3 Things to Watch: Penguins at Flyers, Game 3 of Eastern Conference 1st Round

(2M) Penguins at (3M) Flyers

Eastern Conference First Round, Game 3

Philadelphia leads best-of-7 series 2-0

7 p.m. ET; HBO MAX, SN-PIT, truTV, TNT, NBCSP, SNP, SNO, SNE, SN360, TVAS

PHILADELPHIA -- The Philadelphia Flyers hope to feed off the enthusiasm of their home crowd when they try to take a 3-0 lead against the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Eastern Conference First Round at Xfinity Mobile Arena on Wednesday.

It will be Flyers' first Stanley Cup Playoff game here in eight years, and they expect their fans to be amped after they won the first two games of the series in Pittsburgh. They know they'll need to channel that energy properly, though, and not get too excited. 

"We know the city and what's going on, and we're excited, for playoff hockey to be back, but we've got to be careful we're not overexuberant," Philadelphia coach Rick Tocchet said. "What happens is you run around. You pinch at the wrong time. Your F-3 (third forward) goes flying in there, so you're undisciplined. You go flying into piles and punch a guy. These are the things that we've got to be careful of, but I don't want to take our aggressiveness and using the crowd for advantage away.

"But this is where experience comes in. We're going to have to play our game, which is a smart game."

The Flyers haven't hosted a playoff game since an 8-5 loss to the Penguins in Game 6 of the 2018 first round on April 22. Philadelphia qualified for the playoffs in 2020, but those games were in the Toronto bubble without fans during the COVID-19 pandemic.

So, their fans have waited a long time for this.

"I'm sure it'll be louder here, but it's good that we're experiencing these things, and it doesn't seem to the faze us so far," Flyers captain Sean Couturier said. "So, I think the key is just going to be staying in check and in control our emotions and stay in the moment."

The Penguins won all three postseason games in Philadelphia in 2018 on their way to winning that series in six. They hope the change of scenery helps them turn the tide after they scored two total goals in the first two games. 

"I think you tend to simplify on the road, and we've been good on the road all year," captain Sidney Crosby said. "I think we understand that we earned being down 2-0 and we've got to earn getting ourselves back in it."

Pittsburgh was limited to 18 shots on goal in a 3-2 loss in Game 1 on Saturday. Philadelphia goalie Dan Vladar made 27 saves for his first playoff shutout, 3-0 in Game 2 on Monday.

Seeking a spark, the Penguins changed some of their line combinations at their morning skate, moving Anthony Mantha up from the third line to the second line with Tommy Novak and Evgeni Malkin and dropping Egor Chinakhov to the third line with Ben Kindel and Justin Brazeau, who was a healthy scratch the first two games.

"We're just looking for something a little different," Penguins forward Rickard Rakell said. "It's a huge game for us tonight and we're looking for a change throughout the whole lineup, so looking forward to the game tonight."

Teams that take a 3-0 lead in a best-of-7 series are 209-4 (.981) all-time. Teams that take a 3-0 lead that started on the road are 57-1 (.983).

Here are three things to watch in Game 3:

1. Crosby knows best

As a longtime rival, Crosby is used to unfriendly receptions in Philadelphia and will likely receive another when he takes the ice for Game 3. After leading the Penguins with 74 points (29 goals, 45 assists) in 68 regular-season games, the 38-year-old has yet to make an impact offensively in the series, being held without a point with seven shots on goal in the first two games. 

Crosby has a knack for thriving in the hostile environment in Philadelphia, though. His 20 points (seven goals, 13 assists) in 11 playoff games there are the most by a visiting player.

"It's always been a rivalry," Crosby said. "I think it brings out the best in everyone, both teams, to be honest with you. It's always an intense environment and, as a as a hockey player, those are the games you want to be in."

2. Playing with the lead

The Flyers scored first in each of the first two games and have yet to trail in the series. They were 23-5-4 when scoring first during the regular season, including 12-1-0 during their 18-6-1 push to qualify for the playoffs in their final 25 games. They scored the first goal just 19 times in their first 57 games and only the Nashville Predators scored fewer (18). In their last 25 games, the Flyers scored first 13 times, tied for 11th.

The Penguins excelled playing with the lead during the regular season, going 31-7-9, and were 10-18-7 when allowing the first goal. So, scoring the first goal Wednesday would be a good first step after chasing in the first two games.

"That would be ideal, but it's probably going to be a tight game," Rakell said. "We want to make sure we're doing all the things right out there and not giving any easy opportunities, so stay patient, but at the same time stay aggressive."

3. Being special

Each team has struggled on the power play, going 0-for-7, but the Flyers' penalty kill had a big impact in Game 2, including Garnet Hathaway's short-handed goal that increased their lead to 2-0.

After being ranked seventh on the power play (24.1 percent) in the regular season, the Penguins managed only three shots on goal in the first two games. With their power play also struggling, the Flyers know their penalty kill will need to continue to make a difference.

"We're doing a good job of deciding when to pressure and commit to that pressure as a group," Hathaway said. "I think it's sometimes they're so skilled, they're such a threat that once you get out of position is when they can take advantage. They'll attack right at the net."

Penguins projected lineup

Rickard Rakell -- Sidney Crosby -- Bryan Rust 

Anthony Mantha -- Tommy Novak -- Evgeni Malkin 

Egor Chinakhov -- Ben Kindel -- Justin Brazeau

Connor Dewar -- Blake Lizotte -- Noel Acciari 

Parker Wotherspoon -- Erik Karlsson 

Samuel Girard -- Kris Letang 

Ryan Shea -- Connor Clifton

Stuart Skinner  

Arturs Silovs  

Scratched: Elmer Soderblom, Ilya Solovyov, Kevin Hayes, Ryan Graves, Jack St. Ivany 

Injured: Filip Hallander (blood clot)

Flyers projected lineup

Tyson Foerster -- Trevor Zegras -- Owen Tippett

Travis Konecny -- Christian Dvorak -- Porter Martone 

Denver Barkey -- Noah Cates -- Matvei Michkov 

Luke Glendening -- Sean Couturier -- Garnet Hathaway 

Travis Sanheim -- Rasmus Ristolainen 

Cam York -- Jamie Drysdale 

Nick Seeler -- Noah Juulsen

Dan Vladar 

Samuel Ersson 

Scratched: Garrett Wilson, Alex Bump, Carl Grundstrom, Oliver Bonk, David Jiricek, Carson Bjarnason, Helge Grans, Hunter McDonald, Oscar Eklind, Jacob Gaucher 

Injured: Rodrigo Abols (lower body), Nikita Grebenkin (upper body), Emil Andrae (upper body)

Status report 

Coach Dan Muse would not confirm the Penguins lineup, but Brazeau could replace Soderblom, a forward. ... Rakell was at left wing on Crosby's line during the morning skate after playing center on the second line the previous two games. ... Tippett did not take part in the morning skate for maintenance but is expected to play. Coach Rick Tocchet said the forward was "managing stuff." ... Andrae skated after missing Game 2 and Tocchet said the defenseman is a possibility" ... Bjarnason, a goalie, defensemen Grans and McDonald, and forwards Eklind and Gaucher were recalled from Lehigh Valley of the American Hockey League.