Twenty Years Later - Penguins 6, Flyers 2 - 10-30-10
"Twenty Years Later" is a segment, with a highly unimaginative name, which will appear on Empty Netters throughout the 2010-11 season. We will examine the Penguins' 1990-91 season which led to the first Stanley Cup title in franchise history. We will look back on games on a particular date and catch up with former players, coaches, executives and media members who were a part or around that team.
Today, we look at the Penguins' 6-2 win against the Flyers, Oct. 30, 1990.
The Penguins closed out October with a trip to The Spectrum in Philadelphia. Left winger Kevin Stevens gave the Penguins an early 1-0 lead at 5:49 of the first period when he beat Flyers goaltender Ken Wregget off assists from fellow "Option Line" teammates John Cullen and Mark Recchi.
Exactly one mintute later, right winger Rob Brown increased the lead to 2-0 with a goal. Assists when to left winger Bob Errey and Jim Johnson.
At 4:42 of the second, the Flyers got on the board when a slap shot by defenseman Matt Carkner deflected off the stick of Penguins defenseman Paul Coffey and beat goaltender Frank Pietrangelo. Right winger Scott Mellanby had the only assist.
The eventual game-winning goal came from an unlikely source in left winger and enforcer Jay Caufield less than a minute later at the 5:36 mark. He beat Wregget through the five hole with a wrister from the left wing. Errey and Johnson once again recorded assists.
At 16:02, Recchi beat Wregget by cleaning up a rebound from a Coffey shot on a power play to give the Penguins an 4-1 lead. Coffey and rookie right winger Jaromir Jagr had assists.
Right winger Joe Mullen recorded his 10th goal of the season by at 6:45 of the third period. Recchi and Jagr were credited with assists.
The Flyers got their second goal from a slap shot by defenseman Gord Murphy at 10:34 off assists from left winger Tony Horacek and center Keith Acton.
Center Randy Gilhen netted the final goal at 15:34. Left winger Jeff Daniels and Recchi had assists.
Notes:
-Pietrangelo, who "stood on his head" according to Recchi, recorded the win by making 33 saves.
-Wregget took the loss after making 15 saves.
-Caufield's goal would be his only score of the season.
-Of Caufield's rare feat, Stevens said, "You know how hard that shot was. If it hadn't hit the net, it would've gone all the way back to Pittsburgh."
-Caufield is a native of Philadelphia.
-Cullen and Mullen extended scoring streaks to seven games.
-Recchi had seven points in two games.
-The score was the largest margin of victory in Philadelphia in the Penguins' franchise history.
-The Penguins were outshot, 35-21.
-The win pushed the Penguins over the Flyers and into first place of the Patrick Division.
-The Penguins finished October with a 6-6-1 record.
-Center Bryan Trottier missed his sixth consecutive game due to a back ailment.
Also in the news that day:
-Pirates outfielder R.J. Reynolds opted to leave the team via free agency.
-Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein announced his country was making final preparations for war and expected an attack within days by the United States. (The United States would not begin aerial bombing in the Gulf War until Jan. 17, 1991.)
(Photo: Penguins Hockey Cards)