The Pittsburgh Penguins can do better.
After a monstrous win against the Philadelphia Flyers on the opening night of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Pittsburgh Penguins reverted back to their old ways from the start of the regular season.
Bursts of momentum were apparent throughout the game, but the same spark that was present in game one was lacking during game two. They also let the Flyers play their game.
Here’s what Penguins fans can look in game three.
Face-offs and Shots:
The Penguins are not great at taking face-offs. The bright spot of the night was beating the Flyers in the face-off circle. The Penguins were 52% on the draw in game two compared to 48% in game one. Improving on these numbers will be an important factor as the series progresses.
It’s safe to say the Penguins have been firing on all cylinders this series, averaging over 30 shots on goal these past two games. What Pittsburgh does with rebounds could determine the outcome of game three.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Special Teams:
Although the Penguins set a team best on the power play to finish the season, they’ve only scored one goal on eight attempts this series. The Flyers did an excellent job by not allowing the Penguins into the offensive zone or room to set up during the power play. Getting more traffic in front of Elliott and taking more shots will inevitably help Pittsburgh overcome their power play struggles.
On the reverse side, Philadelphia went 2/3 on the power play in game two. The Penguins penalty kill, which has been average all season has given up way too many opportunities. Moving forward, more restraint is necessary. Emotions always run high when playing the Flyers, but the Penguins need to show who’s ready to advance by their play on the ice.
Above all, regardless of questionable refereeing on both teams, the Penguins have to be better.
Belief:
From day one, Mike Sullivan has had an overwhelming sense of belief in this team. We’ve seen his philosophy come true over the last two seasons, ultimately winning back-to-back Stanley Cups because of it. Sullivan has the ability to stay calm in disappointing situations and knows how to shape the team according to their environment. He’s been a huge factor in the Penguins two Cup wins and he’ll continue to be one for as long as he leads this team.
Pittsburgh was never going to go 16-0 during the playoffs and were not going to sweep the Flyers. What game three needs to show is the Penguins resilience on the road in a tough building where they’ve experienced success and failure before.