The Pittsburgh Penguins are in early trouble after a 3-0 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers in Game 2 of their first-round matchup. With Philadelphia now holding a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series, captain Sidney Crosby addressed what went wrong after Pittsburgh’s offense was shut out in the latest chapter of the Battle of Pennsylvania.
Sidney Crosby Reacts After Penguins Blanked in Game 2
Philadelphia opened the scoring in the second when Porter Martone finished a cross-ice pass from Travis Konecny that deflected off Ryan Shea. Garnet Hathaway later added a short-handed goal following a setup from Owen Tippett, and Luke Glendening sealed the 3-0 result with an empty-netter in the third.
Despite outshooting the Flyers 27-23, Pittsburgh couldn’t solve goaltender Dan Vladar, who stopped all 27 shots, including 25 over the final two periods. At the other end, Stuart Skinner made 20 saves to keep the Penguins within reach.
Offense was hard to come by for Pittsburgh, which managed just two shots in the first period and failed to capitalize on three power-play opportunities. Crosby pointed to missed chances and ineffective special teams as major factors.
“I think we’ve had some looks in around the net. We just we haven’t capitalized,” Crosby said. “We’re working to get there. Our power play’s got to be better. When we get opportunities, get momentum or ultimately score, we got to find ways to generate a little more from that. So, I think just finding a way to bury those ones in front and then, making sure we’re better on the PP.”
With the series shifting to Philadelphia for Game 3, Crosby stressed the importance of resetting mentally, rather than dwelling on the losses. “You got to focus on the next one,” he said. “Win or lose, that’s always the approach. Given the fact that we lost two here, we got to find a way to get Game 3 and get some momentum back.”
Both teams finished the regular season with 98 points, with Pittsburgh entering as the Metropolitan Division’s second seed and Philadelphia right behind in third.
ALSO READ: NHL World Reacts to Stuart Skinner’s Game as Pittsburgh Penguins Fall Into 0-2 Hole Vs. Flyers
The teams that fall into a 0-2 hole in a best-of-seven series lose the matchup over 85% of the time. If Pittsburgh’s top-six forwards can’t break through the Flyers’ defensive structure in Game 3, the pressure will only increase, and even solid goaltending may not be enough to keep their playoff hopes alive.
