CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- The Penguins had the NHL's top-ranked power play and the 17th-ranked penalty kill during the recently completed regular season.
Both units could be the deciding factor -- for or against -- in the playoffs, which get under way tomorrow night against the Flyers at PPG Paints Arena.
During Tuesday's practice at the Lemieux Sports Complex, Mike Sullivan's team spent a good chunk of their on-ice session working on special teams.
"It's going to be huge," Patric Hornqvist told me. "They have a good power play, we have a good power play. Usually in the playoffs, those kind of things are the difference between winning and losing. We have to make sure we're on top of our game. Power plays and PK, we know we have a good group and can make it happen."
Penalty killing could be a concern for both clubs.
While the Penguins have struggled lately, it has been a cause for concern all season in Philadelphia. The Flyers PK ranks just 29th at 75.8 percent, and the Penguins could exploit it if given an opportunity. They certainly did that in their four-game regular-season series sweep. The Penguins power play went 5-for-13 (38.5 percent), or more than 12 percent better than their franchise-record 26.2 conversion rate on the season.
Hornqvist, the net-front presence on the No. 1 unit, says the key to their success has been continuity.
"I think the good thing is we’ve been the same five, six guys from day one," he said. "We haven't really changed anything either.
"We know what we have to do to be successful out there. Some nights you get a little puck luck, sometimes you don't. For us, we just have to stay with it. If we do that, we like our chances."
As much as the Penguins' penalty kill struggled down the stretch, allowing 13 goals in the last 14 games, the Flyers went just 2-for-16 (12.5 percent) against Pittsburgh. Why the success against a power play unit that features Claude Giroux, the NHL's second-leading scorer?
"We just stuck to our details," Tom Kuhnhackl explained to me. "We were good at pressuring down ice, keeping them under pressure, making it hard on their entries. And if we do that again, I think we'll be successful."
Special teams are always important in the postseason, but perhaps even more so in this series. One goal has the potential to turn a game or even the series.
"They’re not going to call that many penalties," Kuhnhackl said of the lax officiating that comes in the playoffs. "Every time our power play and PK goes out there, we have to make sure we execute."
• A day after his first practice in nearly two weeks after a groin injury, Derick Brassard reported no problems. While Sullivan didn't officially commit to Brassard playing Game 1 -- "it's really encouraging" -- it appears he'll play.
• Kuhnhackl characterized Tuesday's 35-minute practice as "brisk," declaring his team ready to go.
"Last couple days you want to ratchet up the intensity after a couple days off. I thought the last couple days were really good for us," he said.
Of course, it wasn't all business. At the end of practice, the German dropped the gloves with Bryan Rust in a mock fight. Neither player has a fight in their NHL careers.
• Though they likely will be healthy scratches, Matt Hunwick and Josh Jooris got some reps on the PK. Dominik Simon also skated.
• Carter Rowney, out since March 15 with an upper body injury, was the only absence. Even if healthy, it's hard to see Rowney fitting in the lineup at this point unless due to injury. The 28-year-old will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.
• The lines and combinations used:
Guentzel - Crosby - Rust
Hagelin - Malkin - Hornqvist
Sheary - Brassard - Kessel
Kuhnhackl - Sheahan - Aston-Reese
Dumoulin - Letang
Maatta - Schultz
Oleksiak - Ruhwedel
• The power play units:
Kessel - Crosby - Hornqvist
Schultz - Malkin
Guentzel - Brassard - Sheary
Letang - Maatta
QUOTABLE
"I think we’ve tried to settle into some stability on how we’re utilizing guys' roles on the team, so we can have a clear identity as far as what each guy is going to bring to this team in order to help this team win. We like the group that we have and believe we can compete against anyone if we play the right way." -- Mike Sullivan, on his 12 forwards.
BY THE NUMBER
7: Over/under for points scored by Evgeni Malkin in the first round, per Bovada.
MATT SUNDAY GALLERY
Flyers practice, PPG Paints Arena, April 10, 2018. - MATT SUNDAY / DKPS