PITTSBURGH \u2013 Rasmus Ristolainen waited 820 games for this moment, so isn\u2019t it justice when he winds up with the primary assist on the Flyers\u2019 go-ahead goal on Saturday night?<\/p>\n
Ristolainen got the puck to defense partner Travis Sanheim, who put a shot past Pittsburgh goalie Stuart Skinner to break a 1-1 tie and the Flyers were on their way to a 3-2 win on Saturday night at PPG Paints Arena.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust itching to play all day,\u201d Ristolainen said after the game. \u201cThe warmup felt like a long time. Just get on the ice and start playing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Did he ever doubt this day would come?<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can\u2019t think that way,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s a team sport. I can\u2019t control everything on my own. Just try to get better and keep working at it. I believed it would happen one day.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Flyers held the vaunted Penguin offense to just 17 shots. Ristolainen was a big part of that.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought we played pretty good,\u201d he said. \u201cWe earned the win.\u201d<\/p>\n
As for the wait, coach Rick Tocchet understood why Ristolainen wanted to get a taste of playoff hockey so badly.<\/p>\n
\u201cI talked to him this year, he\u2019s sick and tired, he wants to play in the playoffs,\u201d Tocchet said. \u201cYou could tell he wanted to be in the playoffs and he played that way.\u201d<\/p>\n
Added captain Sean Couturier: \u201cI\u2019m really happy for him. He\u2019s put in the work the last couple years to battle through injuries. To come back, he brings a lot to our defense. Big, physical, righthanded defenseman. Tonight I thought he had an impact on the game with his physicality.\u201d<\/p>\n
Young guys rewarded<\/p>\n
Porter Martone had a goal, Denver Barkey had an assist and the young Flyers performed well in a tense environment.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven for the young guys, to play at this pace, the development is huge,\u201d Tocchet said. \u201cFor them to get in this temperature in the playoffs, you fasttrack their development. It\u2019s pace out there and these guys are getting it. I\u2019m happy to see our young guys playing at this pace.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was a little nervous they might be nervous. We really tried to relax that atmosphere. I thought they did a really nice job the last couple days, just staying with it. Those kids were hootin\u2019 and hollerin\u2019 a little bit but I like they were even-keeled.\u201d<\/p>\n
A 19-year-old such as Martone, whose late goal wound up making the differnce, is an example of that.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s maturity,\u201d Tocchet said. \u201cSome games you\u2019re not going to have it. He was trying to figure the pace, he knew it. And then he gets the goal. It\u2019s hard to find guys like that. In the playoffs you just have to stick with it because you could have that big moment.\u201d<\/p>\n
Martone has only been around a few weeks but he already sounds like a veteran.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve never seen an arena fully sold out,\u201d he said. \u201cI think we really built off the energy there. I really liked the start to our game.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe just kind of kept it simple and played hard. Waited for our chances. Coming in here, I think the older guys did a great job with me and some of the younger guys on the team. I think we were all pretty excited going into this game.\u201d<\/p>\n
Barkey was modest when discussing his performance.<\/p>\n
\u201cPlayed big games before, the Memorial Cup finals OHL finals, games like that,\u201d Barkey said. \u201cThose games mean a lot, so a little of that experience before helps you stay calm, cool and collected.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wayne Fish is a freelance writer. www.flyingfishhockey.com<\/p>\n
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