Second-period melee sparks Flyers to comeback win in Game 3: ‘I think we feed off of that’
The Flyers scored three goals in six minutes of action following Travis Konecny and Bryant Rust's dustup and the chaos that followed.
Take one look at the box score, and you’ll quickly get a sense for just how physical and chippy the Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins got in Game 3.
The Flyers had 44 hits and 28 penalty minutes in the game, and the Penguins picked up another 22 minutes worth of penalties.
The Xfinity Mobile Arena crowd was not happy with the Penguins’ five power-play opportunities, but the only people less satisfied with the officials than the crowd may have been the Penguins themselves.
» READ MORE: Flyers push Penguins to the brink of elimination with a chaotic 5-2 win in South Philly
Postgame, coach Dan Muse was extremely frustrated with the way the game was officiated, especially regarding a first-period interaction between Garnet Hathaway and Sidney Crosby. Hathaway hit Crosby in the face with a stick, and Crosby went down hard, causing both players to be called for penalties, with Crosby picking up a call for embellishment.
“We don’t have a single embellishment all year,” Dan Muse said. “Sidney Crosby doesn’t have an embellishment penalty in 21 seasons. The stick’s in his face. They take both of them. I disagree on that strongly. Not one. Not one on our team all season. We didn’t come into this series and start. Our guys have done a good job of that. And Sid doesn’t embellish.”
Hathaway didn’t comment on the play postgame. The second-period scrum, which led to all 10 players on the ice being put in the penakty box, was one of the most-talked-about moments in the game.
Penguins forward Bryan Rust picked up an extra minor for tackling Travis Konecny, and that fight and the ensuing power play ended up being a huge momentum swing for the Flyers. Trevor Zegras cashed in to tie the game, and the Flyers proceeded to score two more goals in the period.
“I think we feed off of that,” Hathaway said. “We’re a close group. There’s no denying that. So you see guys step up for each other. We fed off that first and then we fed off the crowd second. But yeah, that’s where we grabbed the momentum. And whether that was the reason, I don’t know, but we took it and we ran with it from there.”
Rust told reporters afterward that Konecny had elbowed him and attempted to kick him while on the ground. Konecny said he’d have to watch the play back, but that he didn’t remember doing so.
The Flyers have made their physicality a big factor in the series, laying hits to quiet the crowd and settle the bench early in Pittsburgh, and in Game 3 to help turn the tide after the Penguins’ strong start. Konecny credited a first-period shift with two big hits from Hathaway and captain Sean Couturier as one of the early momentum-builders on Wednesday.
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“I don’t want to just run around, but I don’t think we ran around,” Rick Tocchet said. “I thought those were smart hits.”
After the scrums that ended Game 2 led to several game misconducts, the Flyers emphasized the importance of staying even-keeled and not getting too wrapped up in the emotions of the game. But Wednesday’s Game 3 showed the value of that scrappiness and physicality.
“It’s just part of it,” Konecny said. “It’s a battle out there. You’re fighting for ice here. You’re trying to own the blue paint. Things are just going to happen. Try as best you can to play between the whistles, and if things get out of hand, just try not to be the extra guy going in.”
» READ MORE: The Flyers won Game 3 the way they used to, and it all felt fresh and new and promising.
