The Philadelphia Flyers leveled their state series against the defending Stanley Cups champion Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday night.
Philly bounced back with a convincing 5-1 win over the Pens in Game 2 after getting throttled 7-0 in the series opener.
Head coach Dave Hakstol took heat from the media and Flyers fans by giving goaltender Brian Elliott another start after he let in five goals on 19 shots on Wednesday night. Elliott settled in, stopping 34 of 35 shots for his first playoff win since the 2016 post-season when he was a member of the St. Louis Blues.
Elliott is the 10th Flyers goaltender to suit up for the club in a playoff since 2005, and while it wasn’t entirely his fault during the Flyers’ Game 1 meltdown, hockey fans couldn’t help themselves by doubting the team’s decision to put Elliott back in the pipes.
The gamble paid off, and after the game, Flyers captain Claude Giroux had a special message for those questioning the decision to roll with the 33-year-old netminder.
Just check out the look on Giroux’s face when he says that. He’s not just staring at the media when he says that, he’s saying that to all the haters out there that said the Flyers had little chance of beating the Pens.
"Whenever you get that start, I think I've said it all season long, you want to take advantage of that opportunity," Elliott told reporters following the game.
"It's special to get a start. It's special to get starts in the [Stanley Cup] Playoffs and to carry a team, and try to be the block in the wall behind them.”
