Penguins vs. Flyers in a best-of-seven? Yes, please.
This will be the seventh postseason series between the cross-state rivals. And if this one is anything remotely like the other six, we're all going to be in for quite a show the next two weeks.
1. Penguins don't want to lose Game 1.
Not to put to much too much stock in the first game of a seven-game series but ... if the Flyers are going to have any chance in this series, they are going to have to earn, minimally, a split of the first two games at PPG Paints Arena.
If they somehow steal a win in the opener -- as they did in the 2012 series, overcoming a three-goal deficit to win in overtime on this Jakub Voracek goal, below -- it could start to plant the seeds of doubt in Pittsburgh and set in motion a tsunami like that seen six years ago:
No, the 2012 series won't have any bearing on this series, but the Penguins would be wise to put to rest any concerns about this year's team defense, its penalty killing and its goaltending by winning Game 1 convincingly.
The Penguins went 4-0 against the Flyers this season, but two of those wins -- both at PPG Paints Arena -- came in a 3-on-3 overtime format that favors their offensive arsenal. They went 14-4-2 in OT this season, second-best in the NHL, but will have no such advantage in postseason play when OT reverts to a traditional 5-on-5, which favors Philadelphia.
2. Temper, temper, temper.
If the definition of insanity is to keep doing the same thing and expecting a different result, the Flyers will need to change the way they've played the Penguins.
In the four regular-season meetings against the Penguins, the Flyers were passive, showing the two-time defending champions their due respect, maybe too much. It didn't work then and, despite what the Flyers were saying Tuesday, there's no reason to think that same strategy would work in the playoffs.
The Flyers will have to embrace their inner bully and be much more aggressive against the Penguins. The key for them will be trying to strike a balance between physical and unglued. They can ill-afford to give the Penguins multiple power play chances.
Likewise, the Penguins can't afford to take dumb retaliatory penalties for doing things like, oh, I don't know, taking offense to speaking to Evgeni Malkin in Russian from the bench:
Or taking two-handed slashes to some guy's wrist and then crosschecking him. Even in the playoffs that sort of stuff is frowned upon.
3. Ghost-busters.
The Flyers received 50 goals this season from their defensemen, with 30 of those goals coming from their top pair of Ivan Provorov (17 goals) and Shayne Gostisbehere (13).
In coach Dave Hakstol's system, he likes to activate his defensemen who will pinch quite liberally to extend offensive zone time and generate chances.
The Penguin forwards will have to be cognizant of those two players whenever the Flyers have the puck in their zone. Of course, the best way to limit those two is to play the game in their preferred zone, the offensive one.
"They’re good players," Derick Brassard told me. "Obviously, they're going to get chances once in a while. We just have to make sure we make it hard for them, especially in the defensive zone so they spend more energy defending. Be in front of them so they don’t use their skating as much."