Playoff Preview: Flyers vs. Penguins 4/13/18

By Anthony Caruso III | Publisher

Thd Philadelphia Flyers and the Pittsburgh Penguins play each other on Friday night in Game 2 of their Conference Quarterfinal matchup. The game will start at 7 pm EST at PPG Paint Arena in Pittsburgh, Pa.

The Penguins hold a 1-0 lead in the series. In the first game of the series on Wednesday night, Pittsburgh steamrolled Philadelphia for the 7-0 win.

Penguins captain Sidney Crosby had a hat trick, as he scored three goals. Evgeni Malkin, Bryan Rust, Carl Hagelin, and Jake Guentzel also scored a goal each.

“It’s not a time to panic,” Flyers center Sean Couturier said. “We’ve been through a lot this year and been through some adversity. It’s no different right now. We just have to regroup and get better.”

Pittsburgh has won the last five meetings between the two teams, including four regular season meetings.

The 7-0 loss was the worst for the Flyers against the Penguins since a 10-2 win by their cross-state rival on April 18th, 2012. Philadelphia has not defeated Pittsburgh in a playoff game since a 5-1 win on April 22nd, 2012.

Brian Elliott allowed five of the seven goals on 19 shots over 29 minutes and one second in net. The Flyers should definitely have questions about his goaltending capabilities in the playoffs after his Game 1 performance.

Even though there are those question marks, Philadelphia is still expected to start Elliott in Game 2. Petr Mrázek, who gave up two goals on 12 shots in 30 minutes and 59 seconds after coming in for Elliott, will be ready to go in case head coach Dave Hakstol makes the early hook in an attempt to save the season.

Despite being down 1-0 and against the odds, as they haven’t won against their opponent this season, Philadelphia is looking to even the series. The next two games, beginning on Sunday at 3:30 pm, will be at the Wells Fargo Center in South Philadelphia.

The Flyers have not won a game in Pittsburgh, Pa. since March 26th, 2017 — more than one calendar year ago. Philadelphia won this game, 6-2.

Pittsburgh, who will attempt to put Philadelphia in a tough position with a 2-0 deficit, is 32-9-2-0 this season at home. The Flyers are 20-15-4-4 on the road.