The most striking stat in the Penguins' 3-2 loss to the Flyers in Game 1 was within the hits.
The physicality was to be expected. The Flyers averaged the fourth-most hits in the NHL in the regular season, with 22.46 per game. The Penguins averaged the third-fewest, at 17.31. And so, it was a topic of conversation in the Penguins' room since the Flyers clinched -- yeah, the physicality generally ramps up for everyone in the playoffs. But the Penguins should be especially prepared with it being a big part of the Flyers' game.
The final hit totals in this one? 41-40, Penguins. Connor Dewar led the way for the Penguins with six, followed by Anthony Mantha (5) and Parker Wotherspoon (4).
The post-whistle scrums and general chippiness were both at a high, too. And sometimes the frustration may have been a factor, like when Sidney Crosby got a roughing penalty for ripping off Jamie Drysdale's helmet.
"I think you can't be surprised by it," Dan Muse said of the physicality. "It's going to be part of it. I thought guys were looking to be physical as well, the one-on-one battles. I mean, I think there's some things that I think we got involved too much in, some of those scrums, that we did probably didn't need to. That's playoff hockey."
Evgeni Malkin thought that the Penguins needed to be "a little bit smarter" when it came to the extracurriculars.
"We know it's Philly," he said. "We know it's playoffs. We know it's coming. I like to play physical, I like a hard game. But just after a whistle, we need to just go away and play smart. It's the only way. Because they love it -- like this game, after a whistle, coming to you, cross-checks. But we know it's coming."
To combine for 81 hits isn't that out of the ordinary this time of year. The two other games earlier in the day had similar totals -- the Hurricanes' 57 vs. the Senators' 39, and the Wild's 49 vs. the Stars' 39. That's just the playoffs. But going into Game 2, the Penguins will have to make more of an effort to just play their game and not get rattled by the Flyers' antics.
THE ASYLUM
Penguins unsurprised by physicality
The most striking stat in the Penguins' 3-2 loss to the Flyers in Game 1 was within the hits.
The physicality was to be expected. The Flyers averaged the fourth-most hits in the NHL in the regular season, with 22.46 per game. The Penguins averaged the third-fewest, at 17.31. And so, it was a topic of conversation in the Penguins' room since the Flyers clinched -- yeah, the physicality generally ramps up for everyone in the playoffs. But the Penguins should be especially prepared with it being a big part of the Flyers' game.
The final hit totals in this one? 41-40, Penguins. Connor Dewar led the way for the Penguins with six, followed by Anthony Mantha (5) and Parker Wotherspoon (4).
The post-whistle scrums and general chippiness were both at a high, too. And sometimes the frustration may have been a factor, like when Sidney Crosby got a roughing penalty for ripping off Jamie Drysdale's helmet.
"I think you can't be surprised by it," Dan Muse said of the physicality. "It's going to be part of it. I thought guys were looking to be physical as well, the one-on-one battles. I mean, I think there's some things that I think we got involved too much in, some of those scrums, that we did probably didn't need to. That's playoff hockey."
Evgeni Malkin thought that the Penguins needed to be "a little bit smarter" when it came to the extracurriculars.
"We know it's Philly," he said. "We know it's playoffs. We know it's coming. I like to play physical, I like a hard game. But just after a whistle, we need to just go away and play smart. It's the only way. Because they love it -- like this game, after a whistle, coming to you, cross-checks. But we know it's coming."
To combine for 81 hits isn't that out of the ordinary this time of year. The two other games earlier in the day had similar totals -- the Hurricanes' 57 vs. the Senators' 39, and the Wild's 49 vs. the Stars' 39. That's just the playoffs. But going into Game 2, the Penguins will have to make more of an effort to just play their game and not get rattled by the Flyers' antics.
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