Pens end their season with a 5-1 loss to the Flyers

PHILADELPHIA (AP) – Claude Giroux had his coach call him the best player in the world.

Giroux needed one shift to prove that claim is more than hometown hype.

He flattened Sidney Crosby only 5 seconds into the game, buried his sixth goal of the series past Marc-Andre Fleury 27 seconds later, and led a Philadelphia Flyers charge into the second round.

Giroux wrapped up a dominant series with a goal and two assists, Ilya Bryzgalov had his first outstanding effort in net and the Flyers beat the 108-point Pittsburgh Penguins 5-1 on Sunday to win their Eastern Conference opening-round series in six games.

“G is a very special player,” Bryzgalov said. “There’s not very many players like that in the world.”

Giroux strapped the Flyers to his 24-year-old back and gave the Flyers an opening shift to remember. In a series where no lead was safe, the Flyers scored the first three goals and made it stand behind stout defense and stellar play out of Bryzgalov.

Bryzgalov allowed 20 goals in the first five games. He settled down in Game 6 and gave up only Evgeni Malkin‘s goal in the second period.

The Flyers had stormed out to a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven series before Pittsburgh won two straight. A day before Game 6, Flyers forward Scott Hartnell called out his defense and Bryzgalov and said it was their turn to win a game.

The Flyers delivered with 40 blocked shots. – Continue Reading and Recap with Media Links