Penguins Cruise Past Flyers 7-0 as Malkin Scores and Silovs Records Shutout.
PHILADELPHIA — The Pittsburgh Penguins opened their season with a dominant performance Wednesday night, overwhelming the Philadelphia Flyers 7-0 behind a goal from Evgeni Malkin and 19 saves from goaltender Arturs Silovs. Nick Robertson scored twice, while Malkin, Hendrix Lapierre, Filip Hallander, Ville Koivunen and Egor Chinakhov each added a goal. Sidney Crosby recorded an assist as Pittsburgh controlled the game from the opening period. Silovs stopped all 19 shots he faced for his third career shutout in his 57th NHL start. Malkin's goal came early in the second period, when the veteran forward converted on a one-timer from the slot to extend Pittsburgh's lead to 3-0. The goal also gave Malkin 100 career points against Philadelphia, making him the sixth player to reach that mark against the Flyers. Crosby also reached a milestone against Philadelphia. His assist on Robertson's opening goal moved him to 140 career points against the Flyers, extending his record for the most points against the franchise. Pittsburgh built a 5-0 advantage on its first 18 shots against Philadelphia goaltender Dan Vladar. Vladar, who had been limited during the preseason while dealing with an unspecified injury, remained in the game as the Flyers played the first half of a back-to-back. Robertson added his second goal when a puck deflected off the back of Vladar's skate and into the net, giving Pittsburgh a 6-0 advantage.
The result was a stark contrast to the teams' previous meeting in Philadelphia. The Flyers eliminated the Penguins in six games during the first round of last season's playoffs, with Cam York scoring the series-clinching goal.
Philadelphia struggled to generate a response Wednesday, and the home crowd's frustration grew as Pittsburgh continued to add to its lead.
The Penguins are looking to make another playoff push with their longtime core of Crosby, Malkin and Kris Letang. Malkin, 40, returned to Pittsburgh on a one-year contract as the Penguins attempt to return to postseason success.
Up Next
The Penguins will host the Montreal Canadiens in their home opener Saturday.
The Flyers travel to New Jersey on Thursday to face the Devils.
