Penguins in control
PITTSBURGH – Losing on an Evgeni Malkin goal, or Sidney Crosby goal, the Philadelphia Flyers might understand.
Losing to the Pittsburgh Penguins on fourth-line forward Max Talbot’s goal will be very difficult for the Flyers to deal with, especially in a series that is fast slipping away from them.
Talbot, a checking line forward on a team renowned for its stars, scored the go-ahead goal midway through the third period and the Penguins took a two-game lead in the Eastern Conference finals by beating the Flyers 4-2 Sunday night.
Crosby and Marian Hossa also scored and Jordan Staal added an empty-net goal in the final minute as Pittsburgh came back to win after twice giving away leads.
Pittsburgh won the first two games at home for the third consecutive series, with Game 3 set for Tuesday night in Philadelphia. The Flyers won each of their first two playoff rounds after losing Game 1, but this is the first time they also lost Game 2 on the road.
“We’ve played in a Game 7 where if you lose, you go home,” said goalie Martin Biron, who made 34 saves. “Game 3 isn’t like that, but it’s as close as it’s going to get. I think we played pretty good, but we can play better. … It’s all about desperation and urgency.”
The Penguins’ game-winner came from a player who had missed the previous three games with a broken right foot.
“It’s something special – I was happy as a kid just to be back out there,” Talbot said. “It was extra special to get the game-winner.”
Gary Roberts, who turns 42 later this month, carried the puck behind the net after the Flyers’ Steve Downie turned it over the blue line, and defenseman Derian Hatcher went with Roberts. That left Talbot open in the slot, and Roberts put a backhander onto his stick for Talbot’s second playoff goal, at 8:51 of the third.
“He yelled for it, and I knew there was two D-men on either side of the net, so I kind of figured he was wide open so I threw it in front,” Roberts said.
Fitting that a player known as Mad Max scored the game winner in a peculiar game in which an apparent Pittsburgh goal didn’t count and the Flyers scored short-handed and on the power play but couldn’t score at even strength. And Crosby, one of the NHL’s biggest stars, got only his third power-play goal in 5 1/2 months.
“It’s frustrating,” the Flyers’ Mike Richards said. “They got a couple of bounces.”
Still, Crosby said, “That has been the story for the playoffs so far, those guys have stepped up. And by `those guys,’ I mean, the guys on the third and fourth line have come up with some huge goals. They create a lot of momentum for us.”
Downie, scratched for Game 1, was inserted to give the Flyers more of a physical presence, but will be remembered for giving up the puck on the decisive goal.
“Turnover, can’t happen,” coach John Stevens said. “That’s a costly turnover there.”
Crosby went six games without a goal before getting one in the Penguins’ 4-2 victory in Game 1, then put them up 1-0 with a power play goal midway through the first period – only the second game in 41 games dating to Nov. 24 that he scored with a man advantage.