VOORHEES, N.J. – It doesn’t take a pro scout to tell you the key to stopping the Pittsburgh Penguins is keeping a lid on superstars Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.
After all, they’ve been lighting up the NHL for the better part of 20 years, have three Stanley Cup rings and, even as they close in on age 40, still lead the Steel City crew in points per game.
The Flyers know they will have their hands full with these two guys when the best-of-seven first-round playoff series gets underway on Saturday night (8 p.m.) at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh.
But they are also aware Crosby and Malkin not only score goals, they set them up, too.
So they will have to keep an eye on sharpshooters like Anthony Mantha (33 goals), Bryan Rust (29) and Rickard Rakell (24), because these are the guys Nos. 87 and 71 look for when they draw coverage.
And let’s not forget two amazing defensemen – Erik Karlsson (second in points with 66) and Kris Letang (who’s been around for all three of the Stanley Cups won in the 21st century by the Penguins).
Crosby always seems to find a way to get under the Flyers’ skin. For his career, he’s registered more points against Philadelphia than any other NHL team.
After Thursday’s practice at the Flyers Training Center, coach Rick Tocchet and a number of Flyers players made it clear they have to not only stop Crosby but some of those weapons around him.
“You’ve gotta be on top of him,” Tocchet said. “You’ve got to make a hard game for him, get in his way.
“We have a ton of respect for Sidney. He’s an unbelievable person and player. But we’ve got to get him into the ditches. We’ve got to make it hard on him.”
Defensemen Cam York, Travis Sanheim and Jamie Drysdale were all in agreement that the Flyers have to be proactive in their approach to Crosby, Malkin & Co.
“I think just being disciplined is going to be key for us,” York said. “You don’t want to give them free, easy offense. In five-on-five, take away their time and space and make it hard on them. Be physical with them and that gives you your best chance.”
Sanheim implied Crosby is the type of player who thinks one play ahead. If you let down your guard for just a split-second, it could be costly.
It’s also important for the Flyers to stay out of the penalty box because guys like Mantha and Rust can be just as dangerous as Crosby and Malkin.
“They have a ton of skill on that side,” Sanheim said. “We want to stay disciplined. Keep it five on five. I think we’ve gone a nice job with that throughout the season. We’re going to have to continue to do that in the series.
“They like to make plays. They can see the ice really well so you have to just play them hard and try to limit the chances they can get. Have good gaps with them. Hold them back as best you can. It’s going to be a group effort.”
Drysdale won the Pelle Lindbergh Memorial Award for this season’s most improved player. He’s been a much more effective player on defense as the season has gone along and he will need that against the mobile Penguins.
“You definitely have to have a little extra awareness,” Drysdale said. “They’re not looking at you, they’re looking behind you. So it’s positional awareness, being in the right spot. A lot of it is control, staying aggressive but under control.”
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