Four points of emphasis the Flyers must carry over to Game 3 vs. the Penguins
The Flyers have earned a 2-0 series lead, but if they want to stay on top, they'll need to continue these four things, including thwarting the Penguins' power play.
PITTSBURGH — As Noah Cates said before the Flyers grabbed yet another game at the Pittsburgh Penguins’ home, with a 3-0 win, “It’s a series, and it’s a war.”
It’s not a one-and-done game, and the Flyers must be prepared for Sidney Crosby and Co. to come out with revenge on their minds when the Eastern Conference first-round series shifts to Philly on Wednesday.
Here are four points of emphasis the Flyers must carry over, especially with the Penguins sure to push even harder in Game 3 at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
» READ MORE: Dan Vladař, Flyers take commanding 2-0 series lead behind their first shutout of the season
Owen Tippett, the power forward
A player whom coach Rick Tocchet was hoping to unlock when he took the job, Tippett, 27, has finally started to realize his true potential as a power forward.
“He’s kind of a home run hitter, right?” Tocchet said. “All year, he’s a guy that at any time can strike … [Heck] of a play on the second goal, gives us a little bit of breathing room. He’s banged up, but he’s playing and got to give him a lot of credit.”
Tippett showed the impact he can make on a game with his edge work and skating, as he hunted a loose puck, dipped around and past two defenders with some dazzling stickhandling, and regained his balance in time to set up Garnet Hathaway’s shorthanded goal. He showed it with his speed in earning a penalty shot. And he showed it with his seven hits, including a crunching check on Kris Letang at the Flyers’ blue line.
“I’ve been saying it all year. It’s dangerous when he recognizes how powerful he can be and the impact he makes in games,” said forward Travis Konecny, who has played with Tippett since he was acquired from Florida in the Claude Giroux trade in March 2022.
“So he’s definitely a key player for us. He’s just one of those guys who can kind of do everything.”
» READ MORE: The inexperienced Flyers stole the Penguins’ will in their Game 2 victory. Now, the series shifts to Philly
X factor: Hathaway
During the grind-it-out, get-dirty-in-the-corners postseason, fourth liners can play integral roles in a team’s success. And the Flyers’ fourth line has three grizzled veterans who know how to set the tone thanks to a combined 126 games of playoff experience.
“I love it. If you’re not jacked up out there, you’ve got to check your pulse or something,” Hathaway said of the postseason.
Hathaway had a challenging regular season. A go-to penalty killer who hits and bangs and gets under opponents’ skin better than almost anyone, the 34-year-old was a healthy scratch for 16 games and scored his lone goal of the season in his 37th game.
“He’s one of the guys I’m proud of. … He never cried or [complained] or pouted,” Tocchet said. “Came to the rink [and] he was in one of the coaches’ rooms, in my room, looking at video. He’s on the ice early. I just love guys like that.”
In addition to doing what he does best, tying Tippett with a game-high seven hits, Hathaway was rewarded for his team-first mentality with his fourth career postseason goal — first while shorthanded — and an assist on Luke Glendening’s empty-netter.
“It’s awesome,” forward Christian Dvorak told The Inquirer of Hathaway scoring. “He’s always going to have the work boots on. He’s a great teammate, and it was a well-deserved goal, and I think it put a smile on everyone’s face, that’s for sure.”
Flyers lead series 2-0
Game 1: Flyers 3, Penguins 2 | Sielski: Kids stand tall
Game 2: Flyers 3, Penguins 0 | Sielski: Stealing Pens' will
Game 3: Penguins at Flyers, 7 p.m. Wednesday, NBCSP/TNT/truTV/HBO MAX
Game 4: Penguins at Flyers, 8 p.m. April 25, NBCSP/TBS/truTV/HBO MAX
*Game 5: Flyers at Penguins, April 27 (Time TBD)
*Game 6: Penguins at Flyers, April 29 (Time TBD)
*Game 7: Flyers at Penguins, May 2 (Time TBD)
*if necessary
Penalty kill prowess
Whoever plugged the penalty kill back in needs a raise. Across the season, the unit was successful at 77.6%. Respectable. But across the final nine games, it slipped to 65.2%, a worrisome number heading into a matchup with the NHL’s seventh-best power play (24.1%).
But the Flyers have reverted to a penalty kill that wasn’t just one of the game’s best two seasons ago; it also led the league as a power-kill unit with 16 shorthanded goals. In the playoffs, they are at 100%, with Hathaway also tallying a shortie.
“Dan Vladař?” Dvorak answered when asked what the biggest secret has been. “He’s a big one, but yeah, PK has been huge this series so far. Just trying to pressure them on entries, pressure them in the zone, not give them too much time and space, because they have high-end skilled players.”
» READ MORE: The Flyers’ much-maligned penalty kill has kept the Penguins’ potent power play in check
Although they probably want to stay out of the box more often, the Flyers have held the likes of Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, and Erik Karlsson to not just zero goals across seven power plays (12 minutes total), but, according to Natural Stat Trick, only three shots on goal in 16 shot attempts. The Penguins have created 11 scoring chances and three high-danger chances, but they’ve missed the net more often than not.
And the Flyers? They are actually outshooting them with four shots on goal and, of course, the one tally.
“Up-ice pressure has been better, and some of our clears have been better. It’s tough for the team like that, for them not to get their looks, and when they did, we have Vladdy,” Tocchet said. “But I think there’s some good adjustments that we did on that … three, four days off that helped us game plan for the power play. But, like I said, it’s tough to shut them down.”
Marty Supreme
What else can one say about Porter Martone?
The 19-year-old has been a revelation for the Flyers since he played his first NHL game on March 31. He’s now on an eight-game point streak, dating back to the regular season, and has 12 points (six goals, six assists) in 11 games overall. And on Monday, he became the first teenager in NHL history to score the game-winner in his first two playoff games.
“It’s pretty impressive,” Konecny said of Martone’s start. “There’s not a lot of guys that can come in and make the impact that he has, especially in the games leading up to making the playoffs.
“ … I think it just speaks to not his hockey ability but how he wants to learn, and [how] he listens when we talk in the room, when we talk about little plays. You go out there, and you see it’s a switch the next shift, he learns quick, and it’s not duplicating mistakes.”
The thing about Martone isn’t that he’s just producing. His details are off the charts for someone who was playing college hockey less than a month ago. On his goal, his wall play helped the Flyers establish themselves in the offensive zone, something Martone credited to the work he put in at Michigan State. And then he scored, not on an easy tap-in but on a twisted backhand shot — he is a righty coming down the left side as Konecny’s shot deflects off the stick of Penguins defenseman Ryan Shea. That is more difficult to maneuver than meets the eye.
“No, not at all,” Dvorak said when asked if the goal was an easy one. “I was saying, he was helping on the battle there with me in the corner, which was huge to support that. And then, yeah, on his backhand, it takes good hands and a good skill set to finish that.”
» READ MORE: Sielski: Don’t be surprised by Porter Martone’s spectacular start. The Flyers knew what they had all along.