Flyers pounce on Penguins early Sunday, take series with 5-1 Game 6 win

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Going into Game 6, there were plenty of issues but one of the biggest was Sidney Crosby’s health. He took a somewhat reckless hit from Evgeni Malkin on Friday. Both Crosby and Malkin were held pointless in that contest, leading to speculation that Crosby might not be 100 percent healthy.

With that backdrop, the Penguins sent Pascal Dupuis-Steve Sullivan-Crosby out for the opening faceoff against Jaromir Jagr-Claude Giroux-Scott Hartnell up front. Pittsburgh’s rearguards included Brooks Orpik and Kris Letang while Philly assigned Matt Carle and rookie Erik Gustafsson to the blue line.

Giroux easily wins draw while Crosby nearly rips Giroux’s head off apparently trying to send a message. The puck slides back to the right side, where Gustafsson rams a too-hot-to-handle pass intended for Jagr through the neutral zone.

It almost looks like Jagr is trying to redirect the pass to his centerman but the puck gets tangled up in his skates and is fair game right outside Pittsburgh’s blue line.

Crosby puts on his brakes after thinking the puck was headed for his own end and approaches the biscuit with no momentum and one hand on his stick. He waves at the puck and actually makes a tremendous touch pass to Sullivan, who feeds Dupuis with a cross-ice pass that sends the winger in on a one-on-one opportunity up the right boards against Carle.

Dupuis’ shot, which is going wide right, is snagged by goalie Ilya Bryzgalov and the whistle is blown.

Now back to the hit that changed the game.

Giroux, already agitated by having to adjust his head gear courtesy of a Crosby hello on the opening faceoff, senses that Crosby will get to the puck before he does. As a result, Giroux loads up.

Crosby widens his stance reaching for the puck while Giroux leads with his left side for a hellacious hit, culminating with a right-glove high follow through that leaves Crosby sitting up against the boards.

NBC analyst, Brian Engblom, can barely contain himself from describing the extreme hockey play.

“That’s the way to start the game…you want to get the fans going in your own building, hit Crosby. That’s a good, clean, solid hoot (rhymes with foot, not boot, in this case). Boy that’s the way to set the stage here, perfect.”

Crosby wins the offensive faceoff in the offensive right dot. Letang dumps in deep on the left side but Gustafsson tracks it down. As the puck is back-handed up the boards, Giroux dumps the ref inadvertently but maintains his own balance.

Jagr clears the zone on his second attempt to Letang. Letang’s dump in is stopped. Jagr steals puck from Letang as he tries for control in the neutral zone and nudges the puck across the Pittsburgh blue line. Steve Sullivan, who hasn’t been engaged during the whole neutral ice scrum, attempts a forehand clear that looks more like a pass to a hard-charging Giroux than a clearing attempt. Uh-oh.

With Jagr providing a little bit of interference on Sullivan, Giroux corrals the puck high above the left circle. Sullivan overreacts to Giroux, who uses his favorite inside-out move to create plenty of open space as Sullivan skates to no-man’s land somewhere by the left dot.

Giroux now has a wide open, uncontested chance 31 seconds into the game. Defensemen Orpik and Letang are both back, but give goalie Marc-Andre Fleury a clear lane to see the centerman’s shot. Plus, Jagr has tied both blueliners up.

Giroux fires a wrister that clanks off the left post and hits off the goalie cam in the back of the net.

Not only does Giroux lay Crosby out in front of his own bench in the first five seconds of the game, but then he also scores and celebrates to the immediate right of Pittsburgh’s bench in the first minute of Game 6.

Message sent.

Engblom: “But Dave I think that shot goes in against any goaltender in the National Hockey League. He just ripped that one right up under the bar. I’m not sure that confidence-level wise that certainly won’t help him, but I don’t think that will destroy him either. Where was everybody on Pittsburgh? Nobody did anything on Giroux.”

1:08 -- Max Talbot steals puck from Chris Kunitz on Pittsburgh side of neutral zone and sends Flyers into offensive zone.

1:22 – Jakub Voracek crushes Deryk Engelland with a heavy check along Pittsburgh’s boards and Engelland clears.

2:08 -- Daniel Briere takes high-sticking penalty, giving Pens a chance to improve upon 8-for-24 series power play. Malkin gets kicked out of faceoff circle, Crosby takes draw at left dot. Kunitz is third forward. No James Neal.

Flyers win faceoff, puck eventually cleared.

Talbot hassles puck in Pittsburgh end, shadows Malkin up ice, and takes puck at Philly blue line from Malkin as he tries to carry it into the zone. Malkin can get no flow in this game.
Sullivan to Crosby to Kunitz gets the puck in, Kunitz passes across ice for Malkin one-timer which goes off Bryzgalov’s glove and then the outside of Flyers net.

Sullivan takes slap pass from left point to Crosby low in slot. Scrum in front of Philly net. Puck dribbles past Bryzgalov but to the outside the net past the left post. Tie score luckily averted for the Flyers.

2:54 – Malkin wins faceoff at left Philly dot. Kimmo Timonen blocks a Letang slapper but Pens keep possession.

Pittsburgh makes 16 passes in the ensuing 38 seconds without taking a shot.

Finally, Kris Letang takes an uncontested shot from the inner half of the left circle with James Neal to Bryzgalov’s left and misses the net. The puck hits off the boards behind the cage, bounces to Crosby who can’t handle it and then is cleared by the Flyers.

Only three Philly penalty killers had sticks but the Penguins could not take advantage.

3:59 -- Matt Niskanen gets his hard wrister from the right point past the Flyers goalie but it hits the left post and bounces out .

4:09 – Penguins power-play ends.


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Thank You's

I think I've got two songs on my iPod entitled "Thank you," one by Led Zeppelin and one by Alanis Morrisette. With that in mind, I'd like to send you all shout outs on a great season.

Thanks to Hockey Buzz, Eklund and Eric, for having me!

Thanks to Gunner Staal and icedog97 for filling in whenever I was unable to pen a post. Canadianpenfan, thanks for stepping up as our ref!

Thanks to the Penguins for providing great entertainment!

And thanks to the rest of you for providing insightful commentary and helping to make the site what it is!


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Just before I go, I can't help but wonder whether you think coach Dan Bylsma will be back for 2012-13? What do you think?

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Have a wonderful day and as always, treasure life!
JT

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