The Battle For Pennsylvania: Flyers Take On Penguins In Round 1

PHILADELPHIA, PA — One of the greatest rivalries in hockey will be renewed on Wednesday night as the Flyers begin a best of seven matchup with the Pittsburgh Penguins in the opening round of the NHL Playoffs.

The Penguins, led by Sidney Crosby and Evegni Malkin, have won two consecutive Stanley Cups, and three since Crosby began his already storied career. They finished second in the Metropolitan Division with 100 points, trailed closely by the Flyers in third place with 98.

The Flyers, meanwhile, last made the playoffs in 2016, when they were eliminated by the Washington Capitals in six games. The Flyers will be looking for their first trip to the Stanley Cup since they won the Eastern Conference in 2010. They have not won a title since the infamous Broad Street Bullies cohort in 1974-75.

The Flyers' hopes rely on the continued dominance of their captain, Claude Giroux, who had a career year, finishing the season second in the NHL in points, with 102. Breakout years from young stars Travis Konecny, Nolan Patrick, and Ivan Provorov, and continued production from veterans Wayne Simmonds and Jakub Voracek, helped the team to their highest points total, 98, since 2011-12.

In many respects, this will be an uphill battle for the Flyers. Most pertinently, their weaknesses do not match up well against the strengths of the Penguins. The Penguins skated to the best power play percentage in the league this past year, converting 26 percent of their opportunities. On the flip side, the Flyers had the third worst penalty kill rate the league this year, stopping opponents only 75.8 percent of the time. These were weaknesses which the Penguins capitalized upon mercilessly during the regular season, beating the Flyers all four times they met them, and outscoring them 20-11.

And on top of that, the Penguins have home ice advantage in the series, hosting four of the potential seven games in Pittsburgh.

While the Flyers - and any other team the Penguins face - will have trouble containing their offense, the Flyers best hope will be in matching them goal for goal. Their top line of Giroux, Sean Couturier, and Michael Raffl has a plus-72 on the season, and it'll be important to score early and often on the Pens' young but experienced netminder, Matt Murray.

The Flyers vs. Penguins rivalry is not only one of hockey's best, but it's also one of the most storied rivalries in Pennsylvania sports. Other Philly vs. Pittsburgh sports matchups do not share nearly the same level of history or enmity, as only the Flyers and Penguins share a division, meaning they routinely face each other. The series has more on the line than merely advancing to the conference semifinals. If the Flyers can win, it will help determine if Giroux's career can be compared to Crosby's in the long run. It will also go a long way toward evening this matchup, as nothing would please Flyers fans more than dethroning the two-time defending Stanley Cup Champions in the first round.

It all begins at 7 p.m. Wednesday night in Pittsburgh.

Series schedule

• Game 2: 4/13, 7 p.m., in Pittsburgh
• Game 3: 4/15, 3 p.m., in Philadelphia
• Game 4: 4/18, 7 p.m., in Philadelphia
• Game 5: 4/20, in Pittsburgh, if necessary
• Game 6: 4/22, in Philadelphia, if necessary
• Game 7: 4/24, in Pittsburgh, if necessary

Odds: The Penguins open the series at minus 185 favorites over the Flyers, per OddsShark, with the betting consensus having the series last 6 games

All time record: Flyers, 172-118-30

Playoff record: Flyers, 19-16

2018 record: Penguins, 4-0

TV: NBCSN

Radio: 105.9 FM, the X

Tickets: Tickets for Game 1 in Pittsburgh remain available on StubHub for $68

Other facts

• The last time the Flyers and the 76ers were in the playoffs at the same time was the 2011-12 season
• The winner of the Flyers-Penguins series will face the winner of the Washington Capitals vs. Columbus Blue Jackets series in the Eastern Conference Semifinals
• In the Western Conference, the expansion Las Vegas Golden Knights won their division and qualified for the playoffs in their inaugural season

Photo by Matt Kincaid/Getty Images