Penguins defence quietly doing its job against Flyers
PITTSBURGH — Lost amid Sidney Crosby’s latest attempt to win the NHL batting title and Evgeni Malkin’s one-on-three brilliance during the Pittsburgh Penguins’ clinical dismantling of the Philadelphia Flyers in Game 1 is this: The two-time defending Stanley Cup champions played pretty well in their own end, too.
That may be the most frightening aspect going forward for the Flyers and the other 14 teams hoping to end Pittsburgh’s run at history.
While it’s easy to point to Matt Murray’s 24 saves — including a fabulous diving stop on Philadelphia’s Scott Laughton in the first period that preserved a one-goal lead and set the stage for the blowout to come — it’s the little things the Penguins did that caught the attention of head coach Mike Sullivan.
Pittsburgh blocked 24 shots before the puck even got to the net. The defencemen in front of Murray turned Flyers forward Wayne Simmonds into a bystander. Philadelphia went on the power play four times and failed to produce a single scoring chance.