With chance to close series, Pens outplayed

PITTSBURGH — The Philadelphia Flyers were determined and desperate, angry at themselves for being on the brink of elimination against the team that embarrassed them while ending their season a year ago.

The Pittsburgh Penguins might want to go looking for that same desperation, now that they’ve let the Flyers back into a series that appeared to be over.

Arron Asham and Claude Giroux, role players on a team filled with goal scorers, got the first two goals and the Flyers avoided elimination by beating the Penguins 3-0 on Thursday night to force Game 6 in the Eastern Conference first-round series.

“There’s no more excitement and challenge to be down in a series and know there’s no tomorrow,” said Flyers goalie Martin Biron, who made 28 saves in his second career playoff shutout.

After winning 2-1 in Philadelphia despite being outshot 46-26 on Tuesday night, the Penguins were in position to finish off the Flyers in Game 5 on home ice for a second successive season, just as they did by winning 6-0 to decide the Eastern Conference finals last season.

Not so fast — and the Penguins weren’t, their speed and skill negated by the Flyers’ desperation and a clampdown defense led by Biron.

“That was the message before the game, that we needed Marty to be great,” coach John Stevens said.

The Flyers still have a huge challenge, as they are 0-13 in series after trailing 3-1, and they haven’t forced a Game 7 since losing to Edmonton in the 1987 Stanley Cup finals. But they can do that if they win Game 6 on Saturday in Philadelphia.

“We had an opportunity to get that fourth win. It’s something we wanted to do as quickly as possible and we had a chance to do it at home,” Penguins coach Dan Bylsma said. “We knew they were going to be battling for their lives.”

Should the Flyers win Saturday, the pressure shifts back to Pittsburgh, which hasn’t blown a 3-1 series lead in 34 years.

“We’re still down in the series,” said Mike Knuble, who scored the Flyers’ final goal in the third period. “All we can do is force another game in Philly. We achieved that goal, but they’re going to be ready for us.”

The Flyers managed to keep it scoreless despite being outshot 15-5 in the first period, then got the all-important first goal when their fourth line outworked the Penguins’ Sidney Crosby-led first line for Asham’s goal. They put it away when Giroux and the Flyers’ third line took advantage of another Pittsburgh mistake, a poor pass by defenseman Philippe Boucher, for Giroux’s second of the series early in the third period.