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NHL playoffs 2018: Penguins vs Flyers preview and prediction

By Thomas Brandwood

PITTSBURGH, PA - MARCH 25: Claude Giroux
PITTSBURGH, PA - MARCH 25: Claude Giroux /
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Its a series hockey fans could only dream of — the battle of Pennsylvania, reignited. Penguins vs. Flyers. Crosby vs. Giroux. Hockey fans are in for a treat.

The Pittsburgh Penguins, the Metropolitan Division’s second-seeded team, take on the Metropolitan’s third seed, the Philadelphia Flyers, in the first round of the playoffs.

Top scorers for the Penguins this season include Evgeni Malkin, with 98 points in 78 games; Phil Kessel, with 92 points in 82 games; and Sidney Crosby, who recorded 89 points in 82 games. For the Flyers, Claude Giroux had a career year, scoring 102 points in all 82 games, while Jakub Voracek and Sean Couturier had 85 and 76 points in 82 games, respectively, this season.

Both the New Jersey Devils and Columbus Blue Jackets scratched multiple key players in their final regular season games, in hopes of taking a loss to avoid a clash with the Penguins in the first round of the playoffs. The team’s losses were inevitable, which means the Flyers jump from a wild-card spot to third in the division. This set up a date with cross-state rivals, the Pittsburgh Penguins.

PHILADELPHIA, PA – MARCH 07: The battle of Pennsylvania is known to get nasty, as the cross state rivals hate one another. Expect nothing less come the first round of the playoffs when the two teams square off.
PHILADELPHIA, PA – MARCH 07: The battle of Pennsylvania is known to get nasty, as the cross state rivals hate one another. Expect nothing less come the first round of the playoffs when the two teams square off. /

The regular season series between two of the NHL’s biggest rivals saw the Penguins largely dominate the Flyers, outscoring them 20-11. In the four games the two teams played, Pittsburgh scored five goals in each game and was victorious all four times. Crosby leads the offensive charge for the Penguins, notching nine points in the season series. Justin Schultz, Jake Guentzel and Phil Kessel each recorded six points in the four games in the battle of Pennsylvania this season. Goaltender Tristan Jarry recorded three of the wins, while Matt Murray recorded the other.

For the Flyers, only Claude Giroux and depth forward Jordan Weal produced consistently in the season series. Each had four points. All four of the Flyers goaltenders made an appearance in the season series. Out of Brian Elliot, Petr Marezk, Alex Lyon and Micheal Neuvirth, only Neuvirth, albeit in just one period of play, was able to record a save percentage over .900 (.909) and a goals against average of 3.00 or below (3.00).

In summary, the Flyers goaltending has been a major issue against the Penguins’ high-flying offense this season.

The Penguins head into the playoffs with the league’s best power play, operating at 26.2 percent. The Flyers, meanwhile, have the league’s third worst penalty kill, which is killing just 75.8 percent of penalties. It cannot be emphasized enough that the Flyers must stay out of the penalty box if they are going to have any chance at beating the reigning champions.

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In summary, a young and exciting Flyers team will be in too deep against the powerhouse that is the Pittsburgh Penguins. Expect them to give it everything they have, but the stars, experience, and power-play of the Penguins will be too much for the Flyers to handle.

Prediction: Penguins in 6.

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