Penguins/Flyers Recap: The power play, goaltending formula back for Pens in huge 5-1 win

Pregame

Rutger McGroarty becomes the 10th different rookie to suit up for the Penguins this season. Boko Imama also makes his NHL season debut. On the backend, Connor Clifton replaces Matt Dumba. Tristan Jarry is in the net.

First period

Jarry has to be good from the outset, which he is and turns away a few nice Philadelphia chances.

Garnet Hathaway hits Blake Lizotte late and high (par for the course for Hathaway), Lizotte takes out his frustrations by using his stick to hit Hathaway in the no-no zone. That’s a no-no, Lizotte to the penalty box. The Pens kill it off.

Soon after, Dan Vladar — who has been so good this season — spits out an absolutely terrible rebound right in front of Sidney Crosby. Ohh, he’s not going to get away with that. 1-0.

Shots, fittingly are 8-7, Crosby with the only goal of the period in the place where he always carves it up.

Second period

The Pens take three penalties within two minutes early in the period, leading to several extended 5v3 chances for the Flyers. Nothing the refs can do when Kris Letang accidentally high sticks and opponent. Philadelphia is able to ring up their first goal as a result.

After that flurry of penalty against the Pens and in a game where the power plays were 4-0 PHI, whaddya know, the refs quickly find something to call against Philadelphia. It doesn’t take long for the bad man to make the scumbags sad. 2-1.

Sean Couturier takes an offensive zone penalty and the lethal Pittsburgh power play strikes quickly again. This time it’s Bryan Rust, no one is even in front of the net but the shot placement is perfect inside the post and in. 3-1 lead for the Pens.

Special teams was the difference in that period. The Flyers’ highly ranked penalty kill was no match for the Pens in the middle frame.

Third period

Great start to the period for the Pens. Crosby nearly scores from in front, then Connor Dewar gets a good chance. The pressure builds and Anthony Mantha throws a puck on net that glances off Evgeni Malkin’s leg and goes in. The Flyers challenge for goalie interference. Malkin is in the blue paint, there’s the most minimal of physical interaction (not the least of Vladar pushing with his glove hand to move Malkin) and no one knows what goalie interference will or won’t be upheld, no why not. They end up winning the challenge, goal is reversed to keep the score from getting blown open.

The Flyers get a power play soon after and their last best chance to climb back into the games comes and goes without any action. The game ambles along, eventually the Pens get a late power play and they tack on another goal. Kris Letang finds Tommy Novak in the middle, the Philadelphia defender might have helped to deflect the puck and have it flutter into the net. 4-1 for real this time.

It’s always fun to pour it on in Philadelphia, Parker Wotherspoon makes a perfect stretch pass to send Kevin Hayes on a breakaway. Big Kev goes backhand on Vladar for his first goal of the season. 5-1 game.

Hathaway drives the net but shrinks away from Imama. Rick Tocchet wisely pulls Hathaway off the ice to avoid the two clashing at the next faceoff. Mantha cross-checks a dude in the face for no real reason but otherwise the game ends without too many more fireworks.

Some thoughts

• Shame the Pens couldn’t survive the extended 3v5 time, they nearly did. Blake Lizotte did some yeoman’s work there, and it’s even more impressive when realizing it was all defensemen going to the box which meant even Ryan Graves had to be leaned on in that situation.

• That sequence was a huge different, the Flyers went 1/4 up a player. By the end of the period, the Pens were 2/2, needing all of 50 seconds to score those two goals.

• Anyone else notice that our previewed player Bobby Brink was everywhere early? 4 shots on goal, a couple of them in the early going were nice looks too, just something about playing the Pens that gets his motor going.

• Kindel was equally as “right on the edge” of breaking through too. One shot in the first trickled through Vladar and a Flyer defenseman had to clear it before it went into the net. Another time in the second, a near miss from a Rutger McGroarty pass in the second.

• We’ll achieve world peace, solve the hunger crisis and so much more before the NHL referees will ever get reliably working microphones to announce penalties.

• Tyson Foerster somehow managed to injure himself taking a one-time slapshot on a powerplay, he would not return. Don’t see that one every day.

• It’s not surprising that the refs would call interference any time there’s a modicum of contact from a skater in the crease, but there wasn’t much there and it looked like Vladar could have established his position/angle better if he wanted (with that not even mattering since the puck changed directions from in front). In general I don’t like when goals are taken away for very minute details, this would fall in that category.

• Koivunen got a shot on goal in the third to prevent his shot-less streak from growing to five games and took a third period offensive zone penalty in the third. Not the best turn of events there. Did like the chemistry at times from Kindel and McGroarty together, especially considering today at the morning skate was the first time they shared the same sheet of ice.

• Power play and goaltending has been the formula for a lot of the Pens’ success this season. Tonight was a perfect example. Flyers had 2.74 of expected goals per Moneypuck, only scored once on Tristan Jarry. Pittsburgh power play racked up three goals with it, making it look stylish in the process with pretty passing plays and perfectly placed shots. Classic script for a 2025-26 Pittsburgh victory to have those elements coming through. Impressive since the Flyers had a good penalty kill and Vladar has been off to a solid start this year. Wouldn’t know that from tonight.

• The Flyers are taking a $3.5 million cap penalty on Hayes this season and he scored his only goal of the season against them. Always love those little poetic moments.

The road trip continues with the next game coming up in Tampa on Thursday. Maybe they could try to boo Crosby and see how it works out for them..