Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin have been here before. This isn’t their first rodeo as the Pittsburgh Penguins take on the Philadelphia Flyers in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. In the NHL, you either win or you learn, and there’s a clear lesson for the Pens after their home loss in Game 1.
The Penguins came out a bit flat in their first playoff game since the 2021-22 NHL season. The energized Flyers dominated most of the action and they walked away with an important win to start the series. As for Pittsburgh, there’s room for improvement, and its leaders Crosby and Malkin may already know what needs to change. The Penguins must stay out of the box. In order to do so, they can’t play into the Flyers’ hands.
“That’s going to be part of a series,” Crosby admitted about after the whistle activities and penalties, per NHL.com. “I think we’ve got to stay out of it a little bit more and trust that when they do it and try to start it up, that they’re going to get penalized for it. But that’s more something I think they’re looking to do. We’ve got to stay out of it and trust they’ll be undisciplined.”
“We start fighting. This is what they want, you know? We know it’s Philly, we know it’s the playoffs, we know it’s coming,” Malkin added. “I like to play physical, I like to play a hard game. But just after a whistle, we need to just, like, go away and play smart. Everybody should be a little bit smarter.”
Evgeni Malkin of the Penguins
Crosby held pointless
Making his first postseason appearance since May 15, 2022, the spotlight was on Crosby as the Penguins hosted a Stanley Cup Playoffs game at PPG Paints Arena for the first time in what felt like forever for fans in The Burgh. However, Rick Tocchet and the Flyers came up with a strong plan to keep him quiet all night long.
Crosby was held off the scoresheet, and that is a recipe for success when facing the Penguins. Pittsburgh is 8–14 this season in games Crosby doesn’t register a point. Still, the Flyers can’t rest on their laurels.
Crosby will be out for revenge in Game 2, and he only needs one to be back in full force and be decisive in the series. Philadelphia should know that by now. “Sid the Kid” is 3–1 against the Flyers in playoff series.
Flyers win crucial Game 1
Analytics and common sense tell the whole story. Philadelphia secured a crucial triumph in Game 1. Winning the series opener is usually an indicator of success. According to a June 2023 article from Sports Insider, teams that win Game 1 go on to win the series 68% of the time. Those who do so on the road—like the Flyers did against the Penguins—have a series success rate of 57%.
These numbers may have fluctuated a bit since, but they remain in that range. Winning the series opener most of the time is an indicator of winning the series. Just because the math is on their side doesn’t mean the job is finished, though. The Flyers know they’ve awakened the beast, and they must brace for Crosby, Malkin, and the rest of the Penguins to unleash their wrath.
SurveyWho will win the series?
Who will win the series?
ALREADY VOTED 0 PEOPLE
