Sidney Crosby passed Mario Lemieux in Pittsburgh’s record book and pushed the Philadelphia Flyers to the brink of elimination.
Flyers fans booed the goal – and the ones that stuck around for the end belted a familiar refrain: “Fire Hakstol! Fire Hakstol!”
Crosby scored his fifth goal of the series and became the Penguins‘ career postseason points leader in a 5-0 win over the Flyers on Wednesday night.
The Penguins lead the first-round playoff series 3-1 as its shifts to Pittsburgh for Game 5 on Friday. Crosby and the Penguins followed a 7-0 Game 1
win and a 5-1 Game 3 victory with another dominant outing.
Matt Murray stopped 26 shots for his second shutout of the series and the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Penguins are a win away from playing in
the second round for the 11th time in the last 12 seasons.
Crosby scored in the second period for a 4-0 lead and topped the team owner and Hall of Famer in Lemieux for most playoff points with 173.
”A lot of his records aren’t going to be touched
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games helps a lot.”
The Flyers were already on their second goalie by the time Crosby scored. The Penguins chased Brian Elliott early in the period after the maligned goalie
allowed his 14th goal of the series. Michal Neuvirth relived Elliott and it
didn’t matter. Neuvirth lost track of the puck behind the net and had his head
turned to the right when Crosby found it and snapped it under the goalie’s left
skate.
”I was in a good spot. The puck ended up right on my stick,” Crosby said.
The Flyers were confused. The Penguins were composed.
And it so it goes in Philly, the Flyers are a loss away from another empty season without the Stanley Cup.
”Somehow
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Disgruntled Flyers fans chanted from the balcony to the concourse for the Flyers to fire third-year coach Dave Hakstol.
Both teams played without key cogs in their lineup: Sean Couturier (who had career highs with 31 goals and 76 points) was injured Tuesday at practice in a
vicious collision with teammate Radko Gudas; the Pens played without top-line
forward Patric Hornqvist because of an undisclosed injury.
Giroux, who scored 102 points during the season, has not scored a posteason goal since 2014.
”One game away for the season to be over
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The Flyers pulled out all their good-luck charms.
The national champion Villanova Wildcats were in the house and star guard Phil Booth screamed ”Are you ready for some hockey?”
Flyers fans heard the usual stirring rendition of ”God Bless America,” live by Lauren Hart and on video by the late Kate Smith. The song has been a rallying
anthem for the Flyers since Smith began singing it in the mid 1970s. Hart
started the song, then looked up to the big screen and passed it off to Smith.
They finished in a split-screen duet.
Once the pageantry settled down, the Penguins poured it on.
Crosby’s on-point pass on the power play led to Evgeni Malkin’s third goal of the playoff just 4:33 into the game. Phil Kessel scored his first of the
postseason midway through the period. Kris Letang made it 3-0 in the second and
that was all for Elliott.
Riley Sheahan made it 5-0 late in the third. Neuvirth stopped 11 of 13 shots in relief.
”We won in their building on the second game so that’s the attitude we’re going to take
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Murray was solid again, and stoned Travis Konency on a breakaway out of the penalty box in the second that had the second-year center slam his stick on the
ice in anger.
”They had their chances, at times,” Murray said. ”But we got the job done.”
NOTES: Couturier was named a Selke Trophy finalist as the league’s best defensive forward. … 2018 Olympic hockey gold medalists Jocelyne
Lamoureux-Davidson and Monique Lamoureux-Morando hosted a clinic and helped
donate equipment on behalf of a volunteer effort at the Ed Snider Youth Hockey
Foundation. Snider was the Flyers founder and chairman until his death in 2016.
… Crosby scored on all three goalies the Flyers have used in the series. … The
Flyers are 2 for 17 on the power play in the series.
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