For their first matchup of the season, the Philadelphia Flyers, fresh off a hard fought win over Arizona on Tuesday, marched into Pittsburgh to face the injury and COVID decimated Penguins Thursday night. The Flyers, still without Ryan Ellis, would face a patchwork Penguins team missing most of its big names, with Crosby and Duomoulin being declared out in the days prior to puck drop.
In the opening minute, the Flyers found themselves quickly on the backfoot, with the defensive pairing of Travis Sanheim and Rasmus Ristolainen looking completely out of sorts. Miscommunication between the two allowed for an unmarked Brock McGinn to skate in and deflect a Mike Matheson shot past Carter Hart only 16 seconds into the game.
And that was much how the first period went. There was a surge in the middle of the frame where the Flyers offense managed some decent possessions, but ultimately it felt like they spent more time defending than attacking, despite outshooting the Penguins through one.
A powerplay partway through the second saw the Flyers even the score with a true beauty from Travis Konecny. After being fed by Claude Giroux, he stickhandled around Tristan Jarry and roofed a shot into the top of the net. The assist keeps Giroux’s electric opening alive while also moving him within three points of tying Bobby Clarke for the franchise record in powerplay points, a mark he will all but certainly reach this season.
The time game was not long for this world however, as an awkward second effort shot from Penguins forward Jake Guentzel found the perfect path along the ice to go past a screened Hart into the net to put the Penguins back on top. The final minutes of the period saw play break down for both teams, trading odd-man rushes as Hart and Jarry both continued to impress as neither team would score, sending it 2-1 Penguins into the 3rd.
The third period had the Flyers constantly attempting to get the offense going, especially later in the period, with the defense becoming heavily involved as well. After a great sequence for the Flyers, JVR was able to steal the puck behind the net and find Scott Laughton who banged one home late, tying it up.
Hart and Jarry were both tested plenty throughout the game, and both stood tall, so it makes sense that the contest would need some extra time. Outstanding play from both goalies aside, a backhanded wraparound by Kris Letang saw the puck squeak across the line by a fragment after Hart made the initial stop, ending the game in favor of the Penguins.
The Flyers were able to steal a point against Pittsburgh in a game that theoretically shouldn’t have been close. A depleted Penguins team had their way with the Sanheim-Ristolainen pairing, forcing Hart to bail them out time and again. While the offense generated a ton of shots, the quality of chances were suspect, and the team has a lot to think about heading to Washington D.C. to face the Capitals on Saturday.