PITTSBURGH – You don’t need to be a mathematician to figure out why this Flyers-Penguins series could come down to just a very few important numbers.
Pittsburgh’s power play, led by the ageless Sidney Crosby, finished seventh in the NHL this past season at 24.1 percent.
Meanwhile, the Flyers’ penalty kill, which was considered a team strength when the season began, placed 22nd overall at 77.6 percent.
In the four head-to-head matchups (which were split 2-2), the Penguins scored seven power-play goals in 18 attempts (38.9 percent).
If those numbers repeat themselves in this series, the Flyers will have a tough time moving on to the next round.
“We sort things out for two weeks and then we have a game where we give up three (goals) against Detroit,” coach Rick Tocchet said after Saturday morning’s skate at PPG Paints Arena. “I think a lot of it is when we’re pressuring. Not just one or two guys, you need four guys to pressure.”
The best solution to the problem is to not go to the penalty box so often. The Flyers were the ninth most penalized team in the NHL with 785 minutes.
Said Travis Konecny: “Limit the penalties.”
Killing off so many penalties can wear a team down.
“It is work ethic plus execution,” Konecny said of the PK. “I can’t tell you we’re going to contain them completely because they know what we’re doing and we know what they’re doing.”
Tocchet agrees with that.
“We want to play five-on-five hockey, we don’t want a lot of penalty kill,” Tocchet said. “There is some stuff we’re getting better at on the penalty kill. But there’s certain things we have to do better, like pressure. We can’t just be backing in.”
That’s where Crosby comes in.
“Sid’s all over the ice,” Tocchet said. “He’s really good around the net. So you have to know where he is. Like can we pressure him before the puck hits him? That’s the key.”
On the flip side of this, the Flyers’ power play was dead last in the NHL for the fourth time in five seasons at just 15.7 percent while the Penguins’ power play was sixth at 81.4 percent.
Adding Porter Martone might help the Flyers improve in this crucial area.
“I think we’ve done some good things,” Tocchet said. “The encouraging part is when we played Carolina (last Monday) we practiced vs. pressure, which the Penguins do, they pressure.
“We got that goal on pressure. Adding a couple guys like Martone and (Tyson) Foerster have helped. We have to handle pressure better. We haven’t this year but I thought at the end of the year we got a little bit better at it. It’s still a work in progress but it’s better.”
Sean Couturier likes what Martone brings to the table with the man advantage.
“He’s done a great job, we have a lot of confidence in him,” Sean Couturier said. “We have to keep working at it when we get chances. He can be the difference.”
>Settling the nerves
Tocchet was barely 21 when he played in his first Stanley Cup playoff game in 1985 and the Flyers later went on to play the Edmonton Oilers in the Finals.
He was asked about his experience and comparing that to some of the young kids on the Flyers like Martone, Alex Bump and Denver Barkey.
“There is a little similarity,” Tocchet said. “My first year, we were young, 19, 20. We had a lot of those guys. Same thing here. I just talked to Mark Howe the other day. He, Brad McCrimmon, Dave Poulin, Tim Kerr, they were instrumental to me for my nerves.
“So that’s where a ‘Coots’ (Couturier) or a ‘Glenden’ (Luke Glendening) can help.”
>Back to the future
Tocchet was an assistant coach on the Penguins when they won a pair of Stanley Cups (2016-17). What did he take away from that experience?
“Unbelievable time here,” Tocchet said. “Coaching under pressure. The two years I was here we won the Cup both times. I think it’s important you stay with your regular routine. Even if you’re a coach, you don’t come to the rink five hours early because it’s a tough game.
“I learned a lot from dealing with pressure. You can’t panic. If I’m going to panic, they’re going to panic.”
>Respect for Crosby
Martone has made no secret of the fact he grew up watching Crosby’s exploits on television. Now he gets to experience the superstar’s talent firsthand.
“He’s kind of the face of the NHL,” Martone said. “It’s someone I looked up to as a kid. You see what he’s done for the game of hockey. Great hockey player but an even better human.”
At 38, Crosby shows no signs of slowing down. He posted 10 power-play goals this season, the 12th time in his career he’s hit the double-digit mark in that important category.
Martone played with Crosby on Team Canada at the World Championships.
What did the Flyer youngster learn about this superstar?
“He has all the skill in the world but he does everything the right way,” Martone said. “He’s always putting in the work. He’s someone I’ve looked up to my whole life.
“When I got an opportunity to meet him, you kind of sit back and take it all in. He’s one of the best players to ever play the game. It’s just the way he conducts himself in the community. He takes care of his body. Just a world class human being.”
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