Flyers at Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins have one eye on the future and one on the past as they begin their quest for a third straight Stanley Cup championship on Wednesday with the opener of their Eastern Conference first-round series against the visiting Philadelphia Flyers. The Keystone State rivals are meeting in the postseason for the first time since their epic series in 2012, which saw the teams combine for 56 goals before the Flyers advanced in six games.
"Three-peat, we hear it, we don't talk about it," Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford told the Toronto Sun as his club braces for the Flyers and Claude Giroux, who has recorded career highs in goals (34), assists (68) and points (102) this season. Giroux provided the signature moment of the previous playoff series with a thunderous open-ice check on fellow captain Sidney Crosby before scoring an early goal to set the tone in Game 6 for Philadelphia. The 30-year-old Crosby has flustered the Flyers throughout his career with 93 points (38 goals, 55 assists) in 63 games, and this season has been no exception as he has erupted for nine (two goals, seven assists) to help the Penguins win all four encounters with their in-state rivals. Pittsburgh scored five goals in each of those meetings and finished the season on an 11-4-2 surge to secure second place in the Metropolitan, two points ahead of a third-place Philadelphia squad that posted a 7-1-3 mark down the stretch.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, NBCSN, CBC, TVAS
ABOUT THE FLYERS (42-26-14, 3rd in Metropolitan): The underdog story is a familiar one in Philadelphia dating back as far as the mythical "Rocky Balboa" to as recent as the NFL's Eagles, who overcame the loss of their starting quarterback to win Super Bowl LII. "You win two Cups in a row, and obviously people are going to favor you. It doesn't matter to us. You go on the ice and it's two teams and it's whoever plays the best," said Giroux, who has bolstered his candidacy for the Hart Trophy with eight goals in his last five contests to highlight a 10-game point streak. Fellow forward Jakub Voracek, who scored the overtime winner in Game 1 of the 2012 series, enters the postseason with one goal and four assists in his last four outings.
ABOUT THE PENGUINS (47-29-6, 2nd in Metropolitan): Phil Kessel led the NHL with 42 points (12 goals, 30 assists) with the man advantage for Pittsburgh, which saw its top-ranked power play go 5-for-13 this season against Philadelphia's 29th-ranked penalty kill. "I do believe our power play gives our team a certain level of confidence," head coach Mike Sullivan said. "... It's been one of the more consistent aspects of our overall team game. We expect them to continue to be that difference-maker if and when those opportunities present themselves." Crosby and fellow former Hart Trophy recipient Evgeni Malkin (club-best 42 goals, 98 assists) each recorded 38 points with the man advantage while Patric Hornqvist tied for third in the NHL with 15 power-play goals.
OVERTIME
1. Philadelphia C Sean Couturier scored two of his career-high 31 goals versus Pittsburgh this season and has five assists in his last three games overall.
2. Penguins D Justin Schultz set up six goals against the Flyers this season and has six assists in his last seven games overall
3. Philadelphia G Brian Elliott owns a 7-3-2 career mark versus Pittsburgh, but was gashed for nine goals on 66 shots in two meetings this season.