Sports Network | October 16, 2010
Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) – Sidney Crosby notched a pair of third- period power-play goals and totaled three points as Pittsburgh downed Philadelphia, 5-1.
Chris Kunitz, Mark Letestu and Matt Cooke also lit the lamp for the Penguins, who have won three of four. Kris Letang added a pair of assists and Brent Johnson stopped 29-of-30 shots for the win, improving to 3-0-0 on the year.
Danny Briere provided the only offense for the Flyers, who have dropped three of four.
Sergei Bobrovsky, who stymied the Penguins in his NHL debut on October 7, was torched in defeat for four goals on 31 shots. It was his first career defeat after two victories.
Pittsburgh failed to convert during a 45-second 5-on-3 advantage early in the second, then both clubs flew at each other with multiple scoring chances to no avail until Letestu’s poke in a goalmouth scramble got through for a 2-1 Pens edge with 44.2 to play in the period.
The visitors failed to cash in on the first portion a four-minute power play that bridged the end of the second and start of the third, but after Philly’s Claude Giroux was sent off for tripping, Crosby’s one-timer from the right circle got through traffic for a 3-1 game at 3:13.
Crosby added a blast from the point on the back half of the one-man advantage, and it was a three-goal edge for Pittsburgh at 4:37.
Pens defenseman Alex Goligoski was whistled for hooking with less than 4 1/2 to play in the contest, but Bobrovsky was pulled for an extra skater. Cooke, though, hit the empty net with 3:24 to play.
The Flyers made the most of a four-minute power play early in the first, as Briere was alone at the left post to gather in an errant shot by Jeff Carter and chip it over Johnson at 6:43.
Crosby took the puck away from a Flyer in the neutral zone then sprang Kunitz for a rush and he beat Bobrovsky between the pads for a 1-1 game at 11:31.
Pittsburgh has won six in a row in Philadelphia since dropping a 6-3 decision on December 13, 2008…The Penguins have been hit hard early by injuries, playing without forwards Jordan Staal and Arron Asham, along with defensemen Brooks Orpik and Zbynek Michalek…The Flyers announced that defenseman Matt Walker may face surgery on a hip injury suffered in the preseason, and also sat forward Dan Carcillo in favor of Andreas Nodl…Entering play, the Flyers had killed off 16 straight shorthanded situations, but ended the contest allowing two power-play goals in eight chances.