Penguins vs. Flyers Game 2: Full highlights, final score and more

PITTSBURGH, PA - APRIL 13: Travis Sanheim
PITTSBURGH, PA - APRIL 13: Travis Sanheim

The Philadelphia Flyers reversed the Game 1 roles, beating the Pittsburgh Penguins at their own game 5-1. 

5. 68. 1. 92. Final

During Game 1, the Pittsburgh Penguins dominated the Philadelphia Flyers. By the end of the game, it was 7-0 in favor of the former. Philly goaltender Brian Elliott had one of the worst games of his career. But that was then. Game 2 turned out completely different. The Broad Street Bullies came out on top by the score of 5-1.

Philadelphia desperately needed this win. A loss would have put Philly down 2-0 in the series against the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions. That would have been a sub-optimal situation, to say the least. But now Philly can return to the Wells Fargo Center for Game 3 of the series with the series tied at one game a piece.

Elliott recovered from his nightmarish Game 1 to have an incredible Game 2. He looked much like the goaltender who nearly took the St. Louis Blues to the 2016 Stanley Cup Finals. Elliott made a few mistakes but didn’t have to pay for any of them. Also, several shots went off the posts, but he didn’t get rattled.

Considering the pressure on him, Elliott put together one of the most impressive performances of his career. He stopped 29 out of the 30 shots he saw. The lone goal came from Patric Hornqvist, who was also involved in quite a few post-whistle shenanigans.

Meanwhile, the Flyers got production from their stars. Shayne Gostisbehere got a goal, captain Claude Giroux scored a goal, Sean Couturier picked up three points, Travis Konecny scored an outstanding goal, and rookie Nolan Patrick got one of his own as well. Andrew MacDonald scored an empty-netter.

Three stars

  • Remember that time Flyers (and Calgary Flames) fans were done with Brian Elliott? Well, Elliott put together a brilliant performance, only allowing one goal. He’s either really good or really bad. While Elliott was the latter in Game 1, he was the former in Game 2.
  • After a quiet game one, Sean Couturier was the best skater on either side of the ice. His goal was outstanding and he set up two really nice goals. Philadelphia needs more efforts like this from Couturier.

    Ivan Provorov

    picked up two assists and was much better in Game 2. The Flyers had much better zone exits in this game. Provorov was a huge part of that and it helped them overcome the Penguins forecheck.

    Highlights

    Next: Power Ranking the Stanley Cup Playoff Teams

    Next Game

    Game 3 of this series goes on Friday at 3 p.m. ET in Philly. The game will be shown on NBC. Hopefully, more than one team will care about Game 3. So far, the first two games have featured a team who cares and a team who doesn’t. The Flyers and Penguins have alternated thus far.

    For more NHL Playoffs 2018 coverage, stay tuned to Puck Prose!