In many other sports, a game is already decided after a 3-0 deficit. Not in ice hockey! There a 3-0 lead is even considered the most insidious leadership ever. The Philadelphia Flyers impressively demonstrated why this is so on Thursday evening. In the Battle of Pennsylvania at the Pittsburgh Penguins they celebrated a 4-3 derby victory.
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Pittsburgh starts strong: three goals in 1:11
The start of the duel between the two teams from the US state of Pennsylvania could hardly have gone better from the perspective of the Penguins: Half of the first six shots on goal found their way into the net. Pittsburgh took a 3-0 lead on the scoreboard within 1:11 minutes or 71 seconds.
Penguins Defender Kris Letang pulled from the blue line, but his shot was still from the glove of Flyers defender Travis Sanheim untenable to 1-0 deflected (3rd). 34 seconds later it was dusty Mark Friedman successful to 2-0 from (4th) and celebrated his first NHL goal against his ex-club (in the NHL Draft 2014 in the 3rd round in the 86th place selected by Philadelphia). Another 37 seconds later typed Jared McCann the puck at full speed on the second post to 3-0 over the line (4th).
The 2,800 approved fans in the PPG Paints Arena were delighted.
“I think if you get off to such a great start it has to encourage you to continue playing the same way,” said Penguins captain Sidney Crosby, who reported back with an assist after the forced Covid 19 break. “Unfortunately they fought back. We didn’t.”
A timeout with a resounding effect
Flyers coach Alain Vigneault wanted to stop the bleeding after the early deficit and managed to do so with a timeout. This measure had its effect: Up to this point, from the point of view of Philadelphia, there were 0: 6 shots and 0: 3 goals – for the rest of the third the guests suddenly recorded 11: 5 shots and shortened the power play: Sean Couturier hit with a powerful slap shot from the left face-off circle to 1: 3 (12th).
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The foundation stone for a successful comeback was thus laid. The beginning of the second round was dusty Claude Giroux from an acute angle to 2: 3 (27th). Faked in the middle of the final section Scott Laughton a Giroux shot with the left pant leg to equalize 3: 3 into the goal (54th).
By now, at the latest, anything was possible for Philadelphia – and it happened as it had to: Giroux positioned himself in front of the goal circle, put his stick on the ice and steered the disc from close range to 4: 3 over the line (58th). The monster comeback was perfect!
Flyers pass character test – Giroux stands out
For the fourth time in franchise history, Philadelphia came back to a gap of at least three goals against Pittsburgh. The last time was over 40 years ago on December 13, 1980. In 2021, Giroux was the main actor in the successful catch-up in the derby with a double pack and an assist.
“Giroux is our captain, our leader. He encouraged us to this fight. He scored late for us. He takes important faceoffs. He’s outnumbered. He plays in power play. He does so much for our team. So I am glad to see he scored two goals today, “said Laughton.
Video: PHI @ PIT: Giroux puts the Flyers in the lead
Giroux himself was very modest and chose the we-form: “The way we came back today, to a 3-0 deficit, it was our first comeback win this year. It’s good to know that we can do that . We have to react in the same way in the future. “
For Vigneault, the 4-3 win was even a test of character: “There is a moment in every season when a team is put to the test,” said the Flyers trainer. “We lost the first game two days ago, so it was an important game for us. It’s like a series in the middle of the playoffs. Starting that way was definitely not what we expected. But games develop differently. You have to find a way to win. “
Wounds lick the penguins
With the penguins, however, the disillusionment was great. “We didn’t play hard or clever enough for much of the game,” said coach Mike Sullivan. “If you take the lead this early in these games, then you have to keep playing hard. You have to keep doing the things that made you successful.”
Striker McCann looked ahead again: “At the end of the day we have to stay positive. We have to keep going and play easier, especially in our own zone.”
See you soon
The third act in the Battle of Pennsylvania will follow on Saturday (1 pm ET; DAZN, NHL.tv; 7 pm CET). In the mini-series with three duels in a row, Philly had lost the first encounter 2: 5 and now set an exclamation point with a monster comeback.
“In a shortened season you look at the table and you see that many teams are close together. In order to reach the Stanley Cup playoffs, we have to win games like we do today,” said Giroux.
In the MassMutual East Division, the Flyers (12-5-3) are in third place, the Penguins (12-9-1) in fifth. Philadelphia is in better shape at the moment, winning four of its last five games (4-1-0). Pittsburgh, on the other hand, lost three of their last five games (2-3-0).
In terms of personnel, the penguins are worried about Friedman, who at the beginning of the second third after a collision with Nolan Patrick injured from the ice had to. The Flyers, on the other hand, have to do without Joel Farabee (Covid-19 protocol).
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