Star forward Claude Giroux set the tempo early by hitting and scoring 32 seconds into Sunday's Game 6 contest, and the rest of the Philadelphia Flyers followed suit. Four different Flyer players netted goals and goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov out-played Marc-Andre Fleury in a 5-1 victory, which ended the best-of-seven series between the two hated rivals.
The victory helped the Flyers close out the series in just six games, and advanced Philly into the Eastern Conference semifinals where they will play an unknown opponent. If the second round of the playoffs were to start on Monday, the No. 4-seeded Flyers would play the No. 7 Washington Capitals, who own a 3-2 series lead over No. 2 Boston Bruins.
Giroux finished the contest with a goal and an assists, both coming in the first period -- the latter setting a Flyers' franchise record with 13 points in a postseason series -- that ended with Philly ahead 2-0. The Flyers added two more goals -- the first by Erik Gustafsson, the second from Danny Briere -- in the second period to take a 4-1 margin heading into the third period.
In the final 20 minutes, the Flyers used solid defense and relied on Bryzgalov, who finished with 30 saves, to close out the win. Brayden Schenn scored an empty-net goal with eight seconds remaining and set the Philadelphia crowd into a frenzy.
Pittsburgh's lone goal came from forward Evgeni Malkin, who briefly helped the Pens' trim the margin to 3-1 in the second period. But that was short lived when Briere scored 34 seconds later. The Pens' had a possible second goal disallowed because a player ran into the goaltender as the puck trickled across the goal line.
Flyers right-winger Jakub Voracek tallied two assists in the contest.
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