Giroux, Couturier lead the Flyers in 8-5 win over Pens

PITTSBURGH, Pa. – Ok, tell me if you’ve heard this story before. The Philadelphia Flyers go down two goals early in the first period only to come back to win a playoff game in Pittsburgh.
 
If you’ve said yes, well, you’re not the only one who has heard it by now.
 
Friday night the Flyers did it again, this time they did it with style.
 

The “Comeback Kids” did it again with double hat tricks by Claude Giroux, who has six points on the night, and rookie Sean Couturier as the Flyers defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 8-5 in Game Three of their Eastern Conference playoff series. The Flyers have never lost as series when going up 2-0 in a series (17-0). The series heads back to South Philly on Sunday afternoon.
 
The Flyers were never down by more than two goals in the game but with the game tied at 5-5 Jaromir Jagr scored with 9:13 left in the game giving the Flyers their first lead of the game, and of the series. Maxime Talbot got the Flyers first goal of the game thanks to a rebound from Giroux’s breakaway attempt with the team down 2-0 in the first. That got the ball rolling for the Flyers and the game changed on a dime after that.
 
The back and forth contest had everything you could ask for in a hockey game and then some. Before the series began the one series most hockey fans were looking forward to was this one. So far in two games the two teams haven’t disappointed in the entertainment department. The only disappointing thing so far is the end result for Penguins fans.
 
The good news for Pens fans is that the Penguins have played well in Philadelphia during the playoffs in recent years. The two teams also met in 2008 and 2009 and the Pens are a combined 3-2 in Philadelphia. If Pittsburgh is to come back in the series they will have to do better than that if they are to win the series.
 
Sidney Crosby, Christ Kunitz (2 goals), Paul Martin, and Tyler Kennedy had the goals for Pittsburgh. The Flyers went 1-2 on the power play while the Penguins went 2-4 but Talbot’s goal, as well as Giroux’s second goal, were shorthanded.
 
The last time the Flyers won a playoff series against Pittsburgh was in 2000 (4-2). If the Flyers continue to play this way it could before a very short series, one that very few pundits’ picked the Flyers to win. Still, it’s only two games into the series and the two teams have put on quite a show so far. Let’s hope from a hockey fans standpoint the fun isn’t over too soon.
 
Contact the photographer at Lewis.Bleiman@prohockeynews.com
Contact the author at Brian.Jennings@prohockeynews.com