Neuvirth saves day for Flyers, maybe injects new life

Same player, same spot on the ice. And, ultimately, same result too.

With the Penguins trailing by a goal and 50.3 seconds remaining in the third period, the puck squirted loose to Sidney Crosby at the right side of the Philadelphia net.

But that's where all comparisons to the captain's miss in Game 2 of the Penguins' first-round series against the Flyers end. Crosby didn't shank the puck, didn't slide it harmlessly though the goal crease. Basically, he did not do this:

No, this time, a somewhat competent -- or at least healthy -- goaltender was there to deny Crosby.

Michal Neuvirth threw out his catching glove, snaring Crosby's shot to preserve the Flyers' 4-2 win Friday. It was the 30th and final save for the 30-year-old Czech goalie. And it was also his best and, clearly, most timely:

I asked Neuvirth -- whose last start in Pittsburgh was in front of 67,318 at Heinz Field in last year's Stadium Series game -- specifically about the above save:

"Tried to get it up," said Crosby, who, to his credit, did not smash his stick over the back of the net. "But he was there."

And rest assured, Neuvirth will be there again Sunday afternoon when the Flyers host the Penguins in Game 6 at the Wells Fargo Center. After Brian Elliott's struggles (14 goals allowed on 97 shots) while trying to come back from a core muscle injury, the Flyers have found themselves their goalie.

But Dave Hakstol's decision as to who would start wasn't known until Neuvirth led his team onto the ice for the start of warmups. It was his first start in nearly a month and just his second since Feb. 18 when he suffered a lower body injury that sent Philly's goaltending situation into flux. With both Elliott and Neuvirth injured, the Flyers turned to Petr Mrazek, acquired from Detroit in a trade, and rookie Alex Lyon. 

None of the above are great options, but facing elimination, Neuvirth was the least unattractive.

"He’s done it all year for us at the right time," Hakstol said. "He's come in and played a big game for our hockey team and we needed that tonight."

"I don’t think a lot of people counted us in for this game," Shayne Gostisbhere said. "But we showed the character of this team with guys stepping up in huge ways."

Neuvirth's performance was one of a few positives for the Flyers to take away from Game 6:

• Sean Couturier inspired his teammates after playing through a knee injury.

• Claude Giroux's first-period goal was his first of the series and first in four years and 11 playoff games.

"It was great," he said. "You start overthinking it, try to do too much. It was … I forgot to celebrate. I was shocked."

But Neuvirth was the most encouraging for the Flyers. If they are to somehow even this series, let alone win it, they're going to need him to replicate his Game 5.

Neuvirth wasn't the Flyers' best penalty killer, that would have been Couturier and Valtteri Filppula, who scored a crucial shorthanded goal at 18:15 of the second period. The Penguins' top-ranked power play had zero goals on four shots, but Neuvirth stood tall. Over the final 40 minutes, he stopped 25 of the Penguins' 27 shots.

"He looked great," said Couturier. "Looked really comfortable in there. He was battling hard and fights for a lot of pucks. He made some big saves there at the end. You can’t ask for more from a goalie in the playoffs."

Friday's game was not the first time that Neuvirth has excelled in the postseason for the Flyers. Entering the night, he had an outstanding 2.00 goals-against average and .930 save percentage. In their first-round series against Washington in 2016, the Flyers turned to Neuvirth after Steve Mason faltered in the first three games. Neuvirth won in Games 4 and 5 before losing 1-0 in Game 6.

"I like playing in the playoffs, like facing pressure," Neuvirth said. "But it’s only one game. We came here to win a hockey game, we did that. Now we’ve got to win the next one."

MATT SUNDAY GALLERY