Crosby’s absence felt, Blomqvist shaky, and more: 3 reasons why Pittsburgh Penguins lost 3-2 against Philadelphia Flyers

The Pittsburgh Penguins dropped a tough 3-2 contest against the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday night at the Wells Fargo Center. The Penguins have now lost two of their last three games. The loss leaves the Penguins tied with the Flyers for last place in the Metro Division.

Erik Karlsson and Kevin Hayes scored for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Meanwhile, Scott Laughton, Garnet Hathaway and Travis Konecny scored for the Philadelphia Flyers.

So, let’s look at the three main reasons why the Pittsburgh Penguins lost to the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday night.

3 reasons why Pittsburgh Penguins lost to Philadelphia Flyers

#3 Power play blanked

The Pittsburgh Penguins power play went 0-for-2 on Saturday night against the Flyers. Considering how tight the final score was, the Pens’ inability to score on the power play proved costly.

Had the Penguins been able to score, the game could have gone to overtime. Instead, the Penguins failed to find the back of the net with the man advantage, allowing the Flyers to take home the two points.

#2 Blomqvist shaky

Pittsburgh Penguins backup goaltender Joel Blomqvist looked shaky against the Flyers, giving up three goals on 20 shots.

While his performance was not awful, he wasn’t as steady as the Pens would have wanted. With the Penguins outshooting the Flyers 33-20, the Pens expected more from their netminder.

In particular, the Flyers’ third goal looked especially shaky as Konecny’s shot from the blue line made it all the way though despite the lack of traffic in front of Blomqvist.

Here’s a look at the goal:

The Penguins were one save away from turning the game around on Saturday night. They didn’t get that timely save from Blomqvist and the result was a tough 3-2 loss.

#1 Crosby’s absence felt

Penguins captain Sidney Crosby missed the game due to an upper-body injury. Crosby skated with the team this week but was ultimately scratched for the game against the Flyers on Saturday night.

While there is no specific word on the extent of Crosby’s injury, it seems the Penguins scratched Crosby out of precaution.

Regardless of the reasons, Crosby’s absence was felt. The Penguins could not generate much offense without their franchise center, leaving the club down their top two centers and strong playmaker Bryan Rust.

While the Penguins hung tough, they were unable to cap off the comeback without the big guns in the lineup.

The Penguins head into the 4 Nations Face-Off break on a sour note. The club will be back on the ice on February 22 as they host the Washington Capitals at the PPG Paints Arena.