With the regular season over for the Pittsburgh Penguins, all there is to do is sit and wait for everyone else to wrap up their schedules, which will be Thursday for a few select teams. What helps the Penguins at the moment is they already know who their first round opponent will be so preparations won’t be delayed and they can get to work scheming for the Philadelphia Flyers will no delay. As for when the Penguins and Flyers will drop the puck on their first playoff matchup since 2018, that is still
wait and see since the schedule is yet to be released for that series or any of the others.
Pens Points…
Penguins fans are plenty familiar with the Philadelphia Flyers, but it’s still been eight years since the two sides have contested a playoff series and there are A LOT of new faces this time around. Get acquainted with this Flyers teams and learn how they got here before the series begins this weekend. [Pensburgh]
There are certain players who will grab all the headlines as the Penguins prepare to take on the Flyers to open the playoffs and there are others who will fly under the radar. While the big names in this series are well known, one of those under the radar guys could the someone who flips the series in the Pens favor. [Pensburgh]
This will be the fifth time the Penguins and Flyers have met in the playoffs during the Crosby/Malkin era and those matchups have provided some all-time memories, good and bad. From the chaos of 2012 to the infamous Max Talbot moment in 2009, these teams never disappoint. [Pensburgh]
Stepping away from the much anticipated Penguins/Flyers series for a moment, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins are preparing to wrap up their AHL season this weekend with a few meaningless contests as they have already wrapped up a playoff spot and a first round bye. [Pensburgh]
When Dan Muse was hired as the Penguins head coach last year, no one knew what to expect from the new bench boss. Certainly no one thought he was going to guide this Penguins team to the postseason, but his leadership style and fresh system have put the Penguins back where they belong. [Penguins]
Building this Penguins team was a long process that began in the offseason and wasn’t complete until the trade deadline a few weeks ago. Drafting Ben Kindel in June was just the start, followed then by free agent signings that exceeded every expectation, and completed by a few trades to bring in key pieces during the season. [The Hockey News]
While Skinner and Silovs have done the bulk of the work at the NHL level this season, Sergei Murashov still projects as the Penguins future in goal. He was a stalwart in the AHL for the Baby Penguins this season and took home All-Rookie Team honors for his play. [Trib Live]
NHL News and Notes…
After being eliminated from the playoffs and delivering a lackluster performance in their final game of the season, Columbus Blue Jackets interim head coach Rick Bowness stepped to the mic and delivered an all-time coach presser. A day later, the players spoke and agreed with his harsh assessment of their play. [NHL]
