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2 Penguins most to blame for 1st-round loss to Flyers
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- 2 Penguins most to blame for 1st-round loss to Flyers
Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
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After a surprising regular season that saw the Pittsburgh Penguins return to relevance in the regular season, the first round of the playoffs against their in-state rival Philadelphia Flyers marked the end of the line. The Penguins showed some fight against the Flyers, but not until they fell behind by 3-0 margin. They won the next two games and sent the sixth game to overtime before Flyers defenseman Cam York wristed home a shot from the blue line more than 17 minutes into the extra session for the only goal of the decisive game.
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The Penguins exceeded expectations during the regular season because after failing to earn a spot in the playoffs for the previous three years. The playoff performance was a major disappointment because it seemed the Penguins were either on even footing with the Flyers while owning home-ice advantage or just a little better.
The Penguins were unable to come close to matching what they did on offense during the regular season. Pittsburgh was the third-highest scoring team in the league, averaging 3.57 goals per games during their 82 games. However, they could only score 1.83 goals per game against the Flyers. That was the biggest reason for their demise.
The end of the year means general manager Kyle Dubas has to get back to rebuilding or retooling the team. The Penguins are loaded with future Hall of Fame talent in Sidney Crosby , 39, Evgeni Malkin , 40, Kris Letang , 39, and Erik Karlsson , 36, but their ancient status means that the end of the line is here or approaching very quickly.
Karlsson could not trigger the offense
There is plenty of blame to go around for the Penguins, and Karlsson was the most disappointing of the ancient foursome against the Flyers. Karlsson had a renaissance performance during the regular season, bringing back memories of his best seasons during the early part of his career with the Ottawa Senators . Karlsson used his brilliant vision and anticipation to score 15 goals and add 51 assists from the blue line to finish second to Crosby with 66 points.
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There was every reason to think that Karlsson could trigger the attack in the postseason and get the best of the Flyers in the first round of the playoffs. Instead, the Flyers were able to figure out exactly what Karlsson wanted to do. He was limited to one goal and two assists in the six games. In addition to his lack of production, he was a defensive liability, finishing with a minus-4 rating.
In the 1-0 loss in Game 6, the Penguins had multiple chances to put the puck behind Flyers goalie Dan Vladar . Karlsson was involved in several of those opportunities, but he could not help his teammates score a goal that would have pushed the series to seven games.
"All game, we were probably the better team," Karlsson said , per Josh Yohe of The Athletic . "They had some chances. Credit to them. They bent, but they didn't break. We did everything we could to make them break, but we couldn't do it."
Mantha had surprising regular season but struggled vs. Flyers
Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
Anthony Mantha emerged as one of the best regular-season players for the Penguins and that was a major surprise based on his previous 10 seasons. Mantha was a journeyman for a decade, starting off as a first-round draft choice with the Red Wings and spending four seasons with that team before moving on to the Capitals , Golden Knights and Flames.
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The Penguins were hoping he would score 15-20 goals if he could stay healthy during the regular season, but he ended up with the best season of his career at the age of 31. Mantha scored 33 goals and added 31 assists as he connected on 21.7 percent of his shots on goal and averaging better than 15 minutes per game on the ice.
However, Mantha fell apart in the postseason. He registered just one assist against the Flyers and finished with a minus-5 rating.
Mantha was something of a revelation during the regular season but just the opposite in the playoffs. Dubas will clearly have to make a decision on whether Mantha is worthy of a significant contract as he enters free agency in the offseason. It will not be an easy decision.
How much longer for Crosby, Malkin and Letang?
Crosby is one of the elite players in the history of the NHL, and he is probably just a notch below Wayne Gretzky, Bobby Orr and Mario Lemieux among the greatest players in the expansion era. Malkin and Letang have been Crosby's long-time partners and they helped the Penguins win three Stanley Cup titles (2008-09 and consecutive titles in 2015-16 and 2016-17).
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The Penguins and their fans have great appreciation for what they have meant to the organization, but the Penguins have not gotten past the first round of the playoffs since 2018.
Crosby scored 1 goal and 4 assists against the Flyers for a team-leading 5 point. Malkin had 2 goals and 1 assists while Letang scored 2 goals from the blue line.
Crosby should be able to make his own decision on when he will leave the game, but it is almost certainly time to say goodbye to Malkin and Letang.
Dubas has difficult decisions to make in the offseason.
Related: John Buccigross makes declaration on future of Penguins' 'Big 3'
Related: Penguins' Sidney Crosby wants to run it back with Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang
