Gagne scores twice, Flyers get back in series by doubling up Penguins

by Bob Herpen
The Phanatic Magazine

Simon Gagne netted a pair of goals, as the Philadelphia Flyers posted a strong 6-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series at Wachovia Center.

Claude Giroux contributed a goal and assist for the Flyers, who climbed back into the series after dropping the first two games in Pittsburgh.

Jeff Carter, Mike Richards and Jared Ross also hit the net for Philadelphia, and Martin Biron stopped 26 shots for the win.

Evgeni Malkin tallied twice for the Penguins, who dropped their first road playoff contest since Game 2 of the 2008 Stanley Cup Finals in Detroit.

Rob Scuderi added a goal while Sidney Crosby picked up a pair of helpers. Marc-Andre Fleury allowed five goals on 29 shots in defeat.

Game 4 is set for Tuesday in Philadelphia.

Ross opened the scoring in the third with his first career playoff tally. Andrew Alberts didn't get all of his slap-pass from the point, but the puck came to the Alabama native at the right post and he flipped it home at 3:42 and the Flyers were ahead 5-2.

While on an extended power play due to a double minor for high sticking to Danny Briere, the Pens got back within two as Malkin ripped a shot through traffic and off the far post 8 1/2 minutes in.

Fleury went to the bench for an extra attacker with just under two minutes to play and Gagne hit the empty net at 18:24 to seal the win.

Carter put the Flyers on the board 2:59 into the contest, taking a Joffrey Lupul feed in the high slot, faking a Pens defender then beating Fleury with a backhander.

Philly went up 2-0 on the power play at 5:14, as Gagne set up a screen just outside the slot to mask a Richards shot which slid through Fleury's pads.

Malkin got a goal back for the Pens with a sizzling one-timer off a Ruslan Fedotenko dish only 12 seconds before the end of the first, and Scuderi's point drive along the ice tied the game 13 seconds into the second period.

Giroux put the orange and black back on top at 4:32, when he broke free from a checker and was wide open to tap in a spinning feed from Briere.

He helped make it 4-2 for the home team while shorthanded, keeping possession deep in the Penguins zone and circling the net from right to left until finding Gagne at the side of the net for a tip-in at 8:58.

The score was the first short-handed tally for any team thus far in the playoffs.