Flyers extend Penguins' slump with blowout
PITTSBURGH -- Center Jordan Weal and defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere each had a goal and an assist for the Philadelphia Flyers, who kept their lean playoff hopes alive with a 6-2 rout of the rival Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena on Sunday.
The victory pushed the Flyers (35-32-8, 78 points) ahead of the Florida Panthers (77 points) in the Eastern Conference standings and pulled Philadelphia within six points of the Boston Bruins (84 points) for the final Eastern Conference wild card. Pittsburgh lost its third consecutive game, although the previous two were in shootouts.
Valtteri Filppula, Jakub Voracek, Radko Gudas and Dale Weise also scored for the Flyers, while Matt Cullen and Patric Hornqvist scored for the Penguins.
Flyers goaltender Steve Mason made 25 saves while Matt Murray stopped 27 in the Penguins net.
The Penguins (46-18-11) opened the scoring with a power-play goal at 4:31 of the first period. From the right circle, Cullen jabbed a loose puck on net. Mason made a save but allowed a rebound to trickle behind him. Following up on the play, Cullen tapped the loose puck into the open net.
The Flyers tied the score at 1 with 54 seconds remaining in the first period when Weal raced up the left wing and lifted a wrister past Murray's glove hand on the far side.
Philadelphia took its first lead at 7:11 of the second period. Digging a puck out of a frantic scramble in the slot, Filppula swept a forehand shot under a scrambling Murray. The Penguins issued a coach's challenge contending Filppula had interfered with Murray, but the score was not overturned.
The Flyers made it a 3-1 contest 1:11 into the third. Settling a puck in the left circle, Flyers center Travis Konecny fed a pass to Weise above the crease. After Weise one-touched it on net, Murray made the initial save but allowed a rebound. Fending off Penguins defenseman Justin Schultz, Weise swept the loose puck into the vacant cage.
Voracek added an insurance goal at 8:41 of the third. After center Claude Giroux fired a wrister from the right circle, Murray kicked a rebound to the left circle where Voracek lifted it over his blocker on the near side.
The Penguins pulled within two at the 13:56 mark. Taking a stretch pass from defenseman David Warsofsky, Hornqvist hustled past Flyers right winger Wayne Simmonds and lifted a wrister from the right circle past Mason's glove hand on the far side.
An empty-net goal by Gudas at the 17:31 mark secured the victory. Gostisbehere tacked on a goal with a one-timer at 18:58.
The Penguins, already playing without several regulars, including defenseman Kris Letang and center Evgeni Malkin, saw another key player leave the lineup in left winger Conor Sheary. Sheary did not record a shift after the 10:46 mark of the first period after being struck with a puck. He entered Sunday's contest fourth on the Penguins with 50 points (21 goals, 29 assists) in 54 games. There was no immediate word on his status.
NOTES: On Sunday, Penguins C Sidney Crosby responded to criticism from Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk for the first time since Melnyk described Crosby as a "whiner beyond belief" in a radio interview with TSN 1200 Friday. Crosby said, "I'm just going to leave it. He likes to hear himself talk, so let's leave it." Melnyk was upset over an unpenalized slash by Crosby that injured a finger on the left hand of Senators D Marc Methot on Thursday. ... Penguins D David Warsofsky played his first game since Jan 16. He was recalled from AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Saturday. ... Penguins LW Scott Wilson returned to the lineup after being sidelined one game due to an undisclosed injury. ... The Penguins scratched RW Josh Archibald, C Jake Guentzel, LW Carl Hagelin, D Ron Hainsey, C Evgeni Malkin, D Chad Ruhwedel and LW Tom Sestito. ... Flyers C Jordan Weal recorded his second two-point game of the season. The previous came on the road against the Buffalo Sabres March 7. ... Flyers D Michael Del Zotto returned to the lineup after being a healthy scratch for two games. ... The Flyers scratched C Nick Cousins, LW Roman Lyubimov and D Nick Schultz.