National Hockey League
Philadelphia 2, Pittsburgh 1
When: 7:30 PM ET, Sunday, March 17, 2019
Where: PPG PAINTS Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Referees: Pierre Lambert, Dan O'Rourke
Linesmen: Darren Gibbs, Bryan Pancich
Attendance: 18636

Sean Couturier scored with 3.4 seconds left in overtime Sunday to give the visiting Philadelphia Flyers a critical 2-1 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Couturier's 29th goal came when he blasted the puck from the right circle to the far side past goaltender Matt Murray, who also gave up James van Riemsdyk's tying goal with 18.8 seconds left in regulation.

Flyers goalie Carter Hart, in just his second start in 11 games, made 41 saves.

The game was played 16,000 days after Philadelphia (35-29-8, 78 points) last won the Stanley Cup in 1975, and the two points helped keep the Flyers' playoff hopes alive. They are six points out of an Eastern Conference wild-card spot with 10 games to play.

Rookie Teddy Blueger scored for Pittsburgh (39-24-10, 88 points), which lost its second in a row but held onto third place in the Metropolitan Division. Murray made 36 saves.

Pittsburgh played without center Evgeni Malkin. Coach Mike Sullivan said later Sunday that the star center's availability is "week to week" after he sustained an upper-body injury on Saturday. Malkin was shaken up -- but stayed in the game -- when he took a cross-check to the rib area from St. Louis' Robert Bortuzzo.

The closest thing to a goal during the first two periods came at 1:11 of the second. Philadelphia's Claude Giroux, who played despite being ill earlier in the day, shot the puck past Murray, but it was immediately ruled no goal by the on-ice officials because Jakub Voracek appeared to interfere with Murray. The Flyers challenged, and the call was reversed.

That made it 1-0, but the Penguins immediately challenged that Philadelphia had been offside -- Voracek, specifically -- and that challenge was rewarded, so the game continued scoreless after the first double challenge on one goal in NHL history.

Blueger, filling in for Malkin as the second-line center, gave Pittsburgh a 1-0 lead with his fourth goal at 2:07 of the third. He got a rebound of a shot by Phil Kessel and whipped it inside the right post.

With Hart pulled for an extra attacker, van Riemsdyk's tying goal, his 25th, came on a one-timer from the slot on a setup by Travis Konecny.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Philadelphia   Pittsburgh
Sean Couturier 2 Points Teddy Blueger 1
Sean Couturier 1 Goals Teddy Blueger 1
Sean Couturier 1 Assists Phil Kessel 1
N/A Power Play Goals N/A
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Carter Hart .976 Save Percentage Matt Murray .947
Carter Hart 41 Saves Matt Murray 36
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Philadelphia 38 2 0-3 4-4 8 24
Pittsburgh 42 1 0-4 3-3 6 27
Upcoming Games
  • Pittsburgh will play their next game on the road against Carolina. The Penguins have a W/L % of .538 after a win and .529 after a loss.
  • Philadelphia will play their next game at home against Montreal. The Flyers have a W/L % of .486 after a win and .486 after a loss.
?>