(My Sportsbook) - The Pittsburgh Penguins will get another chance to close out their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series when they visit the
Philadelphia Flyers at Wachovia Center for today's Game 6 matchup.
The Penguins held a three games to one lead in the best-of-seven set after taking Game 4 in Philadelphia, but the Flyers responded with Thursday's win in Pittsburgh to cut the series deficit to 3-2.
The fourth-seeded Penguins are trying to eliminate Philadelphia from the postseason for the second straight year, as Pittsburgh beat the Flyers in five games during the 2008 conference finals. If Philly can extend the series once again, then the clubs will meet Monday night for Game 7 in the Steel City.
The Flyers have to overcome history if they are to rebound and win this set, as the club has never come back from a 3-1 deficit to win a series. Philadelphia is 0-13 all-time when falling behind three games to one and last forced a deciding seventh game when in that situation in the 1987 Stanley Cup Finals against Edmonton.
Pittsburgh has allowed a team to come back and win a series after leading 3-1 on one occasion and that was in 1975, when the New York Islanders trailed three games to none only to win four in a row to take the set. That was one of just two times in NHL history that a club has ever bounced back from an 0-3 deficit to win a series.
The Pens have played five games in their history with a chance to close out the Flyers and are just 1-4 in those outings.
Philadelphia made it a 3-2 series with a road shutout in Game 5, as Martin Biron stopped all 28 shots he faced to help lead the fifth-seeded Flyers to a 3-0 decision at Mellon Arena. It was the second postseason shutout in Biron's career and the first in the playoffs by a visiting goaltender in Pittsburgh since Martin Brodeur and the New Jersey Devils posted a 5-0 win on May 19, 2001.
Biron also became the first Flyers goaltender to shut out the Penguins in a playoff game.
Arron Asham, Claude Giroux and Mike Knuble lit the lamp for Philadelphia. Giroux, a 21-year-old rookie, is tied with captain Mike Richards for the team lead in this series with four points.
Marc-Andre Fleury allowed three goals on 26 shots for the Penguins after he stopped 45-of-46 in the Game 4 triumph at Wachovia Center.
Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby was held scoreless in a playoff game for the first time since Game 2 of last year's Stanley Cup Finals against Detroit. Crosby had recorded a point in eight straight postseason contests before the streak ended on Thursday.
The Flyers have won three of four all-time playoff meetings against Pittsburgh with the Pens' lone victory coming in last year's conference finals.