Penguins – Flyers Game 1: What We Learned

Penguins fans expecting a walk in the park against the Flyers in Round 1 got a dose of reality this very well could be a 50-50 series.

From start to finish the Flyers under veteran coach Rick Tocchet put on a master class with systematic play in taking Game 1 with a 3-2 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday evening at PPG Paints Arena. “I don’t think we cheated the game tonight,” Tocchet said. A series is not won in Game 1 but you can set the tone for the rest of the series. If the Flyers prior tried to draw up a perfect game plan on how to beat the Penguins four times in seven games, it was the Game 1 blueprint they put on tape. It was even a bit stunning how well the Flyers executed in all three zones, especially through the neutral zone.

The Flyers attacked the Penguins from the drop of the puck with a bruising, fast on pucks style and Philadelphia played with an adrenaline rush in their game all night, while what appeared to be some nervousness in the ‘older’ Penguins play, especially with their decision making. Rushed plays in around the blueline was a sign the Penguins were caught off-guard with the Flyers pressure. Owen Tippet and Trevor Zegras had breakaway opportunities off turnovers in the second, odd-man rushes were allowed off mental mistakes and Philadelphia did not sit back in their 1-3-1 and play passive. It was an aggressive 1-3-1 with like what Rick Tocchet said, no cheating in their lanes. Pittsburgh couldn’t exploit any voids.

“The Flyers make it hard,” Penguins coach Dan Muse said afterwards. “I think that’s part of their game, they’ve been doing that for a while, they can make it difficult.”

The talk after the game inside the Penguins room was about the Flyers speed. While the Penguins from tracking measures are on the slowest teams in the NHL, the issue at hand was the Penguins inability to combat the Flyers second wave of pressure. Pittsburgh’s puck possession game was running into no man’s land whether 5-on-5 or on the man advantage. That’s where the biggest adjustments to watch for Game 2 will be. The Flyers are baiting the Penguins to try to play a dump-and-chase game. But, Pittsburgh has to try to avoid making that a go-to option. What they want to do is turn the tables and start putting the Flyers on their heels. Shorter puck support, letting Erik Karlsson take some gambles in joining the play with be a start. Pittsburgh has to get the Flyers out of their lanes and chase to create voids through the neutral zone. Game 1 was won through the neutral zone by Philadelphia.

“Give them credit,” Muse said. “They came in and they executed their game plan. We need to be better in terms of executing ours, we’ve just got to be better.”

What’s Next? This has felt like a seven game series coming in and Game 2 is going to be a major foreshadow moving forward. Can the Flyers really play as near perfect systematic style of game with their play away from the puck as they did from or was Game 1 a mirage? And from Pittsburgh’s end the pressure is on the rookie head coach Dan Muse.

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: The Penguins made multiple aggressive attempts last June to trade up for the Number 4 overall pick in the 2025 Entry Draft and there was always one particular target To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!

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#’s: (1) The amount of High-Danger Chances Pittsburgh’s Top line of Egor Chinakhov-Sidney Crosby-Bryan Rust line was credited with in the loss, a major win for the Flyers. The coaching staff has believed Rickard Rakell as the #2 center opens up so many opportunities because of his ability to drive 1-on-1 offense and create space but only a matter of time until Sidney Crosby wants Rust and Rakell back on his wing and you can’t blame him. [/hide]

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— As badly as the Penguins were outplayed, Bryan Rust got the Penguins within one goal with 1:03 remaining and then the puck is on your leading goal scorers stick in tight with two seconds left to force overtime. Mantha like many struggled with the Flyers pressure and had a really rough game with two penalties. Elmer Soderblom did not play a bad game by any means in a third line left wing role and it’s understandable the coaching staff wants his size in their matchup but is he the best fit around offensive players like Kindel and Mantha? It’s not a great match. Justin Brazeau is going to dress at some point in this series, and he might not be an ideal option either but you can’t deny the offensive chemistry Mantha/Brazeau have together. . If there’s any disappointment with the Penguins season from a development area, it’s that a Ville Koivunen or a Rutger McGroarty just never progressed to the point the Penguins thought they would to add another skilled option to the lineup on the third line. To read this insider news, subscribe to get “Inside Access”!