Here are the 10 things I think you should think about concerning Wednesday’s 4-1 Flyers’ victory over the Penguins in Pittsburgh (see game recap).
1. Something is always on the line between these two teams when they meet. Even though the Flyers are hitting the golf course and not the ice when the playoffs begin, there is an NHL scoring race between leader Sidney Crosby and Jakub Voracek. Sid has the lead and the edge. He grabbed his 300th career goal early to maintain the gap between himself (80 points) and Voracek (77) in the Art Ross Trophy race.
2. Because of injury and salary cap issues, the Penguins had just 17 skaters -- not 18 -- for the game and settled on rotating five defensemen. Yet the fact remains, Pittsburgh dominated the first 12 minutes of the opening period. The Flyers had a late charge, but should have generated more offense.
3. Pittsburgh is now 1-8-2 in its last 11 games when scoring first at CONSOL Energy Center against the Flyers.
4. Nick Grossmann came into the game with a career-high five goals and nearly scored his sixth goal late in the first period with a solid shot through a screen that veered left of goal.
5. Vinny Lecavalier had a sneaky good shot on the Flyers' first power play and ended his career-high 27-game goal drought later in the first period to tie it at 1-1 with an even-strength goal (see story). What was impressive was that Lecavalier won a faceoff draw against Nick Spaling, fought through traffic to get into the low slot and rebounded Pierre-Edouard Bellemare’s shot past Marc-Andre Fleury. It was just his eighth goal of the season.
6. As bad as Zac Rinaldo's lack of discipline is, he’s still better than the Penguins’ Steve Downie, the former Flyer who continues to show he is what he is -- a player who could never evolve and will always revert to his true nature.
7. Hey, with the victory, the Flyers are now 11-1-1 at CONSOL Energy Center since it opened in 2010.
8. The Flyers were 0 for 4 on the power play through two periods and yet still led, 2-1. How’s that? #BecauseitsthePenguins.
9. The Pens are now 0-17-5 this season when trailing after two periods. Ah, but they’re in the playoffs and the Flyers aren’t, so what does it matter?
10. April Fool’s Day and Brayden Schenn scored twice. If only the Flyers could have been playing till Memorial Day.