Flyers push Penguins to the brink of a sweep after taking 3-0 series lead

[p]It marked Philly's first home ice playoff win since April 2016, when they defeated the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/washington-capitals/UND9nmoG/"]Washington Capitals[/a]. Teams that start off on the road and take a 3-0 lead in the first round go on to win the series 98% of the time. [/p][p]They are 57-1 all-time, with the lone loss being the 2014 [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/san-jose-sharks/E588Co9j/"]San Jose Sharks[/a] when they blew a 3-0 series lead to the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/los-angeles-kings/CIDo8i2o/"]Los Angeles Kings[/a]. [/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/philadelphia-flyers/QySGG7oT/"]Flyers[/a] goaltender [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/vladar-daniel/AqbXiQ8C/"]Dan Vladar[/a], who got hurt at one point during the game, finished it off with 28 saves en route to the win. [/p][h2]Recap & Highlights[/h2][p]The first period saw both teams put up 11 shots on goal. While the Flyers maintained the momentum in the second half of the first period, allowing just one shot, it was the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/pittsburgh-penguins/AkN0nWU6/"]Penguins[/a] who got out to an early advantage. [/p][p]Following a [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/couturier-sean/Wrdb0SVb/"]Sean Couturier[/a] two-minute minor for tripping,[b] the Penguins got on the board first thanks to an [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/malkin-evgeni/l0fNz1jg/"]Evgeni Malkin[/a] power play goal to make it [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/hockey/philadelphia-flyers-QySGG7oT/pittsburgh-penguins-AkN0nWU6/?mid=tCWXr9e4"]1-0[/a].[/b][/p][p]The goal was Malkin's second of the playoffs as [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/crosby-sidney/UTbIZpKC/"]Sidney Crosby[/a] picked up an assist - moving to fifth-most on the all-time playoff points list with his 202nd. [/p][embed guid="e137472c-3e6b-46ca-b192-4810d46b708a" url="https://x.com/NHL/status/2047094689258508442?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]Crosby would receive a two-minute minor for embellishment as the Flyers had a power play with 47 seconds left roll over into the second period, but nothing came of it.[/p][p]The Flyers put up a whopping 25 hits in the first period alone to Pittsburgh's 11, while winning 10 of the game's 16 face-offs up to that point. [/p][p]Not even a full five minutes into the second, the Flyers and Penguins both saw a total of 11 combined players each head to the penalty box, leaving the Flyers on a power play after the Penguins had six in the sin bin. [/p][embed guid="468f4f93-91ba-43bb-892b-406d5cf7b4e1" url="https://x.com/BR_OpenIce/status/2047109498033103007?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]It took so long to assess the correct penalties that both teams' players would go out onto the ice and skate to stay loose. [/p][p][b]Philly scored not even a full 30 seconds into the power play to tie the game [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/hockey/philadelphia-flyers-QySGG7oT/pittsburgh-penguins-AkN0nWU6/?mid=tCWXr9e4"]1-1[/a], thanks to [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/zegras-trevor/r7up9Iwr/"]Trevor Zegras[/a]' first career playoff goal. [/b][/p][p]Their 19-year-old sensation of the playoffs, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/martone-porter/jmrvz23T/"]Porter Martone[/a], became just the fourth teenager in the last 25 years to record at least one point in each of his first three playoff games[/p][p]The other three? Crosby in 2007, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/laine-patrik/hKLVBmEn/"]Patrik Laine[/a] in 2018, and most recently [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/dach-kirby/EPvOCbFp/"]Kirby Dach[/a] in 2020.[/p][embed guid="9cfb7cf0-9cd9-409d-a86b-0b694d9fb333" url="https://x.com/NHL/status/2047111515837202686?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]Pittsburgh would go on a power play of their own, but wouldn't do anything with it. Then, the Flyers continued to pour it on. [/p][p][b]Much like Zegras, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/ristolainen-rasmus/fL7FTDMh/"]Rasmus Ristolainen[/a] also scored his first career playoff goal as the two scored within four minutes of each other to put the Flyers up [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/hockey/philadelphia-flyers-QySGG7oT/pittsburgh-penguins-AkN0nWU6/?mid=tCWXr9e4"]2-1[/a]. [/b][/p][p]This is Ristolainen's first career playoff series after playing in 820 regular season games. [/p][embed guid="1925ea68-c295-48fe-872c-1a5b32cc359f" url="https://x.com/NHL/status/2047113253675790509?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]Philly would put one more up just a minute later to take the lead that left the Penguins too far gone for a rally. [/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/seeler-nick/0b6bLJ6R/"]Nick Seeler[/a] scored just two minutes after Ristolainen with his first of the playoffs, which put the Flyers up [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/hockey/philadelphia-flyers-QySGG7oT/pittsburgh-penguins-AkN0nWU6/?mid=tCWXr9e4"]3-1[/a].[/b][/p][p]His goal marked the fourth for a Flyers defenseman, which is the most of any team in the playoffs. [/p][embed guid="021063f3-0b4c-4d27-b1cf-e79cdfaafb68" url="https://x.com/BR_OpenIce/status/2047114298237784309?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]Vladar was shaken up after injuring his arm in a bang-bang play in front of the net, but would stay in the game as the Penguins took advantage of his bad blocker-side arm to cut the lead. [/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/karlsson-erik/QPyAsZAH/"]Erik Karlsson[/a] made it [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/hockey/philadelphia-flyers-QySGG7oT/pittsburgh-penguins-AkN0nWU6/?mid=tCWXr9e4"]3-2[/a] for the Penguins with a power play goal, his first of the playoffs, and the team's second PPG of the game on four opportunities. [/b][/p][p]It was Karlasson's ninth career postseason goal. [/p][embed guid="58a2daf4-fafa-48c4-aed0-462475237d8c" url="https://x.com/NHL/status/2047129227560890701?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]Not even two minutes after Karlsson's goal, teammate [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/mantha-anthony/63PyXONB/"]Anthony Mantha[/a] would get called for a delay of game penalty that left the Flyers on the power play for the third time...and they would capitalize. [/p][p][b]Much like others during Game 3, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/cates-noah/2eQleaaq/"]Noah Cates[/a] also scored his first career playoff goal to put the Flyers up 4-2 with 7:30 left in the game.[/b][/p][embed guid="74cef6ce-9624-4ebf-b5a5-f935784711d8" url="https://x.com/NHL/status/2047131105795383491?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]It took all but 28 seconds for the Penguins to go back on the power play for the fifth time of the game after Sean Couturier was called for his second penalty.[/p][p]Courtier committed the first penalty of Game 3 that led to Malkin's goal that gave Pittsburgh a 1-0 lead, but the Penguins couldn't find the net this time around. [/p][p]They would go with the empty-net just under three minutes left, and it would backfire as [b]Philly's [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/tippett-owen/OEMYdnRA/"]Owen Tippett[/a] put the final nail in the coffin to make it [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/hockey/philadelphia-flyers-QySGG7oT/pittsburgh-penguins-AkN0nWU6/?mid=tCWXr9e4"]5-2[/a]. [/b][/p][image alt="Flyers vs. Penguins Game 3 stats" id="cca1e456-7652-4a2f-8cfa-271b3fcbe5e6" credit-line="EnetPulse / Flashscore" guid="2d161b16-a8ae-4459-be1e-524e74cbbe21" original-width="1080" original-height="1350" /]