Flyers Send Penguins Packing In Game 6

Jakub Voracek celebrates Scott Hartnell's goal.

The Flyers finally put the last nail in the Penguins coffin. After the Penguins took Game 4 and Game 5, it seemed that the momentum had shifted the Pens way. But just as quickly as the Pens shifted the series their way, they gave it all back in a crucial Game 6.


Claude Giroux stated that Game 6 was "do or die" for the Flyers. He knew he needed to step his play up, and he did just that. After delivering a massive hit to Sidney Crosby, Giroux scored an unassisted goal just 32 seconds into the game.


The team who scored first in this series was 0-5, but the Flyers were determined to make sure  it did not become 0-6. 


After Matt Cooke took an interference penalty, the Flyers made the Penguins pay on the Power Play, as they had done all year long.


After a scrum in front of the Penguins net, Scott Hartnell came flying in and pushed the puck through Marc-Andre Fleury's legs. It was Hartnell's second of the series, and put the Flyers up 2-0. 


The first period belonged to the Flyers. They came out looking like the hungrier team, stepping up their physical play and both ends of the ice. 


With Nicklas Grossmann out again with a concussion, rookie Erik Gustafsson was forced to step in in Game 6. In only the second playoff game of his career, "Gus" made it count. A little more than five minutes into the second period, Gustafsson put a slapshot past Fleury, putting the Flyers up 3-0.


Bryzgalov only allowed one goal, and it came off the stick of Evgeni Malkin, cutting the Flyers lead to 3-1. Malkin's goal broke Bryzgalov's shutout streak of 58:41, stretching back to Game 5. 


Yet 34 seconds later, the Flyers would raise the Penguins another goal. Mr. Playoffs, better known as Danny Briere, was credited with a goal that barely trickled past Fleury. 


Brayden Schenn netted an empty netter in garbage time, and 5-1 would be the final.


It did not matter what period, the Flyers dominated every aspect of the game. Sean Couturier continued to agitate Evgeni Malkin, frustrating him the entire series. 


Not only did Couturier contribute throughout, but Brayden Schenn, Matt Read, and Erik Gustafsson made their presence felt. The four rookies combined for 15 points. Malkin and Crosby combined for just 15 points. 


Instead of double shifting defensemen like Matt Carle and Braydon Coburn, Peter Laviolette allowed Lilja and Gustafsson to take some of the load. It kept the defensemen fresh, and helped cause problems for the Penguins offense.


Most importantly, the Ilya Bryzgalov Flyers fans had seen in March finally returned. Bryzgalov saved 30 shots on 31 attempts and had a whopping .968% save percentage. 


Congratulations Bryz, now bring it in the second round.


Flyers fans can now breathe a sigh of relief. Good guys win, bad guys lose. The Flyers jam on to the second round.