Inside Scoop: Pens-Flyers (Game 6)
* I wrote in my Snap Shots from the Pens' 4-2 loss to the Flyers in Game 5 on Friday at PPG Paints Arena that they had plenty of chances to seize momentum - both from the drop of the puck and on the power play - and they let those chances slip away.
They constantly talk about the importance of doing so during the playoffs, and this afternoon, head coach Mike Sullivan said that was the biggest lesson they learned from the game.
"We had an opportunity to grab momentum right away and we didn't," he said. "That's the lesson we need to take away."
* That's easier said than done, especially on the road. The Flyers came out flying in both contests at Wells Fargo Center, and the Pens needed goaltender Matt Murray to keep them in it before eventually taking the games over. Strong starts - or the lack thereof - were a recurring theme with this team last postseason, and it's starting to become one again.
To rectify that, the Pens feel like it's just a matter of building on how they played in the second and third periods of last night's game. They felt like they reached the right level of urgency and desperation and if they can bring that from the drop of the puck on Sunday, they'll give themselves the best chance to win.
"We know we can be better, we know we're capable of better and in the second and third, we were certainly better," Sullivan said. "We generated a significant amount of scoring chances, and if we bring the game that we brought in the final 40 minutes, then I like our chances."
* The Pens were obviously disappointed that they didn't close out the series in Game 5, but they weren't down. What's stood out about this group after both setbacks is the overall confidence and belief that they have in their game. There's been a lot to like about both losses and they were encouraged by each performance.
Going back to the 5-1 loss in Game 2, the Pens hit three posts and had plenty of other quality chances. Crosby got stopped on a breakaway and then missed a wide-open net on the power play that he scores on 99 out of 100 times (actually, more like 999 out of 1,000 times). If any of those went in, it would have been a different game.
Then in Game 5, the Pens' power play just wasn't able to win the game for them like it has all season long. The Flyers are obviously a good team, but I feel it was more about the Pens beating themselves than Philly beating them. They tried to force plays that weren't there and didn't let the game come to them. As Crosby said in regards to giving up the shorthanded goal that tied the game versus Pittsburgh taking the lead, "I think that was a big turning point in the game, but that's because we let it be. We didn't find a way to get that next one."
The Pens had a couple of lapses and the Flyers scored a couple of goals. That was the difference. Murray has said repeatedly over the last few games that they need to just stick to their game plan and focus on what they need to do, and if they do that, they'll be fine.
"We know that we know how to play and we know what we need to do in the important areas of the ice and that kind of thing," Crosby said. "That stuff just becomes magnified in the playoffs, but those habits you work on all year to get ready for playoffs and understand that. We did a lot of good things last game and generated some good chances, so I feel like if we do the same thing, we'll get rewarded."
