Flyers score 3 goals in 2nd period and top Penguins 5-2 to take 3-0 lead in first-round series

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PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Trevor Zegras, Rasmus Ristolainen and Nick Seeler scored three goals on four shots in the second period in Philadelphia's first home playoff game in eight years, pushing the Flyers to the brink of a sweep of the Pittsburgh Penguins with a 5-2 Game 3 win on Wednesday night in their best-of-seven first-round series.

Game 4 is Saturday night in Philadelphia.

The Flyers' trio of goal scorers gave their raucous fans more reason to celebrate than just a first home playoff game since April 22, 2018, and first home playoff win since April 20, 2016. They can clinch their first playoff series win since the 2020 bubble season — and they can do it against Sidney Crosby and the Penguins.

“It was great to experience that again," Flyers captain Sean Couturier said. "We’re happy, but we’re also happy for the city, the fans. They’ve supported us through ups and downs.”

Dan Vladar, shaken up a bit in the third with an apparent right hand or wrist injury, stopped 28 shots and again outplayed embattled Stuart Skinner in net.

Not long after Vladar was hit, Erik Karlsson scored on the power play to cut it to 3-2.

Forget the rally. Noah Cates put the finishing touches on one of the biggest Flyers' wins in the last 16 years with a power-play goal for a 4-2 lead. Owen Tippett added an empty-netter in the waning minutes.

Flyers coach Rick Tocchet said Vladar was “banged up.”

Flyers fans dressed all in orange and came ready to blow the roof off the arena in support of the first playoff home game — and Gritty’s first ever — in a city where they were once automatic. Follow the sound of the boos and they were directed to an area where scattered Penguins fans tested their luck and good health wearing Crosby jerseys in Philadelphia.

The Flyers wasted all the pregame energy in a hurry when Evgeni Malkin scored a power-play goal only 4:18 into the game. The Penguins were doomed by an 0 for 5 effort on the power play in Game 2 and Crosby went scoreless in Pittsburgh. Crosby’s assist helped the Penguins, who had the seventh-ranked power play in the regular season, score their first power-play goal in eight attempts in the series.

Malkin’s 29th career postseason power-play goal tied him with Mario Lemieux for most in Penguins history.

The game erupted in the second period into a scene straight out of the days when the old school enforcers of the Broad Street Bullies era roamed the ice.

Penguins forward Bryan Rust slammed Travis Konecny to the ice and smothered the Flyers forward and all the lines joined the fray until they were separated by officials. Konecny ripped off his helmet and dropped his gloves and beckoned Rust to fight him. No dice. They instead traded verbal barbs from the penalty box.

The Flyers and Penguins could have held team photo day inside their respective penalty boxes.

Rust got four minutes while four of his teammates joined him and Konecny and four of his teammates tagged along inside a jammed box.

Public address announcer Lou Nolan had just started to rattle off the list of names — “the penalties, we think ... ” — when Zegras ripped one past Skinner for the power-play goal that evened the score 1-1. The Flyers mobbed Zegras and pinned him in celebration against the penalty box.

“There were a lot of them in there," Zegras said. "I figured they would be jumping around.”

Nick Seeler joined them to make it six in there 61 seconds later when he was whistled for cross-checking.

“There’s a scrum. We get the extra penalty," Penguins coach Dan Muse said. "That changed everything.”

Ristolainen — whose 820 regular season games before making the playoffs were the most of any active player — made it 2-1 and Flyers started fans started derisive “Skinner! Skinner” chants that echoed long after the go-ahead goal. Seeler scored 2:12 later on a shot from the point for the 3-1 lead — and made it 3 of 4 on Skinner after he stopped the first 18 shots.

“We got the bodies in here," Skinner said. “We’ve got a resilient group. I can say that over and over and over again, but we’ve proven it. We’ve shown it. This is the group that can definitely come back from this deficit.”

Flyers fans, on their feet since comedian Shane Gillis helped set off the ceremonial pregame pryo, gave the arena an electric feel.

“It was nice to see the building rocking like that," Tocchet said. "It’s been awhile.”

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AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl