Both of Crosby’s tallies came after the Penguins went back to full strength following penalties. In the first period, Pittsburgh made quick work of a slashing call to Blake Lizotte. Less than 20 seconds later, Crosby scored on a rebound off a shot from Rust.
The Penguins penalty kill had to deal with a tough sequence in the second period. First, Erik Karlsson – who has been a key part of that unit this season – went to the box. He was joined a short time later by fellow defenseman Connor Clifton, giving the Flyers 1:12 on the two-man advantage. It started off well, with a phenomenal shift from Lizotte.
But Kris Letang took a high-sticking minor, and during the delayed penalty call, the Flyers tied the score at 1-1 – and remained on a 5-on-3.
After the Penguins killed the rest of that off, Philadelphia took a penalty, and the power-play personnel was ready and raring to go after sitting on the bench for quite a while. It again took Crosby less than 20 seconds to find the back of the net, this time off a beautiful setup from Rust.
“Those kills were big, two 5-on-3’s. They got the one, but I thought we were poised,” Crosby said. “Our kill was huge, and it allowed us to kind of regroup. Then obviously, our power play was good.”