Dan Muse and the Penguins are one loss from the end of their season after being dominated for 120 minutes on home ice and falling behind 2-0 in their first-round Stanley Cup playoff series against the Flyers. Game 3 is set for Wednesday in Philadelphia, and a Penguins defeat would end the series.
The numbers tell the story without much help. Pittsburgh has gone 0-for-7 on the power play, and its power play managed only two shots in Game 2. The Penguins have also refused to dump and chase except with their fourth line, even though that group has been their best line in the series.
That is a sharp turn from a regular season that finished 41-25-16 and put Pittsburgh second in the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference. The Penguins clinched a playoff spot a week before the end of the season, but they also lived through a rocky stretch, including an eight-game losing streak from Dec. 7 to Dec. 20, two Sidney Crosby injuries and a five-game suspension for Evgeni Malkin.
Muse was hired to develop young talent, and some detractors labeled him a bridge coach when he got the job one year ago. Instead, he has spent the season answering every stress test the roster has faced, and he has done it again while the Flyers have looked young, fast, physical and disciplined.
That is the tension now. The Penguins did enough over 82 games to get back here, but through two games they have not found a way to match Philadelphia’s pace or make their own skill game matter. Wednesday is not just another road game; it is the last one they get if the same problems follow them into Game 3.
