All things considered, this very unlucky Friday the 13th could have been so much worse for the Penguins.
Seeing Kris Letang return to the ice for the third period after taking what appeared to be a deliberate, high elbow to his head from Philadelphia Flyers captain Claude Giroux saved the night from being the Penguins’ worst nightmare.
It’s one thing to lose a game.
In some ways, it’s hard to believe the Penguins were whipped, 5-1, by the Flyers Friday night in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series just two days after the Penguins beat ’em by a touchdown in Game 1. But that’s the competitive nature of professional sports. The other team gets paid, too.
Flyers goaltender Brian Elliott, who was embarrassed and pulled Wednesday night after giving up five goals on 19 shots, bounced back in a big way, stopping 34 of 35 shots, his best save coming when he turned away Sidney Crosby on a breakaway midway through the second period.
“I thought he was our first star tonight,” Flyers coach Dave Hakstol said. “[Crosby] doesn’t miss often. He didn’t miss at all the other night.”
Elliott also found this Friday the 13th to his liking. Luck was on his side when Patric Hornqvist hit two posts and Riley Sheahan a third, when Crosby missed what normally is, for him, an easy chip shot into a wide-open net in the final seconds of the second period. Crosby slammed his stick on top of Elliott’s cage, breaking it in half. It was that kind of night.
“We introduced ourselves into this series tonight,” Hakstol said. “We played our [fannies] off in a tough building.”
As hard as that realization was for the Penguins, they know it would have been much worse if Giroux had taken out Letang for the game and perhaps the series. Crosby bumped Giroux, who went backward into a brutal collision with Letang, appearing to raise his right elbow as he made contact with Letang’s head. No penalty was called. Letang immediately left the ice and missed the final 13 minutes of the second period, causing alarm in the city and throughout the Penguins organization because of his rather lengthy history of concussions. But he returned after the second intermission and played 7:13 in the third.
Letang refused to discuss why he left the ice. “Coach told me not to discuss any injuries.” He also said he didn’t see Giroux’s hit. “It happened pretty quick.”
Letang’s coach and teammates made it clear they didn’t like Giroux’s hit.
“I have an opinion, but I’m not going to share it,” Sullivan said.
Is it just me or did Sullivan say a whole lot there by saying very little?
“I thought he hit him high,” Crosby said. “I’m sure the league will look at it, but I thought it was a pretty high hit.”
Giroux pleaded innocent. Of course, he did. You really didn’t expect him to say he tried to knock Letang into next week, did you?
“I braced myself. It was just a reaction,” Giroux said. “I mean, I hate to see a guy go down like that. I’m glad he came back.”
If you are doubting Giroux’s sincerity, you are not alone. But there’s no questioning the Penguins’ relief – not to mention their fans’ relief – that Letang was able to play in the third period.
Letang played well and was a plus-4 in the Penguins’ 7-0 win Wednesday night, but Game 2 wasn’t his best even before the Giroux hit. He failed to clear the puck during a Flyers power play late in the first period, leading to a goal by Shayne Gostisbehere that made it 1-0. He then watched helplessly as a rebound of a Sean Couturier shot early in the second period bounced off his elbow and helmet and by Matt Murray.
But it’s nice to know that Letang, barring any late-arriving concussion symptoms, will be ready to go in Game 3 Sunday afternoon in Philadelphia. The Penguins can’t afford to lose any defensemen, least of all Letang, who led them in ice time in the 24 previous playoff games in which he played.
Going into this postseason, the Penguins’ lack of depth among their defensemen was a major concern. They have only seven proven NHL defensemen with Matt Hunwick the seventh. They needed eight defensemen because of injuries in each of their past two Stanley Cup-winning years.
Losing Letang in the second playoff game this season would have been a hurtful blow and really made it a Friday the 13th to forget.
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Ron Cook: rcook@post-gazette.com and Twitter@RonCookPG. Ron Cook can be heard on the “Cook and Poni” show weekdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on 93.7 The Fan.
First Published: April 14, 2018, 3:18 a.m.