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Flyers tie series; Penguins might dodge bullet with Letang

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Sean Couturier had a goal and two assists and Brian Elliott won his first playoff start in nine tries, as the Flyers routed the Penguins, 5-1, to even the series at 1-1.

Update: Kris Letang returned to Game 2 and played quite a bit in the third period. We’ll see if anything changes, but his return to action is the best news of the night so far for Pittsburgh.

That’s because the Flyers bounced back from a 7-0 loss in Game 1 in a big way. Brian Elliott and Sean Couturier enjoyed big bounce-back nights in Game 2, powering Philly to a 5-1 win. Now the first-round series is tied 1-1 as it shifts to Philadelphia.

Stay tuned for more on that contest.

Here’s the potential Letang injury:

Sidney Crosby wasn’t happy about the hit.

***

One big selling point for the Pittsburgh Penguins as they aim for a “threepeat” is that they’ve had a healthy Kris Letang in the lineup. That might not last through Game 2 of the first round.

In a truly strange collision, Letang collided hard with Claude Giroux. Giroux seemed to check on Letang immediately afterward, Letang exited the ice right away. It’s a bit puzzling that Letang seemed to be focused on his hand after the hit, but that’s at least how things looked after initial replays.

Video of the collision is coming soon. In the meantime, observe it in GIF form:

So far, Letang has not returned to Game 2 for the Penguins as they try to fight back from a 2-0 lead for Philly.

One of the plays of the game happened in the second period, as Brian Elliott stopped Sidney Crosby on a breakaway. It’s early, but Elliott’s currently authoring a remarkable rebound.


James O’Brien is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @cyclelikesedins.