Flyers hope to build on rally from Game 1

Associated Press

PITTSBURGH

Peter Laviolette’s speech was well rehearsed, nothing the Philadelphia Flyers haven’t heard a dozen times this season, if not more.

His team facing a three-goal deficit after the first 20 minutes of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals against Pittsburgh on Wednesday, Laviolette trotted out the same message that’s become rote during the last three months.

Hang in there, Laviolette told his players. Get back to playing your game. Keep skating — actually, start skating — and good things will happen.

Laviolette didn’t smash a stick to make his point. He knows that’s no longer required.

Of course, it’d be nice if his players would let him take a night off from making the speech by not waiting until they’re trailing to get it together. Still, the Flyers will take their stunning 4-3 rally in Game 1 over the alternative, which they fear is coming if they don’t solve their first-period issues in Game 2 to night.

“I think we’ve got to play that desperate hockey when it’s 0-0 when the puck drops,” forward Scott Hartnell said. “You can’t win too many of these games. We’ve been getting lucky.”

Maybe not.

The comeback was nothing new for the Flyers, who won 20 games this season when the opposing team scored the first goal, the most in the NHL. They’ve become particularly adept at doing it against the Penguins.

The game marked the third time in the last month Philadelphia has spotted Pittsburgh at least two goals then roared back to win, yet the Penguins tried to remain upbeat after the stunning collapse.

“I think that’s something we expected of them,” Pittsburgh goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury said. “They always come back. They always find a way.”