Anaheim, CA (Sports Network) - The Philadelphia Flyers acquired defenseman Chris Pronger from the Anaheim Ducks for a pair of players and two first-round draft picks.

The picks include Philadelphia’s first-round pick of 2009 and 2010 and also includes a conditional third-round pick in the 2010 or 2011 draft. Anaheim gets defenseman Luca Sbisa and forward Joffrey Lupul while Philadelphia also gets forward Ryan Dingle from Anaheim.

“Chris Pronger, in my opinion, is still one of the top defensemen in the league, and I think he makes everybody around him better on our defense,” said Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren. “First of all, he’s a winner. He’s won a championship. I know Chris from our days together in Hartford. He’s a tremendous character player who works hard and cares. Obviously he’s a great defender. He’s one of those guys who brings a presence in all zones on the ice.”

Pronger, the second overall pick of the 1993 draft by the Hartford Whalers, played in all 82 games last season with the Ducks and scored 11 goals and added 37 assists.

The 6-foot-6, 213-pound blueliner will provide a physical presence in the defensive corps of Philadelphia, something which the team lacked last season.

Over his 15 seasons in the NHL, the Norris trophy winner has appeared in 1,022 games and has 142 goals and 464 assists. He is a career plus-153 and has 1,457 penalty minutes. In addition to Anaheim, who he won a Stanley Cup with in 2007, he has also played for Edmonton, St. Louis and Hartford.

“I’m very excited,” said Pronger. “It’s obviously a city that’s very passionate for the sport of hockey. The style of the play that the Flyers have been known to play certainly fits my game. They’ve got some great young talent and I hope to help not only develop the team into being regarded as one of the top teams in the league, but winning a Stanley Cup. I think that’s why we all play the game, is to win, and certainly the Stanley Cup is the pinnacle for our sport.”

Lupul, who was part of the trade that sent Pronger from Edmonton to Anaheim in 2007, has spent the past two seasons in Philadelphia. He played in 79 games in 2008-09, compiling 25 goals and 25 assists.

Over his five seasons in the NHL, he has 102 goals and 109 assists in 372 games.

Sbisa, the 19th overall pick of Philadelphia in the 2008 draft, appeared in 39 games last season and had seven assists and 36 penalty minutes.

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No one has ever really thought to accuse Philadelphia Flyers captain Mike Richards of not being able to play through pain.  And chances are the idea will never come after the Flyers enlightened the press and fanbase to the fact that Richards played basically the entire 2008-09 season with torn labrums in both shoulders.

Pretty remarkable considering Richards production and level of competition this season.  He finished 2nd on the Flyers with 80 points, and was named earlier this week as a Selke Trophy finalist.  The Selke is awarded to the forward who best performs the defensive aspects of the game.  That’s impressive without a pair of damaged shoulders.  Yet Richards and the Flyers have downplayed the severity of the injury and the impact on Richards’ season.

“We managed it during the course of the year, but we knew at some point he was probably going to have surgery. He had some cortisone injections over the course of the season to help him manage a little better,” said Flyers GM Paul Holmgren.

Meanwhile, Richards believes the injury had little or no impact at all.

“I was on anti-inflammatories to keep the pain down. I don’t think it affected me at all. It happened so early in the year. I don’t think my play faltered because of it.”

Although it can be argued that Richards’ play was not affected one still has to wonder about Jeff Carter, whose lack of production in the Quarterfinals against the Penguins helped decide the outcome.  It has been confirmed finally by the Flyers that Carter did in fact suffer a shoulder injury as a result of a spill into the end boards during Game 3 against the Pens.  While it is not believed that Carter will require surgery, the separation is apparently bad enough that it will force Carter to miss the IIHF World Championships in Switerland.

Read more about Richards’ upcoming surgeries and Carter’s injury details.

You have got to be kidding.

Unfortunately, it’s no joke.  Philadelphia Flyers 2004 draft pick Ladislav Scurko has been charged with the murder of referee Marek Liptag back in January of 2008.

Scurko allegedly stabbed Liptag 14 times and then attempted to hide the body in a Slovakian forest.  He was successful in doing so until this past December, when the body was finally discovered by some unfortunate soul.

And we Flyers fans were worried about the effect Steve Downie or Billy Tibbetts might eventually have on the Flyers’ already unsavory reputation.  I shudder to think what might have happened if Scurko had done something like this while wearing the Orange and Black….

Read the whole story here

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Game 6 - Eastern Conference Quarterfinals

4/25/09 5-3 Loss Penguins win series 4-2 SCORING 1st 2nd 3rd OT Total PIT 0 3 2 - 5 PHI 2 1 0 - 3 _______________________________ SHOTS 1st 2nd 3rd OT Total PIT 7 21 9 - 37 PHI 11 8 5 - 24

*** PostGame Interviews & Coach’s Press Conference ***

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Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - Sidney Crosby picked up a pair of goals and Sergei Gonchar netted the deciding score early in the third period as the Pittsburgh Penguins rallied from a three-goal deficit to down the Philadelphia Flyers, 5-3, in Game 6 of their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series at Wachovia Center.

Ruslan Fedotenko and Mark Eaton provided the other tallies for the Penguins, who won the best-of-seven series four games to two and dismissed their cross- state rivals from the playoffs for the second straight season.

Evgeni Malkin provided a pair of assists for Pittsburgh, which advances to the conference semifinals but will have to wait and see who will be its next opponent.

The outcomes of the yet-to-be decided Capitals-Rangers and Devils-Hurricanes series will eventually determine who the Penguins face in the upcoming round.

Marc-Andre Fleury overcame an early Philadelphia burst but recovered to make 22 saves for the win.

Mike Knuble, Joffrey Lupul and Danny Briere scored for the Flyers, who netted the game’s first three goals but suffered the crushing loss and failed to advance past the first round for the second time in their last three postseason appearances.

Philly also bowed out in the Eastern quarterfinals back in 2006, a six-game defeat at the hands of the Buffalo Sabres.

Following a 28-save shutout win to keep his club alive in Game 5, Martin Biron was tagged for four goals on 34 shots in defeat.

Only 29 seconds after Briere’s tally put the visitors in a three-goal hole, Pittsburgh got on the board as Fedotenko pushed a loose puck through traffic and past Biron’s outstretched right pad for a 3-1 game with 4:35 played in the second period.

Eaton then bunted a rebound out of mid-air and in for a one-goal contest at 6:32, and Crosby tied the game with 3:01 remaining when he managed to bat the puck home from the right post after Biron misplayed a shot with his glove.

The beleaguered Flyers netminder had to be sharp to stop Chris Kunitz on a backhander from in close inside the final 30 seconds, finishing with 17 stops despite allowing three scores.

Gonchar then took a feed from Malkin and rifled a shot from the right circle to give the Penguins their first lead of the game, 4-3, at 2:19 of the third period.

Philly saw two good chances later go by the wayside. Mike Richards saw an open net from the left circle but had the puck swept away just prior to the midway point, and Claude Giroux hit the outside of the cage with 8 1/2 minutes remaining.

Lupul was turned away by a quick Fleury pad save with under five minutes left, and Braydon Coburn’s deflected point shot from a faceoff win two minutes later found the crook of Fleury’s arm.

Biron was pulled for the extra skater with a minute to go, and Crosby hit the empty net with 27.6 seconds on the clock.

The Flyers picked up the game’s first goal with 2:12 left in the first period. Richards broke free of a check in the slot and pushed a shot on net. Fleury kicked it back out, but Knuble, trailing the play, lifted a backhander into an open net.

Lupul made it 2-0, hitting the short-side high to Fleury’s glove side 51 seconds later. Giroux set up the play by carrying down the left wing before sliding a cross-ice pass for Lupul, who scored his first goal of this postseason.

Simon Gagne fed Briere with a long lead pass, and the latter converted with a wrister from 15 feet out for a power play score and a 3-0 Philadelphia edge 4:06 into the second.

Game Notes

Malkin finished with four goals and five assists in six games…Crosby posted four goals and eight points in the series…Richards and Giroux each posted a team-high five points for the Flyers, with Gagne recording the most goals for the club with three…Penguins forward Petr Sykora missed his second straight game…Pens defenseman Kris Letang returned after a one-game absence…The Flyers have never rebounded from a 3-1 deficit to win a series (0-14), and only extended a series to seven games three times when down by that margin…Fleury’s playoff record improved to 8-3 against the Flyers over the last two seasons, while Biron sunk to the opposite mark.

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Game Summary

Scoring Summary

PHI 17:48 Goal scored by Michael Knuble (2) Assisted by Mike Richards (4)
PHI 18:39 Goal scored by Joffrey Lupul (1) Assisted by Claude Giroux (3) and Daniel Briere (3)

Penalty Summary

PHI 19:22 2 minute penalty on Jeff Carter for Tripping

2nd Period

Scoring Summary

PHI 4:06 Power-Play Goal scored by Daniel Briere (1) Assisted by Simon Gagne (1) and Kimmo Timonen (1)
PIT 4:35 Goal scored by Ruslan Fedotenko (1) Assisted by Evgeni Malkin (4)
PIT 6:32 Goal scored by Mark Eaton (2) Assisted by Tyler Kennedy (1) and Ruslan Fedotenko (2)
PIT 16:59 Goal scored by Sidney Crosby (3) Assisted by Bill Guerin (1) and Kristopher Letang (3)

Penalty Summary

PIT 3:45 2 minute penalty on Sidney Crosby for Slashing
PHI 4:22 5 minute penalty on Daniel Carcillo for Fighting
PIT 4:22 5 minute penalty on Maxime Talbot for Fighting
PHI 4:35 2 minute penalty on Braydon Coburn for Roughing
PIT 4:35 2 minute penalty on Evgeni Malkin for Roughing
PHI 7:59 2 minute penalty on Matthew Carle for Tripping
PHI 10:16 2 minute penalty on Andrew Alberts for Tripping
PIT 14:17 2 minute penalty on Ruslan Fedotenko for Cross-checking

3rd Period

Scoring Summary

PIT 2:19 Goal scored by Sergei Gonchar (1) Assisted by Evgeni Malkin (5) and Brooks Orpik (1)
PIT 19:32 Empty Net Goal scored by Sidney Crosby (4)

Penalty Summary

PIT 5:13 2 minute penalty on Evgeni Malkin for Cross-checking

Game 5 - Eastern Conference Quarterfinals

4/23/09 3-0 Win Pittsburgh leads series 3-2 SCORING 1st 2nd 3rd OT Total PHI 0 1 2 - 3 PIT 0 0 0 - 0 _______________________________ SHOTS 1st 2nd 3rd OT Total PHI 5 11 10 - 26 PIT 15 5 8 - 28

*** PostGame Interviews & Coach’s Press Conference ***

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Pittsburgh, PA (Sports Network) - Martin Biron stopped all 28 shots he faced as the Philadelphia Flyers staved off elimination with a 3-0 decision over the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 5 of their Eastern Conference quarterfinal from Mellon Arena.

Biron posted his second career postseason shutout for the effort, the first time the Flyers have blanked the Penguins in a playoff game in their five- series history.

“That was the message before the game that we needed Marty to be great,” Flyers head coach John Stevens admitted. “We started doing some of the things that we had done earlier in the series and then got things corrected, but I think Marty deserves a lot of credit for that because I think he held the fort early.”

Arron Asham, Claude Giroux and Mike Knuble lit the lamp for Philadelphia, which cut its series deficit to 3-2 and return home for Game 6 on Saturday.

Following a 45-save performance in a Game 4 victory on Monday, Marc-Andre Fleury allowed three goals on 26 shots for the Penguins.

“I was happy with the way we played the first period,” Pens head coach Dan Bylsma said. “I thought we did a lot of things we wanted to do at the onset of the game. We had 15 shots in the first so that was a period that I was really happy with how we played.”

Giroux gave Philly a two-goal edge 3:25 into the third period. Matt Carle fluttered the puck from the point into the slot for Darroll Powe, who tipped it over to the rookie winger for an easy tap-in at the left side.

It was 3-0 for the Flyers with 6:48 left in regulation. Fleury kicked out a scorcher by Mike Richards from the left circle, but Knuble followed up by burying the rebound from the right wing.

A Penguins power play coupled with Fleury’s removal for an extra attacker briefly gave the home team a 6-on-4 advantage inside the final two minutes, but the home team failed to hit the net despite strong play in their attacking zone until the buzzer.

“We have the knowledge that we’ve won in that building last time we were there,” Bylsma said of his team’s chances to close out the series on the road. “They have very talented players so to go back for Game 6, that’s why we wanted to get it over with in Game 5. We knew this is going to be a battle.”

The win was especially sweet for the visitors, who suffered an embarrassing, series-ending 6-0 defeat last May against a much more potent Pittsburgh club in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals.

Following a scoreless first period which saw the Penguins hold a 15-5 shot advantage, the Flyers took a 1-0 lead 6:32 into the second. Dan Carcillo, who potted the Flyers’ lone score in Game 4, left a drop pass for Asham, who hammered a shot over Fleury’s shoulder.

Pittsburgh could have tied the game at 8:25, but Evgeni Malkin was ruled to have kicked the puck from the right side of the crease past a sliding Biron.

“Clearly, he kicked the puck,” Stevens said. “And when they called the goal off, we got a sense of ‘Let’s take this break and get going.’ We have enough experience now that we can use this to our advantage.”

Game Notes

Biron’s first playoff whitewash came in Game 2 of last year’s Eastern Conference quarterfinals at Washington on April 13, 2008…Carle registered two assists…Biron’s playoff mark improved to 3-7 against Pittsburgh… Philly’s last road playoff win came on May 3, 2008, in Game 5 of the Eastern semifinals at Montreal, a series-clinching victory…Penguins forward Petr Sykora missed the game with a shoulder injury, replaced by Miroslav Satan. Also, Pens defenseman Kris Letang missed the game, replaced by Philippe Boucher…The Flyers have never won a series in which they trailed three games to one, but the Penguins infamously wasted a 3-0 series deficit into a loss against the New York Islanders in 1975.

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Game Summary

Scoring Summary

No Scoring This Period

Penalty Summary

PIT 8:59 2 minute penalty on Jordan Staal for Roughing
PHI 14:26 2 minute penalty on Ryan Parent for Interference
2nd Period

Scoring Summary

PHI 6:32 Goal scored by Arron Asham (1) Assisted by Daniel Carcillo (1)

Penalty Summary

PHI 11:01 2 minute penalty on Danny Briere for Roughing

3rd Period

Scoring Summary

PHI 3:25 Goal scored by Claude Giroux (2) Assisted by Darroll Powe (2) and Matt Carle (2)
PHI 13:12 Goal scored by Mike Knuble (1) Assisted by Mike Richards (3) and Matt Carle (3)

Penalty Summary

PIT 1:06 2 minute penalty on Rob Scuderi for Hooking
PHI 7:53 2 minute penalty on Danny Briere for High-sticking
PIT 14:25 2 minute penalty on Mark Eaton for Interference
PIT 15:55 2 minute penalty on Sidney Crosby for Slashing
PHI 16:42 2 minute penalty on Kimmo Timonen for Hooking
PIT 19:29 2 minute penalty on Sidney Crosby for Cross-checking

Game 4 - Eastern Conference Quarterfinals

4/21/09 3-1 Loss Penguins lead series 3-1 SCORING 1st 2nd 3rd OT Total PIT 0 2 1 - 3 PHI 0 0 1 - 1 _______________________________ SHOTS 1st 2nd 3rd OT Total PIT 13 6 7 - 26 PHI 12 15 19 - 36

*** PostGame Interviews & Coach’s Press Conference ***

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Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - Marc-Andre Fleury had an outstanding game with 45 saves, as the Pittsburgh Penguins took a 3-1 win over the Philadelphia Flyers in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals at Wachovia Center.

Sidney Crosby, Tyler Kennedy and Maxime Talbot each had a goal for the Penguins, who now hold a 3-1 lead in this best-of-seven series.

“I think our whole team responded tonight,” said Pittsburgh coach Dan Bylsma. “They threw a lot at us. They threw the kitchen sink at us. They had a lot of power plays tonight and pucks to the net and he was good on the first puck, he was good on the second one and he was good in the crease.”

Daniel Carcillo had the lone goal while Martin Biron was charged with two goals on 25 shots in the loss for the Flyers, who went 0-for-8 on the power play in the game.

“We created a lot of good opportunities on the power play, but just couldn’t get it in,” said Philadelphia coach John Stevens. “Tonight was one of those nights we had a tough time scoring.”

Pittsburgh has its first chance to win the series on Thursday as Game 5 will be in Pittsburgh.

The Flyers controlled play in the early parts of the first period and had several shots on net during a 4-on-3 power play that turned into a brief 5- on-3.

Pittsburgh almost took the lead later in the first on a man advantage as Petr Sykora found an open net with the puck from a sharp angle at the right side, but his shot went wide.

In all, Fleury made 12 stops in the first period while Biron made 13 saves.

The Flyers outshot the Pens in the second period, 15-6, but it was the Pens who came out of the period with the lead.

On the rush shortly after a penalty expired, Chris Kunitz took the puck into the Philadelphia end down the left side and threw the puck to the front of the net. Crosby was being pulled down as the puck arrived at the net where it hit off his body and went into the net just 3:19 in.

“That is a typical goal for him,” said Bylsma. “He was driving the net hard and was able to get his stick on it. That’s how he scores most of his goals.”

About 4 1/2 minutes later, Pittsburgh made it a 2-0 game. Matt Cooke carried the puck into the Philadelphia end and from the left wing snapped a pass over to the right side for Kennedy, who dragged the puck into the slot and snapped a backhand into the net.

Philadelphia was finally able to solve Fleury at the 11:44 mark of the third. Mike Richards got the puck behind the net and attempted to stuff it in from the left side. Fleury made the save, but the rebound went out front where Carcillo buried it.

The Flyers threw everything they had at Pittsburgh over the final minutes and got Biron out of the net late in the game, but Fleury had the answers and Talbot’s empty-netter with 51.3 second to play gave the Pens a commanding series lead.

Game Notes

Carcillo’s goal was his first ever in the playoffs and first as a member of Philadelphia…Crosby has an eight-game playoff point streak…Philly had a 24-13-4 home record during the regular season, while Pittsburgh was 20-15-6 as the visiting team.

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Game Summary

Scoring Summary

No Scoring This Period

Penalty Summary

PHI 6:25 2 minute penalty on Andrew Alberts for Hooking
PIT 6:33 2 minute penalty on Kris Letang for Tripping
PIT 7:27 2 minute penalty on Evgeni Malkin for Hooking
PHI 12:21 2 minute penalty on Ryan Parent for Holding
PIT 16:50 2 minute penalty on Matt Cooke for Hooking

2nd Period

Scoring Summary

PIT 3:19 Goal scored by Sidney Crosby (2) Assisted by Chris Kunitz (2) and Matt Cooke (1)
PIT 7:41 Goal scored by Tyler Kennedy (2) Assisted by Matt Cooke (2) and Hal Gill (1)

Penalty Summary

PIT 1:12 2 minute penalty on Matt Cooke for Interference
PHI 5:11 2 minute penalty on Darroll Powe for Hooking
PIT 8:59 2 minute penalty on Hal Gill for Interference
PIT 11:30 2 minute penalty on Sergei Gonchar for Tripping
PHI 12:17 2 minute penalty on Mike Richards for Tripping
PHI 19:42 2 minute penalty on Scott Hartnell for Interference

3rd Period

Scoring Summary

PHI 11:44 Goal scored by Daniel Carcillo (1) Assisted by Mike Richards (2) and Randy Jones (1)
PIT 19:08 Empty Net Goal scored by Max Talbot (1) Assisted by Craig Adams (1)

Penalty Summary

PIT 5:12 2 minute penalty on Mark Eaton for Tripping
PIT 8:15 2 minute penalty on Tyler Kennedy for Holding

Game 3 - Eastern Conference Quarterfinals

4/19/09 6-3 Win Penguins lead series 2-1 SCORING 1st 2nd 3rd OT Total PIT 1 1 1 - 3 PHI 2 2 2 - 6 _______________________________ SHOTS 1st 2nd 3rd OT Total PIT 11 8 10 - 29 PHI 7 14 9 - 30

*** PostGame Interviews & Coach’s Press Conference ***

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Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - Simon Gagne netted a pair of goals, as the Philadelphia Flyers posted a strong 6-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series at Wachovia Center.

Claude Giroux contributed a goal and assist for the Flyers, who climbed back into the series after dropping the first two games in Pittsburgh.

Jeff Carter, Mike Richards and Jared Ross also hit the net for Philadelphia, and Martin Biron stopped 26 shots for the win.

Evgeni Malkin tallied twice for the Penguins, who dropped their first road playoff contest since Game 2 of the 2008 Stanley Cup Finals in Detroit.

Rob Scuderi added a goal while Sidney Crosby picked up a pair of helpers. Marc-Andre Fleury allowed five goals on 29 shots in defeat.

Game 4 is set for Tuesday in Philadelphia.

Ross opened the scoring in the third with his first career playoff tally. Andrew Alberts didn’t get all of his slap-pass from the point, but the puck came to the Alabama native at the right post and he flipped it home at 3:42 and the Flyers were ahead 5-2.

While on an extended power play due to a double minor for high sticking to Danny Briere, the Pens got back within two as Malkin ripped a shot through traffic and off the far post 8 1/2 minutes in.

Fleury went to the bench for an extra attacker with just under two minutes to play and Gagne hit the empty net at 18:24 to seal the win.

Carter put the Flyers on the board 2:59 into the contest, taking a Joffrey Lupul feed in the high slot, faking a Pens defender then beating Fleury with a backhander.

Philly went up 2-0 on the power play at 5:14, as Gagne set up a screen just outside the slot to mask a Richards shot which slid through Fleury’s pads.

Malkin got a goal back for the Pens with a sizzling one-timer off a Ruslan Fedotenko dish only 12 seconds before the end of the first, and Scuderi’s point drive along the ice tied the game 13 seconds into the second period.

Giroux put the orange and black back on top at 4:32, when he broke free from a checker and was wide open to tap in a spinning feed from Briere.

He helped make it 4-2 for the home team while shorthanded, keeping possession deep in the Penguins zone and circling the net from right to left until finding Gagne at the side of the net for a tip-in at 8:58.

Game Notes

Gagne’s score was the first short-handed tally thus far in the entire postseason…In a 2000 Eastern Conference semifinal series, the Penguins won the first two games but Philadelphia reeled off four straight wins to take the series…Flyers forward Dan Carcillo returned from serving his one-game suspension for an incident in Wednesday’s Game 1…Briere posted two assists for the Flyers…Each side was whistled for 11 penalties…Penguins forward Jordan Staal and defenseman Sergei Gonchar each finished minus-three.

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Game Summary

Scoring Summary

PHI 2:59 Goal scored by Jeff Carter (1) Assisted by Joffrey Lupul (1) and Scott Hartnell (1)
PHI 5:14 Power-Play Goal scored by Mike Richards (1) Assisted by Michael Knuble (1) and Daniel Briere (1)
PIT 19:48 Goal scored by Evgeni Malkin (3) Assisted by Ruslan Fedotenko (1)

Penalty Summary

PIT 4:48 2 minute penalty on Jordan Staal for Holding
PHI 5:43 5 minute penalty on Scott Hartnell for Fighting
PIT 5:43 5 minute penalty on Chris Kunitz for Fighting
PIT 6:10 2 minute penalty on Tyler Kennedy for Roughing
PHI 6:10 2 minute penalty on Claude Giroux for Roughing
PHI 6:10 2 minute penalty on Claude Giroux for Elbowing
PIT 6:10 5 minute penalty on Kristopher Letang for Fighting
PHI 6:10 5 minute penalty on Darroll Powe for Fighting
PHI 9:56 2 minute penalty on Jeff Carter for Interference
PIT 13:19 2 minute penalty on Matt Cooke for Cross-checking

2nd Period

Scoring Summary

PIT 0:13 Goal scored by Robert Scuderi (1) Assisted by Sidney Crosby (3) and Chris Kunitz (1)
PHI 4:32 Goal scored by Claude Giroux (1) Assisted by Daniel Briere (2) and Darroll Powe (1)
PHI 8:55 Short-Handed Goal scored by Simon Gagne (2) Assisted by Claude Giroux (2)

Penalty Summary

PIT 5:35 2 minute penalty on Evgeni Malkin for Hooking
PHI 7:47 2 minute penalty on Mike Richards for Holding
PHI 11:50 2 minute penalty on Mike Richards for Slashing
PHI 16:23 2 minute penalty on Jeff Carter for Slashing
PIT 16:37 2 minute penalty on Evgeni Malkin for Hooking

3rd Period

Scoring Summary

PHI 3:42 Goal scored by Jared Ross (1) Assisted by Andrew Alberts (1) and Arron Asham (1)
PIT 8:30 Power-Play Goal scored by Evgeni Malkin (4) Assisted by Sergei Gonchar (4) and Sidney Crosby (4)
PHI 18:24 Empty Net Goal scored by Simon Gagne (3) Assisted by Braydon Coburn (3)

Penalty Summary

PIT 5:39 2 minute penalty on Robert Scuderi for Cross-checking
PHI 6:22 2 minute penalty on Daniel Briere for High-sticking
PHI 6:22 2 minute penalty on Daniel Briere for High-sticking
PHI 11:10 2 minute penalty on Simon Gagne for Roughing
PIT 11:10 2 minute penalty on Chris Kunitz for Roughing
PIT 11:10 2 minute penalty on Chris Kunitz for Goaltender Interference

Game 2 - Eastern Conference Quarterfinals

4/17/09 3-2 OT Loss Penguins lead series 2-0 SCORING 1st 2nd 3rd OT Total PHI 1 0 1 0 2 PIT 0 1 1 1 3 _______________________________ SHOTS 1st 2nd 3rd OT Total PHI 15 9 8 10 42 PIT 12 14 12 12 50

*** PostGame Interviews & Coach’s Press Conference ***

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Pittsburgh, PA (Sports Network) - Bill Guerin’s power-play goal with 1:31 left in overtime gave the Pittsburgh Penguins a 3-2 win over the Philadelphia Flyers in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals at Mellon Arena.

Skating on a 5-on-3 power play with Mike Knuble and Claude Giroux in the box, the Pens got the win as Sergei Gonchar fed the puck from the left point to the low left side and Guerin stuffed it in.

Guerin also scored in regulation and Evgeni Malkin added a goal and two assists for the Penguins, who now hold a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. Marc-Andre Fleury made 38 saves.

“It’s been a couple years since I’ve been in the playoffs,” said Guerin, who was acquired by the Penguins from the New York Islanders at the trade deadline. “To be a part of this feels really good. To be able to contribute feels even better.”

Scott Hartnell and Darroll Powe each had a goal for the Flyers, who have now lost six of their last seven playoff games against Pittsburgh. Martin Biron stopped 46 shots in the loss.

“We played well and did a lot of good things,” said Flyers captain Mike Richards. “Two of their goals came on the power play. We gotta go back to the drawing board and figure things out. It’s a seven-game series.”

The series now heads to Philly for Game 3 on Sunday afternoon and Game 4 on Tuesday night.

“The next game is obviously the critical game of this series,” said Philadelphia head coach John Stevens. “We need to win the next one at home or else it is a very tough battle.”

The score was tied heading into the third period, but Philadelphia was able to take the lead just 2:09 into the frame.

Giroux took a lead pass in the neutral zone and skated into the Pittsburgh end. From the right side he left the puck for Powe, who lasered a shot from the top of the right circle that beat Fleury to the far post for a 2-1 lead.

Philadelphia nearly had itself a 3-1 lead as Jeff Carter found himself all alone at the left side with a wide open net facing him. However, Fleury was able to stretch out the right pad and get his skate on the puck just before it crossed the goal line with under nine minutes to play.

Carter was called for hooking with 4:04 to play in regulation and the Pens took advantage. Gonchar had the puck in the high slot and fed it over to the left point for Kris Letang, who blasted a shot on net that hit off of Malkin in front and snuck past Biron with 3:37 left in the third.

The Flyers got the only goal of the first period and they did so on the power play. After a right circle faceoff win, Matt Carle wound up with the puck at the left point and he let loose a simple shot on net that Hartnell, parked in front of Fleury, was able to redirect between the goaltender’s pads at the 13:26 mark.

Biron had a good first period as he turned aside all 12 shots he faced to keep Pittsburgh off the board.

Biron was called upon early in the second period, as less than a minute in the Pens had a 2-on-1 break. He was up to the task, though, as he stopped the shot and Carter swept the rebound out of harm’s way.

Pittsburgh did, though, tie the game in the second. On a 3-on-2 break, Malkin threw a pass from the right side to the left for Guerin, who let loose with a hard wrister from the left circle that snuck past Biron just inside the left post with 3:22 left in the frame.

Fleury stopped all nine shots he faced in the second period.

Game Notes

The Flyers played without forward Daniel Carcillo, who sat out due to a one- game suspension given to him by the NHL for an incident late in Game 1. Philadelphia head coach John Stevens was fined $10,000 for the incident…Pittsburgh went 2-for-5 on the power play while Philadelphia went 1-for-4.

Content Copyright 2007, The Sports Network. Distributed by XML Team Solutions.
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Game Summary

Scoring Summary

PHI 13:26 Power-Play Goal scored by Scott Hartnell (1) Assisted by Matthew Carle (1) and Braydon Coburn (1)

Penalty Summary

PHI 10:39 2 minute penalty on Luca Sbisa for High-sticking
PIT 13:19 2 minute penalty on Mark Eaton for Holding
PIT 16:55 2 minute penalty on Brooks Orpik for Interference

2nd Period

Scoring Summary

PIT 16:38 Goal scored by Bill Guerin (1) Assisted by Evgeni Malkin (2) and Sidney Crosby (2)

Penalty Summary

PHI 10:47 2 minute penalty on Matthew Carle for Slashing
PIT 11:15 2 minute penalty on Sidney Crosby for Holding

3rd Period

Scoring Summary

PHI 2:09 Goal scored by Darroll Powe (1) Assisted by Claude Giroux (1) and Braydon Coburn (2)
PIT 16:23 Power-Play Goal scored by Evgeni Malkin (2) Assisted by Kristopher Letang (2) and Sergei Gonchar (2)

Penalty Summary

PHI 15:56 2 minute penalty on Jeff Carter for Hooking

OT

Scoring Summary

PHI 18:29 Power-Play Goal scored by Bill Guerin (2) Assisted by Sergei Gonchar (3) and Evgeni Malkin (3)

Penalty Summary

PIT 15:26 2 minute penalty on Hal Gill for Cross-checking
PHI 16:55 2 minute penalty on Michael Knuble for Cross-checking
PHI 17:25 2 minute penalty on Claude Giroux for Slashing