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Game 2 Preview: Penguins Host Flyers

Matt Bodenschatz | National Hockey League

May 11, 12:06 PM | Hype this story!

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Pittsburgh Penguins (2) vs. Philadelphia Flyers (6) Game 2
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Series Score: Penguins 1 – Flyers 0
Game Time: 7:30 EST
Location: Mellon Arena, Pittsburgh
Television: Versus, CBC, RDS

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Preview
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Two nights after a 4-2 romping of the Flyers that saw Evgeni Malkin highlight his talent, his temper and his toughness, the Penguins are looking to make it two in a row with yet another solid performance.

But the Penguins will have to do so against an angry and tougher Flyers roster.

“For us, being more physical, getting in front of [goaltender Marc-Andre] Fleury, getting in his face, it’s going to be important for us to play that Flyers style of hockey,” Flyers winger Scottie Upshall said to Shelly Anderson of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

The Penguins might also have to put up with Steve Downie, a player known for his agitating antics.

That won’t be of much concern to the Penguins, who outhit and (for the most part) outmuscled their supposedly tougher cross-state rivals.

To counter Downie, the Penguins have their own agitator in Jarkko Ruutu, and if the Flyers should decide to add enforcer Riley Cote to the mix, the Penguins have Georges Laraque to patrol.

Penguins forward Max Talbot, out since the middle of the second round with a broken foot is available to play tonight, though Michel Therrien said it will be a game time decision. With the team playing as well as it has, making room for Talbot could be a tough task — which only serves to prove the Penguins depth.

During and after the first game of the series, analysts gave their views of how the Flyers must play to beat the Penguins, and I countered with my view. Regardless of which method the Flyers decide to utilize, the Penguins’ game plan must remain the same:

1. Maintain the physicality, but not so much so that penalties are taken. Staying out of the box is crucial, despite the Penguins’ success on the penalty kill. If the Flyers are to win, make them do it at even strength.

2. Help Fleury at all costs. Both of the Flyers’ goals came from the immediate area in front of the goal crease. There is no question they know this and are ready to bring even more of it. The Flyers have no true “snipers” who can score from all over the ice, though they do have a slew of players who know how to find the back of the net from in close. Hal Gill and Brooks Orpik, this is your time to shine; Sergei Gonchar, Ryan Whitney and Rob Scuderi, this is your time to step it up a notch. Kris Letang, just keep on trucking.

3. Lastly, sustain the offensive pressure. It’s a cliche, I realize, but the best defense is a good offense. The longer the Penguins control the puck, the less time the Flyers have to score. Expose the older defensemen such as Derien Hatcher (21:38), Jason Smith (18:58) and Jaroslav Modry (17:01) who are seeing significant icetime. These guys aren’t as mobile as they used to be, and they certainly don’t have the stamina to play that much.

For a complete list of team leaders and statistics, click here.

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Injuries
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Penguins: Talbot, DTD (Broken Foot); Eaton, IR (Knee)
Rangers: Timonen, IR (Blot Clot); Gagne, IR (Concussion)