BOX SCORE
When you hear of the Pittsburgh Penguins, you think of a team with other-worldly offensive skill.
Crosby, Malkin, Staal.
Defensive play doesnt enter the mind.
Sunday at Wells Fargo Center, the hottest team in the NHL -- which seems poised to overtake the Rangers -- threw out a brilliant defensive performance against a Flyers team that was second only to these same Penguins in goal scoring.
Pittsburghs forwards were simply tenacious on the back check, stifling every rush the Flyers mounted, holding them to two shots in the second period.
Yet the Flyers have shown resiliency this season as a team that is never, ever out of a game, even if they're being badly outplayed through most of it.
NHL
Just like Saturday in Boston, the Flyers mounted a third period comeback after trailing by two goals to draw even, before snapping the Pens 11-game win streak with a 3-2 overtime victory.
Kimmo Timonens power play goal 31 seconds into the third period was the first sign of life for the Flyers after they completely disappeared in the second period, and made it a 2-1 game.
A few minutes later, Scott Hartnell beat Marc-Andre Fleury from a tough angle along the goal line to tie it with his 34th goal. To that point, the Flyers were being outshot, 31-14.
Start to finish, there were scrums the entire waya typical Pens-Flyers game. In the final five minutes of regulation, Hartnell got into it with James Neal, Kris Letang and Chris Kunitz with all sides evening out on the penalties before heading to OT.
Similar to the Bruins contest, it was a dramatic finish with 3-on-3 in OT because of penalties. Scott Hartnell won it with .09 left on a great setup by Danny Briere, one of several he put together in OT.
Everyone knows by now how the Flyers are no-shows when it comes to early riser games with a 3-8-2 record.
Not this one.
Peter Laviolettes club had its games faces on and perhaps it had something to do with missing both Max Talbot (right shoulder) and Andreas Lilja (throat injury), but the Flyers were very much into the game from the drop of the puck.
For the first 15 minutes, the shots were even though the Pens had the better scoring chances. Then in the last five minutes, Pittsburgh got two power plays and doubled-up on the shots, leading 17-8 at intermission.
Suffice to say, Bryzgalov had a strong period and had to, given the way Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby were moving the puck around, especially when liked together on the power play.
Pittsburghs lone score was off a double deflectionthe first time Bryz has been beaten on a deflection in probably a month.
Kris Letangs point drive at 13:21 was off net but Craig Adams chopped down on it, then the puck redirected off Brandon Mannings skate, changing directions as it literally trickled into the net.
Letang had a brilliant period, nullifying two Flyer shorthanded chances with defensive plays on Matt Read and Sean Couturier.
Letangs influence in this game cant be understated. He knocked Jaromir Jagr out of the play in the second period with a hip check, then goaded Zac Rinaldo and Hartnell into a confrontation.
Letang shoved Hartnell and his stick came up and clipped Rinaldo, cutting him and temporarily knocking him out of the game while all three got penalties on the play.
Wait, theres more. Pittsburgh simply dominated the Flyers that middle period, holding them to without a shot until the final 4:47 when Claude Giroux offered a meek one across the slot.
In the final 53 second, Letang set up Malkin, who eluded Giroux in the crease, then reached around and somehow managed to slip the puck under Bryzgalov's left pad, making it 2-0 at intermission.
The Flyers went 18:09 seconds without a shotgoing back 2:54 left in the first period on Matt Carles shot.
Fleury simply had nothing to do that period but watch his team dominate the Flyers. It was 27-9 in shot totals at one point.
The Flyers had two power plays through 40 minutes but were stymied there against the NHL's No. 1 penalty killers, so it was complete defensive domination by one of the best offensive teams in the league.
(more coming...)
E-mail Tim Panaccio at tpanotch@comcast.net