Late goal lifts Flyers past Pens
PITTSBURGH – The Pittsburgh Penguins had a strong start, but lost to the Philadelphia Flyers on a weak goal at the end Wednesday night.
Jakub Voracek completed a hat trick with a fluke goal at 18:29 of the third period, and the Flyers held on for a 6-5 victory at the Consol Energy Center.
The Flyers, who had been 3-8 on the road this season, rallied from an early 2-0 deficit to drop the Penguins to 3-4 on home ice.
“This game was huge,” Flyers forward Wayne Simmonds said.
The 18,650 ticket buyers may not have gotten the outcome they wanted, but it’s doubtful they’ll see a wilder game. Structure went out the window in the third period, with both teams getting 5-on-3 power play time and an abundance of goals. The sloppy play bore a scary resemblance to the way the Penguins played while losing the playoff series against the Flyers in April.
Voracek got the game-winner by throwing the puck toward the net from below the goal line. Vokoun was moving laterally, and the puck deflected in off him.
“There were a couple of weird goals on both sides,” Penguins defenseman Brooks Orpik said.
The Flyers went into the third period with a 3-2 lead and appeared to take control when Voracek scored 18 seconds after the start of the period. Ex-Penguin Ruslan Fedetenko made the play by forcing Vokoun into a turnover behind the net.
But the Penguins sliced the two-goal lead in half at 5:28 when Tyler Kennedy put in Paul Martin’s rebound to snap a stretch of 14 games without a goal.
The Flyers went ahead 5-3 just over two minutes later. Wayne Simmonds put a shot in off Penguins defenseman Matt Niskanen’s stick.
After the Penguins killed a double minor to Tanner Glass for slashing, they got a four-minute power play when Deryk Engelland was cut by Mike Knuble’s high stick. That became a two-man advantage after Fedetenko was called for high sticking James Neal.
The Penguins cashed in at 12:46 when Neal one-timed Evgeni Malkin’s pass over goalie Ilya Bryzgalov’s right shoulder. The Penguins thought they’d tied the game at 14:21, but replay showed that Chris Kunitz kicked the puck in.
They did legitimately tie the score at 17:57 as Brandon Sutter skated out from behind the net and scored on a wraparound.
Much like last year’s playoffs, the Penguins succumbed to temptation offered by the Flyers and wound up taking retaliation penalties. When the teams meet again, Penguins coach Dan Bylsma will emphasize the value of skating away from trouble.
“It got energy going their way,” Bylsma said. “Clearly we knew that going into that game. We got too involved in the emotions of the game.”
The chaotic first period was wildly entertaining, although it will probably give both coaching staffs nightmares.
The Penguins jumped out to a 2-0 lead while holding a 7-2 advantage in shots.
Niskanen scored the first goal at 5:07, firing a 50-foot slap shot past a screened Bryzgalov, which prompted Flyers coach Peter Laviolette to use his time out.
“We were sleeping a little bit,” Laviolette said. “We needed to wake up.”
It didn’t happen instantly. Harry Zolnierczyk took a boarding penalty, foolishly ramming Robert Bortuzzo in full view of the officials. The Penguins converted the power play at 7:15. Martin put a long shot off the back boards, and Evgeni Malkin ended a five-game goal drought by grabbing the puck and putting it in off Bryzgalov’s left leg.
The Flyers scored their first goal off a crazy scramble in front of the net that had four Penguins players sprawling in the crease. The play was not whistled dead even though at one point Kris Letang was lying on the puck. Referee Brad Watson hung on the cage, let the play continue, and Niklas Grossman put the puck in the net.
“That got them right back in the game after a strong start from us,” Bylsma said.
Exactly one minute later, Simmonds tied the score with a shot off Orpik’s stick.
Voracek got his first goal at 19:50 of the second period on a power play. With 9.9 seconds left on the clock, Voracek put in Simmonds’ rebound for the 3-2 lead.
“It was entertaining game, that’s for sure,” Orpik said. “It was entertaining to the fans, but I don’t think it was conducive to winning. It was fun to watch, but in the long run it’s not the way to play.”
Notes
The Flyers hadn’t had a hat trick in Pittsburgh since Dec. 13, 1980 when Bobby Clarke scored three in a 6-5 Philadelphia win. … The Penguins were 2-for-7 on the power play, and have scored on the power play in nine straight games. … The Flyers are 8-2 at Consol Energy Center. … Malkin has points in 11 consecutive games against the Flyers. … The Penguins’ Sidney Crosby, Pascal Dupuis and Kunitz were all minus-3. … Martin had three assists. … Crosby had another big game on faceoffs, going 21-7. … The Penguins continue the homestand Friday against Florida at 7.