Flyers vs. Penguins Game 2: Key takeaways as Philadelphia takes stifling 2-0 series lead

PITTSBURGH — Game 1 apparently wasn’t a fluke.

For the second consecutive game, the Philadelphia Flyers produced a defensive gem against the high-flying Pittsburgh Penguins, emerging with a commanding 3-0 victory on Monday at PPG Paints Arena.

Goaltender Dan Vladar backstopped another Philadelphia win, but he wasn’t really the story. Instead, it was his team’s suffocating defensive attack that led the way.

Philadelphia, which won the opener 3-2 on Saturday, will carry the 2-0 series lead back home for Game 3 on Wednesday.

More than 30 minutes passed without a goal in a high-intensity, low-event start to Game 2. With the Penguins’ second line stuck on the ice for 90 seconds, however, rookie sensation Porter Martone, playing in just his 11th NHL game, scored his second goal of the series to break the ice.

The Flyers struck again four minutes later, taking advantage of a vulnerable Penguins power play when Garnet Hathaway buried a feed from Owen Tippett for a shorthanded goal to put the Flyers ahead by two.

Pittsburgh was held to two shots on goal in the game’s first 25 minutes.

Penguins captain Sidney Crosby, who has feasted against the Flyers in his career, was oddly quiet for a second straight game. Crosby has lost to the Flyers in a playoff series only once in his storied career — in 2012, when the Flyers won the first two games of the series in Pittsburgh, just as they have on this occasion.

Defensive clinic

Let’s be honest, this was a boring hockey game until late in the second period. But when you’re the road team — and facing the NHL’s third-ranked offense in the regular season — boring is welcomed.

Despite spending far too much time defending in their own zone, the Flyers protected the middle of the ice and prevented the Penguins from getting to the front of the net. Their commitment and patience paid off when Martone opened the scoring after the Flyers’ first wave of sustained offensive pressure in the second period.

Martone does it again

It wasn’t an easy goal, but Martone made it look effortless. After playing the puck down low to Christian Dvorak, Martone hovered on the weak side as Dvorak pushed it to Travis Konecny in front. Konecny’s rebound ended up on Martone’s backhand, and he shoveled it through for his second goal in as many games in the series.

Martone became just the second teenager in Flyers history to score in consecutive playoff games (Dainius Zubrus in 1996-97), and just the 12th teenager in league history to score in his first two career playoff games.

He now has six goals and 12 points in his first 11 combined regular-season and playoff games. He led all Flyers with six shots on goal in Game 2.

Vladar gets first Flyers shutout

For as well as he played throughout the regular season, Vladar didn’t notch a single shutout. So, naturally, he did it in his second career playoff start in Game 2, finishing with 27 saves.

Vladar’s first two periods were relatively easy, but early in the third, with the desperate Penguins upping their intensity, he denied open Penguins defenseman Sam Girard between the circles with 17 minutes to go, then a Tommy Novak backhand off a broken play shortly after.

Vladar snagged an Evgeni Malkin redirection with 7:22 to go on what might have been his best stop.

Penguins power play fizzles

The Penguins power play, one of the NHL’s best all season, slid into a funk late in the regular season. That funk has gone into overdrive in this series.

Through two games in this series, the Penguins are 0-for-7 on the power play. They went one step further on Monday night, allowing a shorthanded goal — a regular occurrence in recent weeks.

Late in the second period, while trailing 1-0 and on the power play, the top unit failed to generate anything resembling a good look. Then disaster struck with the second unit on the ice in the final moments of the man advantage.

Tippett walked around Penguins defenseman Kris Letang, forcing the defenseman to fall. Penguins center Ben Kindel was unable to prevent Tippett’s pass from getting through to Hathaway, who tapped it in. The Penguins allowed the second-most shorthanded goals in the league during the regular season, and none of them looked as feeble as that one.

On their five power plays in Game 2, the Penguins had only two shots on goal.

Fading stars

When you think of the Penguins, you naturally think of superstars. It’s what the organization is founded on.

The stars, all of whom have enjoyed varying degrees of success against Philadelphia over the years, have been remarkably ineffective in this series’ first two games.

Crosby, who has owned the Flyers the way few players in NHL history have owned a franchise, doesn’t have a point through two games. Perhaps even more noteworthy is that he hasn’t even generated many legitimate scoring chances.

Malkin has two points through two games, but his turnovers and poor decisions have overshadowed his offense.

Erik Karlsson has not found the form that won him team MVP honors at the end of the regular season.

Philadelphia’s young legs and team defense have been far too much for the Penguins’ aging stars.

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

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