Penguins vs. Flyers: Game 1 prediction
Who will take Game 1 between the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins and bitter rival Philadelphia Flyers?
Game 1 of the highly anticipated first-round series between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers takes place Wednesday, April 11.
It’s no secret how much these teams despise each other and would love to be the one to end the other’s playoff run before it begins en route to their own title, and now they get to officially begin the fun Wednesday night.
When it comes to the Stanley Cup playoffs, the Penguins really need no introduction as the back-to-back Stanley Cup Champions. Pittsburgh has won eight straight playoff series in a row, but this one could be the most satisfying yet. Pittsburgh hasn’t faced Philadelphia in a playoff series since 2012, where the Penguins lost that insane series 4-2.
After struggling through most of November and December, the Penguins heated up in a serious way at the turn of the new year and once again sit as one of the favorites to represent the Eastern Conference in the Final after finishing second in the Metropolitan Division with 100 points.
The Penguins unsurprisingly will start Matt Murray, who went through a rather ho-hum year with nothing of too much note, in Game 1. His health will be crucial.
Philadelphia has had a very interesting year, to put it mildly. In December, it looked as though these Flyers were going to be competing for a chance at landing Rasmus Dahlin with the first overall pick when they lost ten straight games, essentially crushing all hopes of the playoffs.
Now, however, the Flyers finished in third place in the Metropolitan Division with 98 points on the back of Claude Giroux’s 102-point season, second in league scoring.
What a turnaround it would be for the Flyers to go from rock bottom, to knocking off their arch-nemesis Penguins and ending their bid for a three-peat. Though the Flyers were swept in the season series against Pittsburgh, they are pesky and skilled enough to get the job done.
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Philadelphia would love nothing more than to march into the Penguins barn and stun them and their fans for an early series lead, but the Penguins are simply too good at home and too used to intense playoff games. The Penguins will use their playoff experience to take advantage of an overemotional Flyers team out for blood in Game 1 and take an early 2-0 lead, then pull away late in the third to take Game 1 with two goals from Evgeni Malkin.