NHL Scores: Philly flies against Penguins, Senators collapse against Montreal

The effort just wasn’t there for a couple of teams on Saturday.

by Patrick Iversen

Mar 16, 2014, 1:00 PM UTC

Richard Wolowicz

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NHL Saturday: Flyers stun depleted Penguins

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For all of the excitement, the first installment of this weekend’s Pennsylvania home-and-home was quite the rout.

Granted, the Penguins were pretty depleted up front. And on the blueline. And pretty much everywhere you look, really. The season has not been kind to the Penguins, and the Flyers took full advantage of their bruised and battered rivals in a 4-0 win on Saturday.

Yes, the vaunted Penguins offense was shut out against the usually suspect Flyers defense. But don’t count them out on Sunday. The lack of skill might have hurt them on Saturday, but the lack of effort is something easily remedied.

Which, incidentally, is something that can be said for more than a few losing teams on Saturday night. (We’re looking squarely at you, Ottawa.)

All the NHL Scores

Bruins 5, Hurricanes 1

Flyers 4, Penguins 0

Canadiens 5, Senators 4 (OT)

Lightning 3, Devils 0

Islanders 4, Sabres 1

Blues 4, Predators 1

Blue Jackets 2, Wild 1 (SO)

Coyotes 3, Flames 2

Ducks 2, Kings 1

Five Questions

On Saturday we asked you five burning questions about the days games. These are your cool, soothing answers.

1. Which Pennsylvania team takes the first game of the home-and-home?

The Flyers, and it wasn't really all that close. Pittsburgh was a mess defensively all afternoon, as Sean Couturier and Matt Read carved up their defense for two goals and a whole lot of quality chances. Down 4-0 after two periods without Chris Kunitz or James Neal, the Penguins were in a hole they couldn't dig out of.

2. Can the Coyotes get back into the playoff picture?

Yes and no. Phoenix' big win in Calgary means they're tied with the Stars for the final wild card spot, but the Stars still have a game in hand on the Coyotes. They did manage to close the gap between them and the Wild to five points, however.

3. Can the Ducks keep the Sharks at bay for another day?

Anaheim avoided falling to second place in the Pacific with a 6-4 win against Colorado on Friday, but their battle for the division doesn’t get any easier against the Kings on Saturday. The Kings have their own problems to worry about after watching a two-goal lead turn into a 3-2 loss against the Leafs on Thursday. If Anaheim loses, San Jose can take the division lead on Sunday.

4. Can Jeff Skinner replicate his performance and keep the Hurricanes alive in the East?
In hindsight, it’s tough to register 13 shots on goal when your team is busy giving up 41 at the other end. With the Bruins scoring at will on the Hurricanes, Skinner was held to a single shot on goal and no points.

5. Can the Wild separate itself from the wild card hunters?

No team had won in a shootout this season after falling behind 2-0, but the Blue Jackets became the first by completing an improbable comeback against the Wild on Saturday. It was a costly extra point given away by the Wild, as the Coyotes crept up the ladder with a win.

Impact Moment

The one play or moment from Saturday that is going to be making headlines over the next couple of days.

Want a fun moment? How about the end of the Canadiens-Senators game? The Senators held a commanding 4-1 lead with 3:22 left in the third period and looked like they were going to cruise to a win. Then Montreal scored. And scored. And tied the game with 0.5 seconds remaining.

It was a completely stunning turn of events, especially considering how it ended.

If you’re a Sens fan, you probably think that play should’ve been blown dead long before Canadiens sticks started jabbing away at Robin Lehner. Either way, the colossal failure to close out that game is the new low in what has been a disappointing step back this season for Paul MacLean and his troops.