Philadelphia 8 – Pittsburgh 5: Flyers take commanding 2-0 series lead putting on offensive display

Claude Giroux and Sean Couturier each scored three goals and Jaromir Jagr netted the game winning goal as the Philadelphia Flyers defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 8-5 in Game 2 on Friday night in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinal to take a commanding 2-0 series lead.

Looking to play a track meet, the Penguins once again had no answers for the Flyers defensively in the 8-5 defeat and couldn’t hold a lead.

Couturier who came into the series with resonsibility of shutting down Evgeni Malkin, had a breakout game offensively with 3 goals and an assist but the star of the night was Claude Giroux with 3 goals and 3 assists in the victory.

The Penguins got off to a quick start as Sidney Crosby scored 15 seconds into the game and Chris Kunitz added a power play at 9:27 of the first period, giving Pittsburgh a 2-0 lead.

The Penguins on the power play just over three minutes later gave up a shorthanded goal at 12:44 of the period when Claude Giroux broke in on a breakaway and Max Talbot scored on the rebound to cut Pittsburgh’s lead to 2-1.

The Penguins though would go into the first intermission up 3-1 when the Penguins struck again late in the period with 18 seconds remaining when Paul Martin scored on the rush taking a drop pass from Sidney Crosby and beating Bryzgalov from the high slot with a low blocker shot for his first of the playoffs.

From there it was a back and forth wild wide open game where the Flyers scored a power play and shorthanded goal to tie the game at 3-3 mid-way through the second period and the teams traded goals as Pittsburgh took a 4-3 lead on a Chris Kunitz goal six seconds after Giroux scored at 11:04 of the second period.

Philadelphia would tie the game at 4-4 when Sean Couturier scored with three seconds remaining in the second period when no Penguin picked him up in front. It was a goal that could have deflated Pittsburgh but Tyler Kennedy scored a 1:04 into the third period giving Pittsburgh the lead back, taking a 5-4 lead. Pittsburgh’s lead would be short lived.

The Flyers would answer four more times before it was all said and done, and Sean Couturier got Philadelphia rolling in the third period, scoring a breakaway goal off a Ben Lovejoy turnover 17 seconds after Kennedy put the Penguins up 5-4.

The Flyers took over the game from there and Jaromir Jagr netted the game winner at 9:13 of the third period, beating Lovejoy in the corner for a puck battle then beating Lovejoy in front for the goal.

The Penguins were deflated at that point as Philadelphia locked down defensive, and Sean Couturier and Claude Giroux would add goals to close out the game.

Game 3 is Sunday afternoon.

SCORING SUMMARY

1st Period

PIT – 0:15 Sidney Crosby (2)

Assists: Sullivan, Dupuis (PIT 1-0)

PIT – 9:27 Chris Kunitz (1, PP)

Assists: Neal, Malkin (PIT 2-0)

PHI – 12:44 Maxime Talbot (1, SH)

Assist: Giroux (PIT 2-1)

PIT – 19:42 Paul Martin (1)

Assists: Crosby, Dupuis (PIT 3-1)

2nd Period

PHI – 5:11 Claude Giroux (1, PP)

Assists: Voracek, Timonen (PIT 3-2)

PHI – 11:04 Claude Giroux (2, SH)

Assist: Talbot (3-3)

PIT – 11:10 Chris Kunitz (2, PP)

Assists: Neal, Malkin (PIT 4-3)

PHI – 19:57 Sean Couturier (1)

Assists: Coburn, Grossmann (4-4)

3rd Period

PIT – 1:04 Tyler Kennedy (2)

Assists: Cooke, Staal (PIT 5-4)

PHI – 1:21 Sean Couturier (2)

Unassisted (5-5)

PHI – 9:13 Jaromir Jagr (1)

Assists: Kubina, Giroux (PHI 6-5)

PHI – 18:11 Sean Couturier (3)

Assists: Giroux, Voracek (PHI 7-5)

PHI – 19:53 Claude Giroux (3, EN)

Assist: Couturier