The Pittsburgh Penguins lost Game 2 to the Philadelphia Flyers, falling 3-0 and going down 2-0 in the series. Despite outshooting the Flyers, the Penguins struggled to convert opportunities and faced frustration from their performance.
Key points
Penguins lost Game 2 to Flyers 3-0
Pittsburgh is down 2-0 in the series
Dan Vladar was the winning goaltender for the Flyers
Penguins outshot Flyers 27-23
Coach Dan Muse called for improved quality in play
Pittsburgh PenguinsPhiladelphia FlyersDan Vladar
After dropping Game 1 at home in rather unceremonious fashion, the Pittsburgh Penguins entered Game 2 against the Philadelphia Flyers in what was as close to a must-win situation as they could get without actually being in involved in an elimination game.
In Game 2, the Flyers ousted the Penguins, 3-0, in yet another frustrating, disjointed effort by the team. Pittsburgh was able to generate a bit more in terms of shots, as they outdid Philly in that department with a 27-23 advantage, but it was not nearly enough to rattle Dan Vladar, who earned his second-straight win between the pipes for the Flyers.
"You have to give [Vladar] credit. He made some big saves as well," Penguins' head coach Dan Muse said. "But we can be doing things here to be getting better quality. Better quality, and just more in general. So that falls on us."
The game was, once again, scoreless after one, and there wasn't a whole lot of space out there - especially in the neutral zone - to begin this game. There were only seven total shots on goal in the first period, and Philadelphia was credited with five of them. This was despite the fact that the Penguins had three power play opportunities.
And, just like Game 1, much was the same for the first half of the second period, even if the Penguins did generate some chances. Bryan Rust hit iron a few minutes in, and Egor Chinakhov had an opportunity from the slot that he simply just whiffed on.
After the Penguins failed to score during that stretch, it was only a matter of time before the Flyers took advantage of mistakes. About 13 minutes into the second, A TV timeout gave the Flyers a chance to reset after a strong wave of o-zone pressure from the Penguins, and they were able to generate a strong shift in the offensive zone for, really, the first time in the middle frame. The result was a Porter Martone goal on a nice seam pass across the low slot from Travis Konecny, and the Flyers took the 1-0 lead.
Q&A
What was the final score of Game 2 between the Penguins and Flyers?
The Pittsburgh Penguins lost Game 2 to the Philadelphia Flyers with a final score of 3-0.
How many games have the Penguins lost in the series against the Flyers?
The Penguins have lost both games in the series against the Flyers, making it 2-0.
Who was the goaltender for the Flyers in Game 2?
Dan Vladar was the goaltender for the Flyers in Game 2, earning his second consecutive win.
What did Penguins' coach Dan Muse say about the team's performance?
Coach Dan Muse acknowledged the need for better quality in their play and emphasized that the team's struggles fall on them.
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However, Luke Glendening took a cross-checking penalty a couple of minutes later, putting the Penguins on their fourth power play at a crucial moment in the game. They could not get anything generated, and conversely, Philadelphia pressured in the Penguins' zone on the penalty kill. Garnet Hathaway essentially had a tap-in opportunity from Owen Tippett due to some blown coverage by the Penguins' second unit, and the shorthanded goal put the Flyers up, 2-0.
That was, really, the nail in the coffin. The Penguins did generate some good looks in the third period, but it was simply not enough, and Glendening added the empty-netter with two minutes remaining in regulation.
"When we sustained some zone time, when we moved the puck to open areas and separated ourselves a little bit from their tight checks - and, you know, their good defensive work - something will eventually open up," Erik Karlsson said. "It's really hard to defend in this league with the way everybody's skating these days, and we just don't do enough of it.
"Come the end of the second to third period, you knew they have a little bit more energy than we do, and that starts right from the beginning."
The Penguins will head to Philadelphia to face the Flyers in Game 3 on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. ET. Pittsburgh trails in the series, 2-0.
This power play is their undoing right now, and it's a serious problem.
The Penguins' man advantage is now 0-for-7 in this series, and it has cost them momentum in both of these hockey games. They had plenty of chances to establish an early lead in the first period, and they were barely able to set up against a bottom-10 penalty kill during the regular season. And, when they did, they either missed the net or attempted an ill-advised pass.
They had one shot across five power plays today. That's simply not good enough. Philadelphia legitimately generated more on the penalty kill against them. The unit is entirely disjointed, there's way too much perimeter play, and they're fumbling way too many opportunities to get pucks on net.
And, as the cherry on top, the shorthanded goals continue to be a legitimate problem from this unit.
"I said it before. I think there's different things every time, but there has to be awareness on the power play," Muse said. "It doesn't matter who you're out there against. Which team. They get the puck, they're going to be on the attack, and I think we have to have awareness of what's behind us."
I don't know if there is a quick fix for the power play, whether personnel-wise or strategy-wise. But something needs to change between Game 2 and Game 3; otherwise, it could very well be the primary reason they get eliminated.
Once again, Stuart Skinner was outstanding in this game, and he deserves a lot more support from the team in front of him.
He made a ten-bell save on a shorthanded 2-on-0 opportunity during the third period on Glendening that would have given the Flyers two in the game and an earlier 3-0 lead. He stopped a third-period penalty shot by Owen Tippett to continue giving his team a chance to come back in this one. He made a lot of key saves in the second period as well.
For the first time in a while during the playoffs, the Penguins are actually getting really solid goaltending. Skinner is literally doing everything he can to keep them in this series.
Once again, he has earned the next start. This series could be looking much, much uglier right now without him, and if there's a silver lining through these first two, that's it. If the Penguins can simply start scoring goals, they should be in good shape.
And the Penguins won't start scoring goals if their top-six can't figure things out.
Sidney Crosby has not looked anything close to himself in these first two games, and the case is the same with Rust, Karlsson, Tommy Novak, and Evgeni Malkin. Even Chinakhov looks off. Everything about the top-six is off, and trickling further down the lineup, too, I don't think Anthony Mantha or Connor Dewar have played particularly well, either.
Muse did adjust the lines in the third period for good, slotting Rickard Rakell back up with Crosby and Rust and Chinakhov back alongside Malkin and Novak, and that seemed to help a little bit. But, simply put, if these guys can't get going, the Flyers are going to make quick work of this series.
It's easy to tell frustration is starting to boil over. Tensions were high throughout the game, and especially at the end, when Mantha, Kris Letang, Noel Acciari, and Parker Wotherspoon were all assessed misconducts.
They need to turn the page, work it out in practice Tuesday, and not let the frustration seep into the next one.
"There should be frustration," Muse said. "We should be frustrated. We just lost two games at home, and so I think with frustration comes, 'How are you going to respond?' I would hope every single guy in that room, entire staff... nobody's happy right now. Nobody should be.
"Tomorrow, we're going to have to make a decision in terms of, are we going to stay with this? Stay with what we want to do? Get to our game, which we haven't gotten to in two games? Or are we going to let frustration continue to boil over into the next one? That's a choice that we, together, and all of us, including myself, are going to make here, hopefully, in the next 24 hours."
