The Flyers return to Philly tonight for Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Playoff series against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Flyers currently hold a 2-0 lead in the series after winning the first two games on the road.
The Penguins and the Flyers both finished the regular season with 98 points. Pittsburgh ranked higher because of the tiebreaker stats thus being awarded home ice advantage. That means the Flyers needed to win at least one game on the road during the course of the series. Mission more than accomplished.
Porter Martone
Porter Martone has scored both game winning goals in the series so far. At only 19 years of age he is the 1st teenager in NHL history to have accomplished such a feat. Since joining the Flyers down the stretch Martone has been very impressive. He has slid into this line-up like a seasoned pro.
Flyers Penguins
The Philadelphia Flyers have put on a clinic so far in this series. They are doing so many things right. The goaltending of Dan Vladar has been stellar. He allowed two goals in Game 1, and earned a shutout in Game 2 stopping 27-of-27.
He currently has a 1.00 GAA and a .956 SV% in the playoffs. Vladar has been a very calming and vocal leader on the ice and in the locker room. Awarded the Team MVP in the regular season he’s been outstanding in the first two games of this series.
Defense
The Flyers entire team has been doing a fantastic job shutting down the Penguins prolific offense. The Defensive core has been solid but the forwards are also playing a defensibly responsible strategy. The Penguins power-play was ranked #7 during the regular season. The Pens are 0-for-7 with the man advantage so far in this series.
The Flyer have been adamant about policing the area in front of their net. They have been clearing Penguins out of the crease. They’ve been effectively shutting down passing lanes through the slot and blocking shots before they even get to the net. Philly’s ambitious defensive play in this series had caused building frustration for the Pittsburgh Penguins, and they have not been handling that frustration well.
The Flyers have managed to keep Sidney Crosby off the score-sheet throughout the first two games. Crosby at 38 years of age is still a prolific scorer. This season he notched 29 goals and 74 points over 68 games played. To put that in perspective, Travis Konecny was the Flyers point leader with 68 points in 77 games played. Owen Tippett was the Flyers top goal scorer with 28 goals over 81 games.
Stay the course
The more the Flyers show composure and stick to their fundamentally sound style of play the more Pittsburgh has broken down and fallen off the rails. The Flyers are a quicker team and are doing a better job defensively than the Penguins. The Penguins frustration has taken them off their game. You might expect the younger less experienced Flyers to be the more emotionally fragile team but that has not been the case.
It would not be a surprise if the Penguins finally found their focus. They are a high-scoring star studded team that could come back to life at any time. They Flyers can not let their guard down. The fact that the Pens are now on the road could prove to be an asset to them. Less pressure. The fans in Pittsburgh were voicing disapproval by the end of the 2nd period on Monday night. The arena was near empty by the end of the game.
Penguins goaltender Stuart Skinner who can be streaky has been solid in the Pittsburgh net. The Flyers have outscored the Pens 6-2 so far in this series. Skinner has allowed five goals over two games. Often this would be enough for a high scoring team like the Penguins to win hockey games.
The difference is the Flyers have been the better team. They are faster, more disciplined, and totally unified. They are playing as a unit. The Flyers need to stick to their guns and stay with their game plan even if the road gets a little rocky.
Going into Game 3 in Philly tonight all the Flyers have to do is be themselves.
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