Flyers edge Pens to force Game Six
Hellebuyck makes 30 saves as Jets claim first series win, Avalanche avoid play-off elimination
>> PITTSBURGH: Sean Couturier scored the game-winning goal with 1:15 minutes left in the third period to lift the Philadelphia Flyers past the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-2 on Friday at PPG Paints Arena.
Valtteri Filppula, Claude Giroux and Matt Read also scored as the Flyers staved off elimination and now trail 3-2 in the Eastern Conference best-of-seven series. Game Six will be today in Philadelphia.
Flyers goaltender Michal Neuvirth stopped 30 shots in the win.
Bryan Rust and Jake Guentzel each scored for the Penguins. Pittsburgh goaltender Matt Murray made 21 saves.
Couturier scored the game winner with a wrist shot from just inside the blue line. The puck appeared to deflect off Pittsburgh’s Brian Dumoulin and past Murray.
Neuvirth made a spectacular save on Sidney Crosby with 1:01 minutes remaining and Read sealed the victory with an empty net goal with 17.3 seconds left.
The Penguins struggled on the power play, going 0-for-5.
Pittsburgh’s Conor Sheary attempted to tie the game but ripped a shot off the post with 11:20 minutes left in the second. Sheary also had another shot go wide before clanging that one off the post.
The Penguins kept peppering Neuvirth with shots and eventually tied the game at 1 with eight minutes remaining as Rust scored on a wraparound.
The Flyers responded with several good chances in front of the net but couldn’t capitalise. Giroux had the best opportunity but was stymied by Murray.
Pittsburgh went ahead 2-1 with 3:15 minutes left in the second as Guentzel shot one through Neuvirth’s pads.
The Flyers tied the game at 2 with a short-handed goal by Filppula with 1:45 minutes left.
Giroux put the Flyers on the board for a 1-0 lead when he blasted a slapshot past Murray with 2:31 minutes remaining in the first. It was Giroux’s first goal of the series.
Pittsburgh’s Phil Kessel nearly equalised less than a minute later when he skated in and shot the puck just wide of Neuvirth.
The Flyers led 9-5 in shots and held a 1-0 advantage at the end of the first.
In Winnipeg, Jacob Trouba, Bryan Little, Brandon Tanev and Joel Armia scored in the first 11:59 minutes to chase Minnesota goalie Devan Dubynk and Winnipeg beat Wild 5-0 to win a play-off series for the first time in franchise history.
Connor Hellebuyck made 30 saves for his second shut-out of their Western Conference series, and Mark Scheifele added a goal in the third to help the Jets finish off the Wild in five games. Winnipeg will face the winners of the Nashville-Colorado series.
In Nashville, Sven Andrighetto scored with 1:28 minutes left to lift Colorado past Nashville 2-1, sending the first-round series back to Denver for Game Six.
This is the third time the Avalanche had trailed 3-1 in a series since the franchise relocated to Colorado. They lost the first two, but will have a chance today to push this series to a seventh game after rallying with two goals in the final 4:11 minutes.
Gabriel Landeskog started the rally with his goal into an empty net with Nashville goalie Pekka Rinne caught outside the crease with his own teammate Ryan Ellis in his lap. Then Andrighetto gave the Avs the lead off a rebound of a shot by JT Compher.
Andrew Hammond made a careerhigh 44 saves for his first postseason victory in his first play-off start since April 17, 2015, with Ottawa and just the third of his career.
Nick Bonino scored for Nashville.