Musings: PIT 3, PHI 2 (Round 1, Game 5)

The resilient Penguins earned a 3-2 win over the Flyers in Game 5 on Monday at PPG Paints Arena – becoming just the sixth team since 2016 to force a Game 6 after falling behind 3-0 in their playoff series. 

“I think that it's quite clear, the situation for us. It's win or go home, so I think that urgency, that desperation, whatever you want to call it, I think is brought out in everybody,” Sidney Crosby said. “It's brought some of our best hockey because of it. We've just got to keep going here."

The biggest takeaway is that the Penguins are continuing to find their own game instead of getting sucked into how the Flyers want to play. They felt like Game 4 was a good step in the right direction with that, and tonight was even better.

“The first three games, we kind of got into the same kind of slow game and scrum it out every time,” said Kris Letang, who scored the game-winner. “Obviously, the playoffs is a different energy, but Games 4 and 5, we're playing with pace, and that's what we did all year. The way we hold onto pucks offensively, we're not one and done on the rush. We're sustaining zone time, and it's hard to defend. So, we have to keep doing that.”

GOOD START, DEPTH SCORING

After a couple of early saves from Arturs Silovs, who won his second straight elimination contest, the third line of Elmer Soderblom, Ben Kindel and Anthony Mantha opened the scoring just 2:45 into play.

It was a smart, simple sequence. Parker Wotherspoon chipped the puck in deep and Mantha got in on the forecheck, using his 6-5 frame to gain possession. He quickly found Soderblom in the slot, who wired it home for his first career playoff point. It was a perfect example of what the Penguins need to do to have success against this opponent.

“Obviously, it's a big goal there to get us going,” Head Coach Dan Muse said. “I thought they were able to generate a little bit more speed of getting in on the puck, and because of that, got some good O-zone time. So I thought it was a good game for them. I thought they took a step there from the previous game.”

The Penguins continued to generate chances throughout the opening frame. And the fourth line buried one just 3:15 into the second. Connor Dewar scored his second goal in as many games with an absolute snipe that went in and out so quickly there had to be a video review to confirm the tally.

His linemate Noel Acciari said after Game 4 that after being one of the best fourth lines in hockey during the regular season, they had to work on rebuilding their chemistry after Blake Lizotte missed the last 16 games due to injury, while Dewar was sidelined for the final four. It feels like they’ve regained their form.

“They’ve been awesome,” Muse said. “The last two games, I think they kind of found another level. But I also think, for me, for the team, for anybody that watches regularly, it shouldn’t come as a surprise.”

Having both the third and fourth lines going like they did tonight is massive for the Penguins. “Huge,” Rust said when asked about the importance of depth scoring. “Offense is hard in the playoffs. Things are tight. We’ve just to continue to do it by committee.”

SOME SLOPPINESS BEFORE A FORTUITOUS BOUNCE

The Penguins got a little too loose defensively for stretches of the middle frame, and the Flyers capitalized, battling back to tie the score. The first goal beat Silovs clean, while the second deflected off Erik Karlsson’s stick. “This is a really good transition team,” Muse said. “We gave them some looks that I think we can limit those.”

But with less than three minutes to go in the second, the Penguins found a way to swing the momentum back, which is critical in the playoffs. From the point, Letang lobbed a puck toward the net that went off the back boards, caromed towards the crease and somehow went over the line before Flyers goalie Dan Vladar could find it.

“Especially after all the looks I got in the second, I can't believe that one goes in. But I just tried to put it there. Obviously, made a crazy bounce. Sometimes, you create your own luck,” Letang said.

SHUTTING IT DOWN IN THE THIRD

The Penguins did a terrific job of playing with a lead in the third period. It was still plenty stressful, considering the situation. But they found the balance of shutting it down while still creating, and Silovs was there whenever the Flyers were able to get pucks through.

“I don’t think we were on our heels. I don’t think we gave them the ice,” Rust said. “We stayed in their face but I thought we played smart. We played responsible.”

“It's about effort,” Silovs said. “Everyone bought in, everyone had the hunger to battle in this game. And we got rewarded.”

HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS

The Penguins were looking forward to being back in front of their fans for this do-or-die contest, especially after two games in a hostile environment. And the crowd brought sky-high levels of energy all night long, just like the Penguins knew they would.

"I think it's huge. We definitely feed off it. It gives us a big boost,” Crosby said. “Whether it's an early goal like (Soderblom’s) and we can get some momentum and feel that, or late in the game where they've got the goalie pulled and we've got to find a way to close the game out — that's huge to have your home crowd behind you. We feel that and it gives us a big boost. That's something that goes a long way."

Now, it’s back to Xfinity Mobile Arena for another must-win on Wednesday at 7:30 PM. The Penguins are embracing the challenge ahead.

“Throughout the season, we've been in different situations and I think that we've done a great job of handling adversity,” Crosby said. “Again, here we're faced with more and that doesn't get any easier. We know it's a big challenge going into (Philadelphia), but I think we have a lot of belief in our group. We've done it time and time again, so we think we'll do it again here."