If you thought Game 3 between the Flyers and Penguins was wild in the first period, it got downright shameful in the third period. With Philadelphia out to a three-goal lead and the game essentially decided, James Neal took a run at Flyers rookie Sean Couturier, who has frustrated Pittsburgh all series long with his solid head-to-head play against Neal and Evgeni Malkin.
The hit connected with Couturier's head and was a blatant attempt to injure, yet Neal was not penalized. That would turn out to be a vital mistake on the part of the officials.
Following the hit, Neal stayed on the ice. The puck dropped, the shift began, and the Neal took this run at Flyers star Claude Giroux:
As you can see, Giroux was quite woozy after the hit. He's had concussion problems this season, so it's definitely a concern for Philadelphia moving forward. Giroux didn't play a shift after this, but he did remain on the ice after the check attempt by Neal when tempers flared.
That again was not the end of it all. Neal was originally given two minutes for charging on the Giroux hit and, as he skated over to the penalty box, the Flyers tried to get at him. Neal was thrown in the box while Sidney Crosby went after Scott Hartnell and the players all gathered yet again. Sidney Crosby tried to keep Hartnell from approaching Neal, and then Craig Adams jumped in as a third man.
The Penguins lost Game 3 in convincing fashion, and they trail the series three games to none. They didn't go down without a fight, but they didn't go down with dignity either.
For more on the Pens, check out Penguins blog PensBurgh and SB Nation Pittsburgh. For more on the Flyers, head over to Flyers blog Broad Street Hockey and SB Nation Philly.