Penguins Can Still Have Success Against the Flyers – The Hockey Writers –

The Pittsburgh Penguins’ return to the Stanley Cup playoffs has not gone according to plan. They lost the first two games of their series with the Philadelphia Flyers and are now facing an uphill battle. The Penguins have looked disjointed and unorganized through the first two games of Round 1, but this is still their series to win or lose. 

Penguins Have to Be Better About Making Adjustments 

The Penguins have a good number of players with playoff experience, and the Flyers are a lot younger and less experienced. However, so far, experience has not given Pittsburgh the advantage. 

Sidney Crosby has a long history against the Flyers, playing in 93 career regular-season games and scoring 60 goals with 139 points. In Game 1, Philadelphia made him a non-factor by completely clogging up the neutral zone. If the Penguins have any chance of mounting a comeback effort, they have to find a way to get Crosby more involved. 

On April 18 during Game 1, the Penguins were unable to adjust their game plan in response to Philadelphia’s defensive attack. During the regular season, anytime they would get pinned in their own zone, their game would start to unravel as they would get impatient and make careless mistakes. That is exactly what the Flyers did in Game 1, and they were wildly successful. Pittsburgh has struggled all season to make in-game adjustments, and they have run out of time to fix the problem. 

Coming into the series, the Penguins appeared to have the offensive advantage. They finished the regular season third in total goals in the NHL, and when head coach Dan Muse moved Rickard Rakell to second-line center, it seemed like a recipe for success. In all honesty, they probably are the better team offensively; however, the Flyers’ defense has completely choked the life out of them through the first two games. 

Philadelphia’s defense has had total control of the neutral zone through the first two games, and they have been blocking shots and clogging up lanes like the rent was due. They have also done a good job of not letting the Penguins get near the net. The Flyers scored three goals in each game. They aren’t doing anything groundbreaking on the offensive side of the puck, they are just capitalizing on Pittsburgh’s mistakes. 

Penguins Have to Put the Losses Behind Them

The Penguins were heavily underestimated at the start of the season, and they earned their right to a playoff berth. They have not looked like themselves through the first two games, and they have to find a way to get back to their game. The first step should be fixing the power play. Pittsburgh’s power play finished seventh in the NHL, but it has looked completely broken against the Flyers. They also need to find a way to generate more offense. They did a better job in Game 2, but they were still passing too much and the Flyers kept them contained to the perimeter. 

The Flyers have also done a good job of keeping the Penguins’ star power in check. Erik Karlsson, Rakell, Anthony Mantha, and Egor Chinakhov have all been quiet. Ben Kindel and the rest of the bottom six have also been non-factors. Pittsburgh has not been able to play the game they want to play, and they have gotten frustrated in the last two games. They have to find a way to break some of their big guns free and get to the net. They have to stop trying to play their game and start matching Philadelphia’s energy. There is no doubt that Pittsburgh has what it takes to win this series, but so far, all they have done is beat themselves.