The Penguins put together a regular season that defied outside expectations, and had the potential to make some noise. But once the series began, it took the Penguins three games to start looking like themselves. And at that point, they had gotten into a hole that only four teams in NHL history have recovered from.
There are a few different reasons for Pittsburgh’s slow start. The Flyers were red-hot coming in, having played playoff-style hockey for weeks to turn a 3.8% chance of making the postseason into a reality, while the Penguins clinched earlier and had gotten out of their rhythm.
Once the puck dropped on the series, the Flyers executed their game plan much better than the Penguins. They were dangerous in transition and strong defensively, keeping one of the NHL’s best offenses in the regular season from generating a whole lot in the elevated level of the postseason. And they also got the Penguins to engage outside of the whistles, particularly in Game 3.
As for intangibles, it felt like the Penguins were feeling the nerves and pressure of being back in this position for the first time in four years. After experiencing what it’s like to be on the outside, they wanted so badly to win – particularly for the Big Three. This was the 20th season that Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang have played together, which is the most by any trio of teammates in NHL history. And with Malkin’s future in Pittsburgh uncertain, as he was in the last year of his current contract, that added a bittersweet feeling to everything.
“It’s kind of hard to put into words, honestly. It’s something that we probably have just gotten used to, but I think they’re like family,” Crosby said. “That’s the best way to describe it. We’ve had some great wins, some tough losses like this. Ultimately, though, that’s a long time that we’ve played together. Just so appreciative for the opportunity to have played with them as long as we have. Hopefully, we can keep going.”
The Penguins did a terrific job of regrouping, and started getting back to what had made them successful, particularly when it came to playing a relentless, structured game. It was on full display tonight, and it’s just disappointing that they couldn’t get to that more consistently. Because when the Penguins are playing their style, it’s so impressive to watch.
“We got everyone playing up to their full potential all year. Then come this time of the year, you're going to need a little bit more. And we just couldn't reach that level, unfortunately,” Erik Karlsson said.
"If we reach this level of play from Game 1, we're in a much better situation. Unfortunately, we didn't. So today, great effort from the guys. Today, we played the way that we intended to right from the beginning, but all the credit to them. They bent. They bent hard, but they didn't break. That's why they're moving on, and we're not. And as much as it sucks, you gotta realize that you're playing against good players and other good teams. And we were outplayed for the series.”
