By ERIC KNOPSNYDER
The Tribune-Democrat
PHILADELPHIA
May 13, 2008 11:56 pm
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The Eastern Conference finals may have shifted east for Game 3, but the series tilted even more toward western Pennsylvania on Tuesday night.
Kate Smith’s version of “God Bless America” at the Wachovia Center wasn’t enough for the Philadelphia Flyers to overcome the Pittsburgh Penguins’ talent and shutdown defense.
Neither were the more than 19,000 orange-shirt wearing, Thunderstix-banging fans in attendance.
Even having Keith Primeau, who scored the game-winner for Philadelphia over Pittsburgh in an epic, five-overtime victory in 2000, was not enough for the Flyers.
The Penguins, who hadn’t been able to win in Philadelphia all season, notched a 4-1 victory over the Flyers on Tuesday night to improve to 11-1 overall in the playoffs. More importantly, they moved within a victory of reaching the Stanley Cup and now hold a 3-0 series lead.
Only two teams in NHL history – the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs and the 1975 New York Islanders – have overcome such a deficit.
The Penguins took the crowd out of the game quickly, as Ryan Whitney and Marian Hossa each scored to give them a 2-0 lead 7:41 into it.
“That was crucial,” Penguins coach Michel Therrien said. “We wanted to pursue the puck really well and attack them. Having a two-goal lead took away their emotion.”
Hossa, who scored 2:38 after Whitney’s power-play goal, said the quick lead was a big advantage in front of fans that have a reputation for being the most hostile in the league.
“We knew if we could score first that would be huge and we could quiet the crowd,” Hossa said. “Basically, it’s their sixth player. The people here are unbelievable.”
With Hossa, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, the Penguins have plenty of offensive firepower, but it was defense that made the difference on Tuesday.
They held the Flyers to eight shots through two periods, including just three in the second period. Flyers coach John Stevens credited the Penguins for playing a strong trapping game that kept his team from getting the puck on the net.
“It’s a trap, that’s exactly what it is,” Stevens said. “They execute it very well. They’re very committed to the checking game right now. They are getting all their offense from the checking and they’re doing it very well right now.”
In all, the Flyers managed just 18 shots on Marc-Andre Fleury, who allowed only R.J. Umberger’s first-period goal.
Crosby said that the Penguins’ defensive performance was one of the best he’s seen in his three seasons with the team.
“It’s up there for sure,” he said. “The first two periods, we didn’t give them much at all. I think you have to give Flower (Fleury) credit, because he didn’t see many shots in the first two periods.”
Hossa said that because the Penguins have so many offensive stars if they concentrate on the defensive end, good things will happen.
“If we play well defensively, we know we can be successful,” he said. “We know we have the talent to score goals.”
With only a handful of veteran leaders, Therrien has been impressed with how his team has adapted to playoff hockey.
“This is a young team that is playing a really mature game,” he said. “When you have skilled players committed defensively, it gives us a chance to win.”
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