The kitschy light-up bracelets flickered in the darkened
arena and another packed house roared ¡±Crosby sucks! Crosby sucks!¡± Here¡¯s the
thing Philly fans haven¡¯t yet accepted about Sidney Crosby over the last 13
years
http://www.giantsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-kyle-lauletta -jersey ,
he really doesn¡¯t ¨C and especially not against the Flyers.
Crosby matched a postseason-best with four points on a goal and three assists
to help the Pittsburgh Penguins silence the raucous crowd and beat Philadelphia
5-1 on Sunday for a 2-1 lead in the first-round series.
¡±When we needed to, we made some good plays, we got some big saves and that¡¯s
what you need this time of year,¡± Crosby said.
It¡¯s the path Pittsburgh took the last two seasons all the way to parade
routes in June.
Crosby, who has 93 points in 63 career regular-season games against
Philly Ed
Dickson Color Rush Jersey , shut up the orange-and-black die-hards
with a wraparound goal off a turnover midway through the first.
Crosby had a hat trick in Game 1 and the three-time Stanley Cup champion
showed no sign of easing up against his nemesis.
The Flyers haven¡¯t won a playoff series since 2012 and pulled out all the
theatrical stops in their return to the postseason after a one-year absence.
Flyers fans even stuck photos of the hated Crosby inside the urinals
throughout the arena that had to guarantee they were more on target with their
shots than anyone on the home team¡¯s roster.
¡±It¡¯s not the first building that¡¯s happened in,¡± Crosby said, smiling. ¡±I
don¡¯t know if they stole that idea from someone else.¡±
Two of the so-called fiercest rivals in the NHL have provided three lopsided
games: Pittsburgh¡¯s 7-0 win in Game 1 and Philadelphia¡¯s 5-1 victory in Game 2
could about qualify as nail-biters in this series.
Game 4 is Wednesday night in Philadelphia.
Crosby scored his fourth goal of the series in the first period, and Derick
Brassard, Evgeni Malkin and Brian Dumoulin scored in the second to make it 4-0.
Malkin and Dumoulin scored 5 seconds apart.
¡±After the third goal Will
Hernandez Color Rush Jersey , I should¡¯ve taken a timeout,¡± Flyers
coach Dave Hakstol said. ¡±That would¡¯ve been one thing to stop that
momentum.¡±
Justin Schultz made it 5-1 in the third on Pittsburgh¡¯s third power-play goal
of the game.
Matt Murray stopped 26 shots to make it stick.
Brian Elliott, yanked in Game 1, had another rough outing and might need to
borrow fellow Wells Fargo Center tenant Joel Embiid¡¯s black mask to have a
better look at the puck.
Elliott, who had 21 saves Clint
Frazier New York Yankees Jersey , was stunned at how easily the
Penguins scored twice in 5 seconds.
¡±Guy walking down main street,¡± he said.
The Flyers ran a video package full of bloody fights, big goals and memorable
moments between the teams through the years with a ¡±Bitter Rivals¡± caption. The
Penguins could have just looked in their reflection from the 2016 and 2017 Cups
and shrugged off the idea the Flyers are in their league.
Brassard scored on the power play just 2:48 into the second. The Pens hit
with back-to-back stunning goals that put the icing on the urinal cake: Malkin
scored on a one-timer and Dumoulin off the faceoff beat Elliott through the
five-hole for a 4-0 lead.
Crosby won the faceoff to set up the goal and had both assists, naturally, on
the goals that matched the NHL playoff record for fastest two scores by one
team.
¡±He thrives in that environment http://www.jaguarsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-taven-bryan- jersey ,¡±
Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. ¡±He has a comfort level in that environment.
When stakes are high, in an away building, he tends to play his best. He has an
ability to stay in the moment. He doesn¡¯t get rattled. He doesn¡¯t get fazed by
adversity. That¡¯s why he¡¯s an elite player and he¡¯s so accomplished.¡±
At that point, each team had 12 shots.
The Flyers, who played more like the team that lost 10 straight games over
November-December http://www.giantsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-b.j.-hill-jer sey ,
had no shot at pulling off the comeback. Travis Sanheim scored late in the third
for the Flyers¡¯ lone goal.
¡±It¡¯s not time to panic here,¡± Flyers captain Claude Giroux said.
Notes: Flyers great Bobby Clarke was at the game. So was former Flyers
captain Peter Forsberg. ¡ Philadelphia 76ers star Ben Simmons was in the house.
The Sixers have won 17 straight games. Fans started chanting ¡±Trust the
Process!¡± as the game turned into a rout. ¡ Philadelphia¡¯s 22 wins at home
during the regular season were the fewest of any team in the NHL playoffs.
¡ª
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