In less than four minutes, the Penguins had a 3-0 lead on home ice. The problem for the Pens was the remaining 56 minutes of the game.
Claude Giroux had the game-winner for the Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers rallied back from that early deficit for a 4-3 win, in regulation, on Thursday night.
“I think when you have a great start like that, it’s something that has to fuel you to keep bringing the same game that you’re playing,” the Pens’ Sidney Crosby said. “Unfortunately, they pushed back. We didn’t.”
Claude Giroux picked up the game-winner with just over two minutes left in regulation.
“Shortened season like this, obviously you look at the standings and a lot of teams are pretty tight,” Giroux said. “For us to make the [Stanley Cup] Playoffs, we need to win games like tonight. I think the way we answered tonight, we’re down 3-0, I think it’s our first comeback win this year. So it’s good to know we can do it, and that’s how we need to respond in the future.”
Giroux had two goals on the night.
“There’s a moment in a season where a team has a gut check,” Flyers head coach Alain Vigneault said. “We lost that first game two days ago. For us, this was an important game. It’s like a mid-playoff series. To start off the way we did was definitely not the way we anticipated, but games unfold differently. You’ve got to find a way.”
Brian Elliott made 26 saves after settling down from the opening barrage, to get the win.
Kris Letang, Mark Friedman and Jared McCann all scored for the Pens to seemingly take control of the game.
“At the end of the day, we’ve got to stay positive,” McCann said. “We’ve got to keep pushing. We’ve got to play simple, especially in our own zone.”
Scott Laughton and Sean Couturier added single markers for the Flyers.
“[Giroux is] our captain. He’s our leader,” Laughton said. “He brings us into the fight. … He gets a goal late for us there. He takes big face-offs. He kills penalties. He’s on the power play. He does a lot for our group. So I’m happy to see him get rewarded with two tonight.”
Tristan Jarry made 31 saves in the loss.
“We just didn’t play the game hard enough or smart enough for the majority of the game,” Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan said. “When you get up that early in games, you’ve got to continue to play hard. You’ve got to continue to do the things that brought you success.”
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