<\/p>\n
The Flyers felt like they had a playoff mindset for the last month and a half of the regular season.<\/p>\n
That urgency led to pressure-packed games and louder arenas, especially on home ice as the fan base saw the legitimacy of the Flyers’ playoff push.<\/p>\n
For the team’s youngsters, it was great experience. But it probably doesn’t equate to what’s in store for the Flyers’ best-of-seven first-round matchup with the Penguins.<\/p>\n
Philadelphia is a different animal when the postseason arrives. Sean Couturier knows that better than anyone on the roster.<\/p>\n
“I’ve told them it’s wild,” the Flyers’ captain said Tuesday with a smile. “I think the last couple of weeks, we’ve felt the atmosphere in the building kind of take another level. But I keep kind of reminding them that it’s really nothing compared to playoffs in Philly.<\/p>\n
“Everyone in orange, right in warmups, everyone’s there in their seats and ready to go and screaming, getting under the other team’s skin a little bit at times. It’s a lot fun, there’s a lot of passion in the building. I’m excited for our group.”<\/p>\n
The Flyers snapped their five-year postseason drought with a concerted climb in the standings, a run that was capped off Monday night<\/a>. Now they’re set to renew their rivalry with Pittsburgh starting Saturday night for Game 1<\/a>.<\/p>\n Here are three thoughts on the series.<\/p>\n Experience vs. inexperience<\/strong><\/p>\n The Penguins are rich with playoff pedigree. The Flyers, on the other hand, have 13 first-timers.<\/p>\n “I think I saw something today where they have, like, 1,027 playoff games and we have 100 or something like that,” Trevor Zegras said Thursday. “So it’s going to be a good challenge for us, the battle of Pennsylvania. I grew up watching these two teams go to war for years, so it’s exciting to be a part of it.”<\/p>\n Sidney Crosby owns 180 games of postseason experience and three Stanley Cup titles. He’s one of five players on Pittsburgh’s roster that has won a Stanley Cup. When Crosby won his first, Porter Martone was 2 years old.<\/p>\n So the Penguins won’t be rattled by the magnitude of the moment. But they could feel a lot more on their shoulders. Their core is trying to capitalize on one more run. The Flyers don’t have much to lose. They’re very much playing with house money and a mentality of “us against the world.”<\/a><\/p>\n The Flyers, though, have to find a way to combat Crosby. There has been no bigger Flyers killer than No. 87. Travis Sanheim has seen Crosby up close as an opponent and as a teammate with Team Canada at the Olympics, 4 Nations Face-Off and IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship.<\/p>\n “Have a ton of respect for him and what he has done throughout his career,” Sanheim said Thursday. “Yet if I respect him, I want to play him hard. I know that I’m going to have to be playing lots against him. I’m looking forward to the battle.”<\/p>\n Rick Tocchet knows Crosby well, too.<\/p>\n “You’ve got to go through him, you’ve got to be on top of him, you’ve got to make it a hard game for him, you’ve got to get in his way,” the Flyers’ head coach said Thursday. “Because if you’re not, you know what he can do.”<\/p>\n Tocchet was an assistant coach with the Penguins when they won back-to-back titles in 2016 and 2017.<\/p>\n “We have a ton of respect for Sid, he’s an unbelievable person and player,” Tocchet said, “but we’ve got to get him in the ditches. We’ve got to make it hard on him.”<\/p>\n \n