Pittsburgh Decimated the Philadelphia Flyers 7-0 in Game 1 of the Playoffs

The Pittsburgh Penguins may have been slow off the bat at the start of the season but that is history, and with the playoffs underway, it was all Crosby and the Penguins as they decimated the Flyers 7-0 in Game 1 of the series. If this is any indication of what is to come, the Flyers are in for an uphill battle.

The night saw Crosby handling the puck like a wizard and earning himself a hat trick, and five of the seven goals came from his line. Adding to the goal count was Evgeni Malkin who played his part in overwhelming the Philadelphia Flyers as they push towards a third victory in the Stanley Cup Playoffs and making history as only one of five teams to take game one by seven or more goals in a series playoff.

Crosby, however, indicated he was not keen to put any message into last night’s win saying,

“I mean, it’s one game. Whether it’s 7-0 or 1-0 or double overtime, it’s one game. A big part in the playoffs is to get better every game and to adjust, and that’s the way we have to look at it.”

The proposition, however, may send some waves of worry to the other teams in contention for the Cup. For the Flyers, they have lost the last five they have faced in playoff action against Pittsburgh Penguins, so to say last night sent a ripple of concern is an understatement. In a game that saw Pittsburgh score five goals in under 29 minutes, I’d say they have plenty to worry about, and with Crosby is fine form, it could get worse.

Game two of the series will be played tomorrow night with game three taking place on Sunday. And, if it is any indication of what is to come, it is a safe bet that NHL sports betting sites taking playoff action will certainly be placing winning odds on Pittsburgh to take the series and advance.

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For Claue Giroux, a forward with the Flyers,

“It was one of the worst games I’ve been a part of. “

Dave Hakstol, head coach for Philadelphia pulled Brian Elliot and another goal by Crosby that was swatted mid-air and past Elliot giving Pittsburgh a 5-0 lead before the game was even at the half-way point. Elliot was replaced by Petr Mrazak, who managed to make twelve saves but still let two past his pads.

It is expected that Elliot will start Game 2 on Friday, but whoever it is, little will matter if the Flyers defence isn’t better. Especially when you consider the Flyers were 0-4 when in a power play advantage last night not even getting in one shot. Speaking about the Penguins, Elliot said,

“They beat us from pretty much every aspect tonight, starting from the net out. Everybody just has to be better.”

Pittsburgh’s other goals were scored by Jake Guentzel, who also racked up three assists, Carl Hagelin and Bryan Rust each scored one goal and Matt Murry recorded his third playoff shutout with 24 shots stopped. If Philadelphia is to hope to stay alive in the first round, they will need to stay on the ice and not in the penalty box. Last night’s failure to put together three periods of disciplined play proved to be an eye opener, one that Pittsburgh jumped all over.

Kris Letang came hard at Elliot at 2:38 of the first period with a slap shot that rebounded to Rust who fired off a shot over Elliot’s shoulder and into the net. This game the Penguins the lead and I was only minutes later that saw get their best chance to score in the game, but Murray made a sweeping save with his glove. Said Crosby on the play,

“If that goes in, it’s 1-1 and maybe we’re talking about a different result.”

However, it was only a few minutes later that Carl Hagelin redirected a shot from Patric Hornqvist and gave the Penguins their second goal. Evgeni Malkin was given a penalty for hooking, one that saw the Flyers fail to capitalise on, and when he left the box, he flew past three Philadelphia players, past Jakub Voracek, got by Giroux, battled against Shayne Gostisbehere and then sent a backhand shot past Elliot to put the Penguins up 3-0.

All this took place before Crosby even got started. The Captain of the Penguins made is mark loud and clear last night scoring a hat trick and making it look easy. His superior stick handling and ability to foresee the plays made the Flyers look like a Junior A team.