NHL Playoffs: Penguins-Flyers scrum leads to 11 players in penalty boxes

Rust was assessed a double minor, meaning he had to go to the penalty box for four minutes. But after the officials sorted things out, the Flyers took advantage.

Less than a minute after the scrum, Trevor Zegras brought the game to a 1-1 tie on a slap shot at the 5:18-mark. Four minutes later, Philadelphia took its first lead of the game when Rasmus Ristolainen buried a snap shot to go up 2-1. That score held until the 11:18-mark when Seeler found the back of the net on a snap shot of his own to extend the Flyers’ advantage to 3-1. Sean Couturier assisted on all three goals.

Pittsburgh went into Wednesday’s game needing momentum against rival Philadelphia, and Penguins star Sydney Crosby knew it. They trailed the Flyers 2-0 as the series headed to Philadelphia, which is why Crosby said it’s important to have a sense of urgency heading into Game 3.

“Obviously, the urgency is heightened,” Crosby said, via ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski. “I think it’s always heightened when you’re down in a series. You’re trying to give momentum back. I’ve been up 3-1 in a series. I know how quickly that can turn.”

The Penguins and Flyers both had 98 points during the regular season. Pittsburgh went 41-25-16 on the year while Philadelphia had a 43-27-12 overall record. That set up the series to kick off the NHL playoffs, and Penguins defenseman Connor Clifton acknowledged the magnitude of the rivalry.

“Obviously, ‘Battle of Pennsylvania,’ a little history there,” Clifton said, via NHL.com. “… I think it’s a good matchup for us. I’m sure Sid’s licking his chops.”