Game 2 Recap: Opportunistic Flyers Frustrate, Blank Penguins, 3-0
The Penguins did a lot of good things during last night’s 3-0 Game 2 loss to the Flyers. Although we managed just two shots during the opening 20 minutes that actually reached the net, I thought we had a much better start, as our 19 first-period shot attempts will attest.
We were much more connected and seemed to navigate the neutral zone with more of our customary speed and ease, while committing fewer turnovers. Dare I say, we even dominated the action for a good portion of the second and third periods.
Unfortunately, like movie extras in a Wild West gunfight, we kept firing blanks.
In one of my pre-series articles, I opined that our fourth-line could be a difference maker. While Noel Acciari, Connor Dewar and Blake Lizotte indeed played extremely well (Corsi 90.91, xGF% 91.89), it was Philly’s fourth liners who actually did the damage last night, scoring twice and authoring the shift that was the turning point of the game.
As previously noted, our Pens were gathering steam until roughly the 13-minute mark of the second period. That’s when Sean Couturier, Luke Glendening and Garnet Hathaway took the ice and proceeded to pin us down with a determined forecheck.