National Hockey League
Philadelphia 5, Pittsburgh 2
When: 7:00 PM ET, Friday, January 15, 2021
Where: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Referees: Wes McCauley, Kelly Sutherland
Linesmen: Tyson Baker, Andrew Smith
Attendance: N/A

Travis Konecny scored three goals and added an assist for his first career hat trick, lifting the host Philadelphia Flyers past the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-2 on Friday.

Ivan Provorov and Oskar Lindblom also scored for the Flyers, who swept the Penguins in consecutive games to open the season.

Philadelphia's Jakub Voracek, James van Riemsdyk and Claude Giroux each had two assists, and Flyers goaltender Carter Hart made 31 saves.

The Flyers did have one thing go wrong, as Sean Couturier left the ice in the first period and never returned. Philadelphia coach Alain Vigneault said postgame that Couturier would undergo an MRI exam on an injured shoulder.

Sidney Crosby and Brandon Tanev scored one goal apiece for the Penguins.

Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry was pulled after allowing the first three goals of the game on just six shots. He was replaced by Casey DeSmith, who allowed only one goal and finished with 12 saves.

Konecny scored two early goals and Provorov added one at 11:30 of the first period for a quick 3-0 Flyers lead.

The Penguins responded with a power-play goal by Crosby at 12:59 of the first, his 45th goal in 72 career games against the Flyers. Just 32 seconds later, Tanev pounced on a loose puck in front and sent it past Hart to close Pittsburgh within 3-2.

Hart made a stellar stick save on a point-blank shot by Jake Guentzel less than three minutes into the second period.

After a wild flurry-filled first period, both teams clamped down defensively in a scoreless middle period. The Flyers managed only four shots on goal in the second.

In the third, Pittsburgh's Sam Lafferty fired a wrist shot with 14:58 remaining, but Hart corralled the puck despite a number of players charging in for the potential rebound.

Forty-three seconds later, Philadelphia's Nolan Patrick skated in by himself and had a shot deflected away by DeSmith.

Konecny completed the hat trick at 12:53 of the third when he tapped home a pass by Kevin Hayes for a 4-2 advantage. Konecny, 23, was appearing in his 301st career NHL game, all with the Flyers.

Lindblom added an empty-net goal with 2:08 remaining.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Pittsburgh   Philadelphia
Sidney Crosby 1 Points Travis Konecny 4
Sidney Crosby 1 Goals Travis Konecny 3
Jake Guentzel 1 Assists Claude Giroux 2
Sidney Crosby 1 Power Play Goals Travis Konecny 1
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Casey DeSmith .923 Save Percentage Carter Hart .939
Casey DeSmith 12 Saves Carter Hart 31
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Pittsburgh 33 2 1-5 5-6 12 27
Philadelphia 20 5 1-6 4-5 10 23
Upcoming Games
  • Philadelphia will play their next game at home against Buffalo. The Flyers have a W/L % of 1.000 after a win and .000 after a loss.
  • Pittsburgh will play their next game at home against Washington. The Penguins have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .000 after a loss.