The Philadelphia Flyers were absolutely awful in Pittsburgh on Tuesday night, losing 7-1 to the Penguins at PPG Paints Arena.
It’s ok to be pissed about this one.
Brian Elliott got the start, allowing six goals on 28 shots through the game’s first 40 minutes. Elliott has now played 248:08 since last Monday 10/21, appearing in all five games (including four starts). This outcome was in no way to be blamed on Elliott, but it’s also not shocking that the goaltender couldn’t help bail his team out of a slow start and try to seize momentum given his workload and history. It may not have (probably wouldn’t have) even mattered, but you never know what a few extra early saves can do.
Carter Hart entered to start the third period and stopped the first eight shots he faced in before ceding the Pens’ seventh goal of the evening to Dominik Kahun with less than seven seconds remaining. Maybe this is something for Hart to build on before his presumed start against the Devils on Friday night.
I’m spending this much time discussing the goalies because it’s at least something to talk about. Everybody else on the team just sucked on Tuesday. There’s really nothing else to say. They were that bad.
Well, at least that Niskanen hit was fun I guess? pic.twitter.com/MwunCR06ni
— Broad Street Hockey (@BroadStHockey) October 30, 2019
Sidney Crosby entered the game with 99 points (41 goals, 58 assists) in 67 career regular season games against the Flyers. Crosby hit the century mark with a first period assist, his 11th of the year, on Dominik Simon’s goal to make the score 3-0.
About five minutes later, Sid hit 101 career points against the orange and black when he notched his fifth goal of the season to wrap up Pittsburgh’s first period scoring. Crosby added another assist on Jake Guentzel’s second period goal to put the Pens up 5-0. In less than 15 minutes of total game time, Crosby factored into three straight Penguins goals, and put the game completely out of reach.
Crosby’s 102 career points against the Flyers are the second-best total of his career, behind the 113 he has picked up in games against the New York Islanders.
Crosby’s goal was the third he has scored against Elliott while Moose has been a Flyer. In all, Sid has scored on 14 different Flyers goalies in the regular season over his 15-year career: Hart (1); Ilya Bryzgalov (1); Petr Mrazek (1); Michal Neuvirth (1); Anthony Stolarz (1); Ray Emery (1); Michael Leighton (2); Brian Boucher (2); Sergei Bobrovsky (3); Robert Esche (3); Elliott (3); Steve Mason (6); Martin Biron (6); Antero Niittymaki (11).
Sid has played another 23 playoff games against the Flyers, and has scored 36 points (15 goals, 21 assists).
Somehow, the postgame chat went nearly an hour despite the horrible effort. You should listen to it. Hell, you already wasted time on the game, why not finish off the routine?
