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Penguins Vs. Flyers, 2012 NHL Playoffs Game 5: Marc-Andre Fleury Brilliant In 3rd Period To Seal Game 5 Win

The Pittsburgh Penguins won their second straight game against the Philadelphia Flyers, pulling within one game after being down 3-0 in their first round series. The Pens scored twice in the second period to take a 3-2 lead, and from then on, they would ride their goaltender to the win. Marc-Andre Fleury, who's certainly been shaky at times against the Flyers, was fantastic for Pittsburgh over the final 40 minutes. Philly scored twice on the power play in the first period but that would be only damage in Game 5.

Fleury was solid in the second period, but he really stepped it up in the third. Philadelphia controlled the action for much of the final 20 minutes, peppering Fleury and applying constant pressure in the offensive zone. He stopped 14 shots in the final period. Philly looked like they might break through to tie it mid-way through the period, but Fleury made an unbelievable stop and held his ground as the Flyers tried to push it across the goal line before the whistle. He made a nifty jump move trying to get position, as you'll see from the animated gif below:

Fleury_save_medium

Fleury made seven stops on one power play alone. The Pens were forced to kill off a Tyler Kennedy slashing penalty, after he broke his stick on Scott Hartnell, in response to Hartnell catching him with a big check along the boards. An animated gif of the slash below:

Kennedy_penalty_medium

Philly really turned it up with the man-advantage, but Fleury was once again up to the task.

It was an impressive home win for the Pens, and certainly more of a steady pace with improved goaltending. They now have some momentum heading into Game 6 on Sunday in Philadelphia, where all the pressure will be on the Flyers to close it out.

For all the latest news and analysis on the Penguins, visit PensBurgh. If you are a Flyers fan, make sure to stop by Broad Street Hockey. Still not enough hockey for you? Make sure to visit the SB Nation NHL Hub page for all the latest news on every team in the NHL down the stretch run and on the road to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Photographs by dizfunk used in background montage under Creative Commons. Thank you.