- Crosby says Penguins “earned being down 2-0” heading into Game 3 in Philadelphia
- Pittsburgh shakes up forward lines, inserting Brazeau and moving Mantha up with Malkin
- Read below for full details on the Penguins’ uphill battle in Philly
Sidney Crosby isn’t sugarcoating anything.
The Penguins captain acknowledged what everybody watching already knows. Pittsburgh has dug itself into a 2-0 hole against the Flyers, and it’s nobody’s fault but their own.
“I think we understand that we earned being down 2-0 and we’ve got to earn getting ourselves back in it,” Crosby said ahead of Wednesday’s Game 3 in Philadelphia.
Through two games, the Penguins have scored just two goals total. Their power play is 0-for-7. Crosby doesn’t have a point yet. Dan Vladar shut them out 3-0 in Game 2, posting his first career playoff shutout behind 27 saves.
Rookie Porter Martone scored in both games for Philly, becoming the first teenager in Flyers history to pull that off.
Pittsburgh shook up its lines at morning skate. Rickard Rakell moved back to Crosby’s left wing. Anthony Mantha jumped up to skate with Tommy Novak and Evgeni Malkin. Justin Brazeau, a healthy scratch the first two games, drew into the lineup.
“We’re just looking for something a little different,” Rakell said. “It’s a huge game for us tonight.”
Philadelphia is hosting its first playoff game since 2018. The Flyers haven’t had a home postseason game since an April 22, 2018 loss to these same Penguins in the first round. Fans who suffered through years of rebuilding finally get the payoff.
The numbers paint a grim picture. Teams that take a 3-0 lead in a best-of-7 are 209-4 all time.
But Crosby has thrived in Philadelphia before. He’s got 20 points in 11 career playoff games there, the most by any visiting player. And this group clawed back from an eight-game losing streak in December to earn a playoff spot nobody expected.
“I think the will and the determination is there,” defenseman Erik Karlsson said. “Now, it’s all about either we figure it out or we don’t.”
Game 3 drops at 7 p.m. ET on TNT.
