The Pittsburgh Penguins are trailing 1-0 in their series after a 3-2 loss against the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday night.
“Give them credit. They came in and they executed their game plan. We need to be better in terms of executing ours, and we got to be better, just in general,” Penguins Head Coach Dan Muse said.
Paths to the Playoffs
The Penguins secured a playoff spot on April 9, with three games remaining in the regular season. They battled through adversity down the stretch, including an intense March schedule and key players out to injuries/suspension. They used some different lineups in those contests, as players dealing with injuries took the time to recover.
The Flyers, on the other hand, surged into the playoffs. They were one of the best teams in the league after the Olympic Break, tying for the NHL lead with 18 wins. They secured a playoff spot in Game 81 after having extremely low playoff odds.
Physicality and Penalties in Focus
The start of Saturday night’s matchup had plenty of physicality and chippiness. “I mean, that’s going to be part of the series,” Sidney Crosby said.
Crosby added, “I think we’ve got to stay out of it a little bit more, and trust that when they do it, when they try to stir it up, that they’re going to get penalized for it. But that’s more something that I think they’re looking to do.”
Skinner’s Playoff Debut
Christian Dvorak hit the post to start the game, then bolted to the net with the puck. Although he got it over the line, he bulldozed Stuart Skinner in the process, leading to the officials deeming it no goal.
Skinner stopped all nine shots he faced in the first period. Skinner, making his Penguins playoff debut after two straight trips to the Stanley Cup Final with Edmonton, brought calmness and poise.
“Felt good right from the get-go,” Skinner said. “Amazing energy in the building. The fans were absolutely giving it their all. So, it was super, super exciting, and it felt good to get that feeling again of being in the playoffs.”
Penguins’ Puck Management Issues
The Penguins didn’t manage the puck well at the blue line, which is dangerous against a team who’s terrific in transition. The Flyers got three odd-man rushes off of Penguin turnovers. Trevor Zegras, Noah Cates, and Owen Tippett were all denied by Skinner.
“Our blue line, we should control the puck a little bit, play deeper and try to focus, like, maybe a little bit more behind the net,” Evgeni Malkin said. “We give them so many chances.”
The Flyers kept pushing and got rewarded. Skinner was completely screened when Jamie Drysdale put home a wrist shot for the first goal of the game.
The Penguins started to build momentum shift by shift after that tally.