Penguins at Flyers
THE STORY: In a series which has seen the offense take center stage, Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury proved to be the star of the show on Friday. Fleury turned aside all 14 shots he faced in the third period as the Penguins trimmed their deficit to 3-2 in their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series with a 3-2 triumph over the Philadelphia Flyers. The Keystone State representatives will reconvene in the City of Brotherly Love on Sunday for Game 6.
TV: Noon, TSN, NBC
ABOUT THE PENGUINS: Jordan Staal netted his sixth goal in three contests and Tyler Kennedy recorded the eventual game-winner midway through the second period during Friday's Game 5. Kennedy has scored in all three contests in the Steel City, but has yet to tally in Philadelphia. Sidney Crosby had a particularly difficult Game 5 as the captain was held off the scoresheet and was on the receiving end of some brutal hits - including an unintentional one by teammate Evgeni Malkin. The Penguins are looking to do what only three teams in NHL history have accomplished - win a series after trailing 3-0.
ABOUT THE FLYERS: With 11 goals on 19 opportunities in the series, Philadelphia's potent power play has been as good as advertised. Defenseman Matt Carle and Scott Hartnell continued the trend by scoring with the man advantage during the first period on Friday. The Flyers kept the pressure on during the third, but they couldn't solve Fleury despite registering eight shots on one power play. When the sides are level, Peter Laviolette's club hasn't mustered an even-strength goal in 139 minutes, 3 seconds.
OVERTIME:
1. Philadelphia's James van Riemsdyk returned after a 23-game absence with a broken foot. He logged 7:31 of ice time, registered one hit and didn't have a shot on goal in Game 5.
2. After yielding five goals on 18 shots to earn an early exit in Game 4, Ilya Bryzgalov turned in a solid performance on Friday. The Russian allowed three goals on 20 shots.
3. Only the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs, 1975 New York Islanders and 2010 Flyers have overcome a 3-0 deficit.