PENGUINS 3, FLYERS 2: Tyler Kennedy scored midway through the second period and Marc-Andre Fleury turned aside 24 shots - including all 14 in the third - as host Pittsburgh staved off elimination by winning Game 5 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinal series.
Jordan Staal netted his postseason-leading sixth goal in three contests and Steve Sullivan also tallied for the Penguins, who will travel to Philadelphia for Game 6 on Sunday.
Scott Hartnell scored a 5-on-3 power-play goal and defenseman Matt Carle tallied for the first time in 59 contests for the Flyers, who fell to 7-2-0 at the Consol Energy Center.
After Staal leveled the contest at 6:15 of the second period, Kennedy gave Pittsburgh its first lead just 3:38 later. Kennedy accepted a feed from Matt Cooke and blasted a shot from the right faceoff circle which sailed past Ilya Bryzgalov.
Fleury made the slim advantage stand up by stopping all eight shots on one third-period power play.
The teams traded power-play goals in the first period before Hartnell gave Philadelphia a 2-1 lead. Hartnell accepted Danny Briere's saucer pass on the doorstep before beating Fleury just over his left shoulder with 2:25 left in the session.
Staal tied the contest after taking in Kennedy's lead pass before wristing a shot from the right faceoff circle which beat Bryzgalov.
Bryzgalov, who was pulled after yielding five goals in Game 4, finished with 20 saves.
GAME NOTEBOOK: The team that has scored first has lost all five games in this series. ... Carle's goal was his first since Dec. 10. ... Pittsburgh's James Neal and Craig Adams returned from one-game suspensions. ... Flyers defenseman Nicklas Grossmann sat out Game 5 with a concussion. Erik Gustafsson took Grossmann's spot in the lineup. ... Philadelphia's James van Riemsdyk returned after a 23-game absence with a broken foot. Zac Rinaldo was scratched to make room for van Riemsdyk.
Philadelphia | Pittsburgh | |
Matt Carle 1 | Points | Tyler Kennedy 2 |
Matt Carle 1 | Goals | Tyler Kennedy 1 |
Daniel Briere 1 | Assists | Kris Letang 2 |
Matt Carle 1 | Power Play Goals | Steve Sullivan 1 |
N/A | Short Handed Goals | N/A |
Ilya Bryzgalov .870 | Save Percentage | Marc-Andre Fleury .923 |
Ilya Bryzgalov 20 | Saves | Marc-Andre Fleury 24 |
Team | Shots | Goals | Power Play | Penalty Kill | Penalty Mins | Face Offs Won |
Philadelphia | 26 | 2 | 2-5 | 2-3 | 6 | 29 |
Pittsburgh | 23 | 3 | 1-3 | 3-5 | 10 | 30 |