The Pittsburgh Penguins racked up 89 penalty minutes compared to the Philadelphia Flyers’ relatively puny 59. There were plenty of moments of “old time hockey” within those infractions, but two hits late in the game by James Neal (one on Sean Couturier, the other on Claude Giroux) and one early by Arron Asham received the most attention.
Those hits didn’t generate a win, obviously, which Flyers defenseman Kimmo Timonen was quick to point out to Dave Isaac.
“If they think they’re gonna win that way, it’s not working for them,” Timonen said.
The Penguins might want to heed Timonen’s advice to keep their heads. The Flyers are taking advantage of mental errors by Pittsburgh to hurt them on the scoreboard. Philly scored on three of its six power play opportunities while the Penguins only went 1-for-7 in Game 3 - and they allowed a shorthanded goal to boot. So, essentially, the Flyers’ special teams unit was a +3 on Sunday, which should provide ample evidence that Dan Bylsma should preach for his troops to keep their cool.
Here are the two checks that most clearly showed the Penguins losing their collective cool (and two hits that might just get the attention of Brendan Shanahan & Co.):
Asham’s cross-check on Brayden Schenn:
Neal’s hit on Couturier: