What Happened
The Pittsburgh Penguins opened their season with a 7-0 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday night in Philadelphia. Nick Robertson scored two goals, while Evgeni Malkin, Hendrix Lapierre and Filip Hallander struck in the second period. Ville Koivunen and Egor Chinakhov also scored. Arturs Silovs stopped 19 shots for his third career shutout in his 57th start, and Sidney Crosby recorded an assist.
Key Details
- Silovs posted his third career shutout in his 57th career start.
- Malkin's second-period one-timer gave him 100 career points against the Flyers.
- Crosby's assist on Robertson's opening goal extended his record to 140 career points against Philadelphia.
- Pittsburgh scored five goals on its first 18 shots against goaltender Dan Vladar.
- Vladar knocked Robertson's second goal into the net with the back of his skate to make it 6-0.
- Philadelphia eliminated Pittsburgh in a six-game first-round series in April.
What It Means
The result gives Pittsburgh a measure of revenge after Philadelphia ended its season on the same ice in April. The Penguins are again leaning on their longtime core of Crosby, Malkin and Kris Letang, with Malkin signed to a one-year deal, as they try to win a playoff series for the first time in nearly a decade.