1. DO OR DIE
The Flyers face an elimination game for the 69th time in franchise history - They own a 32-36 overall mark, including a 13-16 record when facing an elimination game on the road... The Flyers also have a 9-8 mark in Game 5 when down 1-3 in a series... The Flyers have staved off the first elimination game in each of the last two playoff series they have played - A 5-2 win in Game 6 vs. NY Rangers in 2014 and twice in 2016 against the Washington Capitals: 2-1 in Game 4 and 2-0 in Game 5.
2. WHAT THE PENS WILL TRY
The Penguins get their first crack at eliminating an opponent this season... Overall, the Penguins have a 39-37 record with a chance to eliminate an opponent from the playoffs, but have a losing mark of 16-18 on home ice when they can eliminate an opponent... In their last two postseasons, they went 8-5 in chances to eliminate an opponent, including 5-2 on home ice.
3. IN GAMES WHERE...
When facing elimination games only, Flyers' Wayne Simmonds has four goals and five assists for nine points in 12 all-time situations, while Claude Giroux has 14 points (3g-11a) in 15 career games when he has played in that situation... For the Pens in a clinching scenario only, Sidney Crosby has 34 points (9g-25a) in 35 career games when the Pens have an opportunity to clinch a series... Bryan Rust has seven goals and eight points in 14 career playoff games in which the Pens can clinch a series, and three of those goals have been game-winners to end the series.
4. THIS, THAT & THE OTHER
THIS: The Flyers have scored five of their six goals in the series in the second and third period, but have fired the most shots in the series in the first period (36) ... THAT:The Flyers rank third in the playoffs in number of hits (145), while the Penguins are ranked 13 of the 16 teams in hits (111) ... THE OTHER: Flyers have 34 blocked shots from defense led by Radko Gudas (10), while the Pens defense has 38 blocked shots led by Chad Ruhwedel (9).
5. PLAYERS TO WATCH:
FLYERS (D: #9 - Ivan Provorov)
Provorov enters Game 5 leading all players in the series in ice time, averaging 23:48 of TOI, and in each game has logged 23 minutes of ice time or more, including 27:30 of ice time in the Flyers' Game 2 win when he posted two assists.
PENGUINS (C: #71 - Evgeni Malkin)
Malkin has posted back-to-back multi-point games with a goal and an assist, while posting goals in three of the four games in the series thus far... He also has 11 goals, 24 assists and 35 points in 35 career games when the Penguins have an opportunity to clinch a series.
