With 45 goals scored between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Philadelphia Flyers, not much defense had been played in the series. This game took a step in the positive direction as the Penguins held the Flyers to only two goals and survived an elimination game. Marc-Andre Fleury was the big performer in this game, stopping 24 of 26 shots that he faced.
The Flyers got on the board first with a Matt Carle powerplay goal at 11:45 of the first period. Three minutes later, Penguins' forward Steve Sullivan answered with a powerplay goal of his own. The Flyers would get the lead going into the second period, however, on a Scott "Hulk-hater" Hartnell.
The second period belonged to the Penguins. Goals from Jordan Staal and Tyler Kennedy staked Pittsburgh to the lead. Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury came up big on a penalty kill late in the period, but that was nothing compared to his third period.
The ice was tilted in the Penguins' favor for the first seven minutes of the third. However, after a Tyler Kennedy penalty, the Flyers brought the heat. Pittsburgh was content with getting the puck out of the zone and down the ice, and Fleury was a brick wall. Numerous times the crowd would see an amazing save and chant "Fleury, Fleury, Fleury." Marc-Andre fed off of the crowd and looked vintage 2009.
This game finally had the feel of a playoff game. If the rest of the games have the same feel, we might be watching history in the making. The Penguins are a better playoff team. The Flyers are a better fast-paced team. The Penguins need to force the game to slow down and keep up the pressure as the Flyers enter the zone. With the series 3-2 Flyers, game 6 will be played in Philadelphia on Sunday. The Penguins will once again try to stave off elimination.
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