The Penguins have relied on their resilience all year. They'll need to once again down 2-0 to Philly
The Pittsburgh Penguins' resilience carried them to a surprise playoff berth. Sidney Crosby and company will need to rely on it, maybe a lot of it, if they want their postseason appearance to be more than a token cameo. It took the Philadelphia Flyers roughly 48 hours to take all the good vibes Pittsburgh generated during a resurgent season and make them a distant memory.
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Penguins' resilience carried them to a surprise playoff berth. Sidney Crosby and company will need to rely on it, maybe a lot of it, if they want their postseason appearance to be more than a token cameo. It took the Philadelphia Flyers roughly 48 hours to take all the good vibes Pittsburgh generated during a resurgent season and make them a distant memory.
Winning a pair of games on the road and shutting down one of the top offenses in the NHL will do that. The Penguins were visibly frustrated on the ice and notably chastened off it following a 3-0 loss in Game 2 on Monday night that dropped them in a significant hole when the series shifts east to Philadelphia on Wednesday. “I think we’ve been in some tough spots all year,” said Crosby, who was held without a point for the second straight game.
"We’ve always responded really well to adversity. It seems like it’s brought out the best in all of us. ” Pittsburgh's best will likely be required against the young Flyers , who have had no trouble carrying their searing finishing kick to the regular season into the playoffs.
While Philadelphia didn't put on a defensive clinic as it did for most of Game 1, when the Penguins were limited to just 17 shots, the Flyers largely limited Pittsburgh to firing away from the outside. The Penguins generated 27 shots on goal and generated another 48 that either missed the net or were blocked. The ones that found their way to Dan Vladar were turned away.