty against Pittsburgh followed, sending Kris Letang to the box for high-sticking. But the momentum was short-lived. On the same sequence, Foerster fired a one-timer that immediately sent him down the tunnel, clearly favoring his right arm/shoulder, the same side he had surgery on this summer. He did not return, marking a significant and unfortunate blow to the lineup.
The Penguins responded quickly. With Ābols serving a holding penalty, Crosby struck again on the power play, tying the game with assists from Rust and Karlsson.
At 15:20, Sean Couturier was called for holding, and Rust capitalized with Pittsburgh’s third goal, another power-play marker, assisted by Evgeni Malkin and Karlsson.
The period ended with penalties to Crosby (tripping) and Emil Andrae (interference), but neither side found the net during the 4-on-4 sequence. The Penguins had 30 seconds left on their power play heading into the 3rd.
Third Period
Pittsburgh thought they extended their lead early, but a goal at 1:45 was overturned due to Malkin’s interference with Dan Vladař.
Philadelphia earned their sixth power play of the night when Ville Koivunen interfered with Brink, but the Flyers spent a good chunk of the advantage just trying to get set up, managing nothing from the opportunity.
At 12:03, Michkov was called for slashing, and the Penguins made the Flyers pay yet again. Tommy Novak buried Pittsburgh’s third power play goal of the night, assisted by Letang and Malkin.
Former Flyer Kevin Hayes added the dagger late in regulation, netting his second goal of the season off a feed from Parker Wotherspoon.
Overall
The loss of Tyson Foerster is horrible, not just in the game’s momentum, but potentially for the Flyers moving forward if his injury proves serious.
Crosby continued his near-automatic production against Philadelphia, and Malkin remained just as dangerous. Malkin now sits at 97 career points against both the Islanders and Flyers.
The Penguins now hold the best power play in the NHL, converting 33.3% of the time and passing the Dallas Stars for the top spot.
Turnovers also plagued the Flyers, who recorded 27 total giveaways (20 giveaways, 7 takeaways), repeatedly feeding Pittsburgh’s transition game.
Up Next
The Flyers host the Buffalo Sabres at Xfinity Mobile Arena this Wednesday, December 3. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30pm ET.
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