It seems that every time the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Philadelphia Flyers go at it, there are bodies flying, fists thrown and a lot of goals scored. This was not the case Sunday night as the Penguins skated to a 2-1 overtime win against the Flyers and extended their winning streak to 12 games.
Tyler Kennedy was the hero as he scored the game-winner 2:33 of the overtime frame on a wrist shot from the left wing circle.
“We know they come in hard, but the whole team is playing well right now and we’ve got to keep it going,” Kennedy said in his post-game interview with ROOT Sports’ Dan Potash.
After a scoreless first period, the Flyers got on the board first when Claude Giroux scored his tenth goal of the season with Paul Martin in the penalty box.
Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury was forced to stand his ground in a 1-0 game until Pittsburgh got the bounce they needed on a 5-on-3 powerplay.
Sidney Crosby tied the game when he took a slap shot from the right wing circle. The puck hit the stick of goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov and found its way to the back of the net.
Previous to Sunday’s contest, there were a total of 24 goals scored in the first three games between the two clubs.
“Me and Bryzgalov don’t usually get stars when we play each other,” Fleury said with a smile in the post-game. “Maybe not as exciting for the fans as in a 6-5 game but I thought we played very well for 60 minutes.”
Pittsburgh now holds the longest winning streak in the National Hockey League this season, passing the Chicago Blackhawks.
Once again, the Penguins played without Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang. Both of those players will look to make a return Tuesday night against the Montreal Canadiens.
Also expecting to make a big appearance Tuesday will be newly acquired Brenden Morrow who the Penguins got from the Dallas Stars Sunday along with a third round pick.
Morrow has six goals and 11 points in 29 games so far this season and has spent all 13 of his seasons with the Stars.
Head Coach Dan Bylsma told the press Sunday that it is likely to see Morrow skating on the second line with Malkin and James Neal.
Ekiert’s three stars:
3- Dustin Jeffrey; C, Penguins- SOG
2- Marc-Andre Fleury; G, Penguins- 27 saves
1- Tyler Kennedy; LW, Penguins- GWG in OT
Nice article Jeff. The Pen’s are hot, and when Malkin gets back, the rest of the league better watch out.