Pens take 1st game of the season; beat the Flyers 3 – 1 !

It feels so good to be bringing you the end game report for the first game of the season! I’ve missed hockey so much and really enjoyed watching the game today.

So lets get to it, here’s the end game report:

What. A. Game.

The Penguins got a thrilling 3-1 road victory over bitter rival Philadelphia at the hostile Wells Fargo Center in their 2012-13 regular season opener. Defeating cross-state foe Philadelphia is always satisfying for the Penguins, but what makes this win even sweeter for Pittsburgh is that the Flyers eliminated them from the 2012 playoffs.

“It feels great,” goalie Marc-Andre Fleury said with a big smile.

Fleury made 26 saves, earning his 227th career win to surpass Tom Barrasso and take sole possession of first place on the Penguins’ all-time wins list.

Tyler Kennedy and James Neal both scored in the first period, with Chris Kunitz adding an empty-netter with 11.2 seconds left in the game to ice the victory. Claude Giroux scored for the Flyers.

The Penguins couldn’t have drawn up a stronger start. They dominated the first period of play, outplaying the Flyers and keeping them on their heels. The Penguins won faceoffs, foot races and battles for the puck and were especially strong in the offensive zone, working as a five-man unit to keep play moving.

But the Flyers regrouped after the first 20 minutes and came out flying to start the second period. The pace of the game’s remaining 40 minutes was incredible. The game flowed fast and there were few whistles; both teams kept play moving and created scoring chances.

Even with two late Flyers power plays, the Penguins held off the charging Flyers to start the season with a mark in the win column.

Complete End Game Report