Article
Vladar's Shutout, Martone's Encore. Flyers Take 2-0 Lead
Vladar's 27-save shutout and Martone's second straight goal lifted Philadelphia 3:0 over Pittsburgh — Flyers lead the East 1st Round series 2-0.
Vladar's Shutout, Martone's Encore. Flyers Take 2-0 Lead
Dan Vladar made 27 saves for his first career Stanley Cup Playoffs shutout, Porter Martone scored for the second straight game, and the Philadelphia Flyers beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-0 in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference First Round at PPG Paints Arena on Monday.
Pittsburgh Penguins – Philadelphia Flyers 0:3 (0:0, 0:2, 0:1)
Goals: – 33:39 Martone (Konecny, Dvorak), 37:43 Hathaway (Tippett, SH), 57:55 Glendening (Couturier, Hathaway, EN).
Goalies: Skinner (20 saves on 23 shots) – Vladar (27 saves on 27 shots, shutout).
/series: 2-0 PHI/
A Penalty-Filled, Scoreless First
The opening 20 minutes featured plenty of scrums and seven combined power plays, but neither team converted. Trevor Foerster, Erik Karlsson, Rasmus Ristolainen and Nick Seeler all took penalties in the first frame, but Vladar and Stuart Skinner held both sides to a scoreless tie.
Martone Strikes Again
The Flyers broke through at 13:39 of the second period. Travis Konecny found Porter Martone with a cross-ice pass at the bottom of the left circle, and Martone's backhand attempt deflected off the stick of Pittsburgh defenseman Ryan Shea past Skinner. The 19-year-old rookie became the 12th teenager in NHL history — and the first Flyer — to score in each of his first two postseason games.
Hathaway's Shorthanded Strike Buries Pittsburgh
Just over four minutes later, with Philadelphia killing a Lawson Glendening cross-checking minor, Garnet Hathaway broke through at 17:43 on a feed from Owen Tippett to make it 2-0. The shorthanded goal was a stake through the heart of a Pittsburgh team still searching for its first lead of the series.
Glendening Caps a Defensive Showcase
With Skinner pulled, Glendening sealed it at 17:55 of the third — a primary assist from Sean Couturier and a secondary from Hathaway. Vladar finished with 27 saves, the bulk of which came late as Pittsburgh pressed.
What It Means
Philadelphia heads home with a 2-0 series lead and a goalie playing his best hockey at the right time. Coach Rick Tocchet warned: "Coming in here and winning two games is tough to do. They're not dead, so we have to act like they're not dead." For Pittsburgh, Crosby's "having a situation like this hopefully brings out the best in us again" was the operative thought heading into Game 3 in Philadelphia.