Giroux Scores OT Winner In Flyers' 3-2 Win Over Penguins
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Claude Giroux scored 3:57 into overtime, lifting the Philadelphia Flyers over the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-2 in a fight-filled game Tuesday night.
After a throwback clash that featured one ejection and nearly 100 penalty minutes, perhaps this one should have been decided by the judges' scorecards rather than goals.
Philadelphia wing Zac Rinaldo was tossed and faces a likely suspension for plowing Kris Letang into the glass. Flyers All-Star and NHL scoring leader Jake Voracek threw a series of fists in his first fight of the season. And Pittsburgh forward Steve Downie gave a flippant wave to a jeering crowd as he skated to the locker room after his role in a brawl.
Heated rivals for years, the teams fought four times in the second period for a total of 66 penalty minutes.
Pittsburgh's Beau Bennett and Philadelphia's Chris VandeVelde scored in the third to make it 2-all.
The fisticuffs started after Rinaldo sped toward Letang alone along the boards late in the first period. Rinaldo rammed his right shoulder into Letang's back and slammed the defenseman into the glass. Letang crumpled to the ice and was down for several minutes. He slowly got up, hunched over and skated straight to the locker room. He did not return.
Rinaldo was slapped with a 5-minute major and a game misconduct for boarding. One of the NHL's most penalized players, Rinaldo will surely sit out some games once the Flyers return from the All-Star break. He earned a four-game suspension last season for an illegal check to the head of Buffalo defenseman Chad Ruhwedel, who suffered a concussion.
While Rinaldo's check was certainly the most vicious hit of the game, it was just the start of the violence.
Penguins center Zach Still squared off with Flyers forward Michael Raffl in the first bout of the second period. Both helmets went flying and they tussled on the ice for a few moments before it was broken up.
Voracek and defenseman Rob Scuderi tangled in the second fight. Voracek threw several rights to Scuderi's head that sent him to his knees. Voracek waved his arms toward the fired-up crowd of 20,000 that roared in appreciation as he skated to the penalty box.
Downie, a former Flyer, mixed it up with southpaw Luke Schenn in the third fight of the period.
Flyers forward Pierre-Edouard Bellamare clocked Bobby Farnham right in the kisser, drawing gasps from the crowd before the Penguins forward recovered to dish out some shots of his own.
"That period was fun," Flyers forward R.J. Umberger said. "The crowd was definitely into it. It's good to have that and have them have your back. It's a loud crowd when they do."
Oh, right, the goals.
The Penguins took the first 13 shots of the game, but the Flyers scored first on just their second attempt when Schenn's wrister beat Thomas Greiss midway through the first.
"As soon as you get on the ice, you really don't even have to look at the other team's jersey," Schenn said. "You kind of already know who you are playing just by the atmosphere out there. It's unbelievable. Our fans are crazy about the Penguins and it seems to bring out the best of us. It's a great rivalry."
Chris Kunitz evened the score with a short-handed goal against Ray Emery in the second.
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