Well, the Flyers are back in the playoffs after a half-decade of missing out. The last time the Flyers were in, the world was shut down, and Marvel was still making good movies. Now, well...we'll see. Are the Flyers a one-and-done team or will they go further?
Of course, it is fitting that they are facing off against their interstate rivals: the Pittsburgh Penguins. For years, this was a great rivalry as these two teams dominated the Metro Division. Crosby vs Giroux. Malkin vs. Voracek. Fleury vs. whoever the Flyers had in net at the time. But Giroux, Voracek, and (insert goalie name here) are gone. So is Fleury. Evegeni Malkin, Sidney Crosby, and Kris Letang remain.
In the last 20 years, the Flyers and Penguins have faced off four times in the postseason: 2008, 2009, 2012, and 2018. The Pens took three of the contests because they were the better team. Philly's only victory was in 2012. Will this year be different or more of the same?
Let's break this down.
The Forwards
One of the things that makes the Flyers so dangerous is their depth. Look at their lineup from the Carolina game:
Tyson Foerster -- Trevor Zegras -- Owen Tippett
Travis Konecny -- Christian Dvorak -- Porter Martone
Denver Barkey -- Noah Cates -- Matvei Michkov
Luke Glendening -- Sean Couturier -- Garnet Hathaway
And that's with the Flyers sitting Alex Bump. They don't have a bona fide superstar. They don't have that one killer line. Instead, they have three solid lines that score at any given time. That fourth line may not be as rough and tough as it used to be, but it is solid enough to surprise you and give you fits. Much like the aforementioned Hurricanes, it is a tough group to defend against because you don't know which line to prioritize.
As for the Pens, they got some scorers. Crosby can still score and loves to do it against Philly. Something about this rivalry gets his blood up. In his career, he has scored 654 goals; 60 of them against Philly with 79 assists to boot. He has scored more goals against the Flyers than any other team, and his 139 points are just three shy of the Islanders. In fact, his 60 goals are the most scored against the Flyers. Alex Ovechkin is second with 54. Ugh.
Once you get past Crosby, you've got Malkin. Malkin has 99 career points against the Flyers (a career high for him). Then you got Anthony Manta, who's scored 30 goals this year, Bryan Rust with 29, and Richard Rakell with 24. They have guys who can score and score often.Â
But there is a big drop off there. They have more prolific scorers, but the Flyers spread it across more. The Penguins have more lines that are dangerous in what they offer, but the Flyers are younger, faster, and may be harder to defend against.
Slight advantage Flyers.
The Defense
The Flyers have one legit number one defender in Travis Sanheim. Jamie Drysdale has come a long way and has shown he can become one. He is fulfilling the promise everyone saw in him when he was acquired. Cam York is a solid third defender, has gotten more comfy playing in that role, and has rebounded nicely from last season. Nick Seeler is a solid, steady defender. Rasmus Ristolainen has come on strong since returning to the lineup. And also, Emil Andrae has stuck more often than not.
Overall, it's not a bad squad. It's not as impressive as some defensive units the team has had in the past, but they'll get the job done.
For the Pens, it starts with Letang. He ain't what he was, but he can still hit, score, produce, and set up the play. Then you have Erik Karlsson, one of the best defenders in the NHL, and on a nice rebound year this season, as Pittsburgh has played better. After that, Parker Wotherspoon and Ryan Shea can contribute something to the offense. A whole mix-match of defenders have patrolled the blue line.Â
Their top four defenders are probably better than our top four overall. in skill set and ability. More importantly, they have playoff experience, whereas only Sanheim has any.
Slight advantage Penguins.
The Goalies
For the Flyers, Dan Vladar has been the man all season and shows no signs of slowing down. Sam Ersson struggled for much of the season, but since the Olympic break has come on. If he can be what he was, he could give Vladar a rest or two. At least the pressure is off of Ersson to not suck now.
Pittsburgh has had problems in net ever since it jettisoned Marc-Andre Fleury. Maybe that was karma coming back to get them. Their goalie duo is Arturs Silvos and Stuart Skinner. While they aren't terrible, I would take Valdar and Ersson over these guys any day of the week.
Big advantage Flyers.
Special Teams
The Flyers finished dead stinkin' last in the league on the power play. If anything will hurt this team in the playoffs, this is it. You can't score on every man advantage, but you have to score on some of them. A 15.7% rate won't cut it. Only one other team has done that: The 1997-98 LA Kings finished 26th on the power play and were swept in the first round by the St Louis Blues.
On the penalty kill, the Flyers were better, but not by much. They finished 23rd overall at 77.%. To be fair, they are one of the most penalized teams in the league, sitting at 9th place. They can improve on not taking penalties and not allowing the other team to capitalize.
The Penguins are 7th overall on the power play. Look for Karlsson to be setting up Malkin or Crosby. This is where they have killed the Flyers in the past. Their penalty kill is 7th best at 81.6%
What this means is that Pittsburgh's special teams units can suffocate what the Flyers have out there. Porter Martone's entry to Philly and Foerster's return to the lineup have helped, but is it enough?
Big advantage Penguins.
The Coaches
Instead of going into great depth, let's just say that at the beginning of the season, if you were asked which three, and only three, teams from the Metro Division would make the playoffs, Carolina would be one of them. Would anyone have said that both Philly and Pittsburgh would make it? Probably not.
Philly was predicted to be a bottom-feeder again, and Pittsburgh was expected to fall apart and trade Malkin and others at the deadline. Because of this, both Rick Tocchet and Dan Muse should be in the conversation for the Jack Adams Award. Muse is a first-year coach, which might give Tocchet a slight advantage, but both have taken their teams back to the playoffs in their first season after extended droughts for both.
Advantage neither.
The Intangibles
The Penguins have years of experience in the playoffs, despite this being the first time since 2021-22. Only Couturier, Konecny, and Sanheim have been in there as a Flyer. The Penguins have won three Stanley Cups in the last 20 years and have been a mini-dynasty during a time of mini dynasties in the NHL (LA, Chicago, Boston, Tampa, Florida). Their big-name players know how to step up big in big moments. Malkin and Crosby can each single-handedly take over a game. They have the better performance on the penalty kill and power play units. And yet....
There is something about this Flyers team. They are hot right now. Could it be that they run out of gas? Could it be that they are too young and can't step up? Maybe. But the Pens almost petered out down the stretch. Malkin and Crosby recently missed time due to injuries. Yes, some things make those savvy vets savvy. However, there is something to be said about youthful energy.
Slight advantage Flyers.
Final Verdict
Two years ago, the Florida Panthers snuck into the playoffs on the last day of the year and knocked the Flyers out of the playoffs. They ran that momentum to a Stanley Cup victory, including knocking a historic Boston team out in the first round.Â
History and stats are on the side of the Pens, but I think the Flyers take this first set. Granted, at least one game will go into OT, and I think this will be a six-game series. If the Flyers can split the series in Pittsburgh and rock them in Philly, I think they have a chance at winning this series, if only because their youth doesn't know better. Flyers in 6.
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