Pittsburgh Penguins Vs. Philadelphia Flyers, NHL Playoffs 2012: Complete Series Coverage

She’s all yours. Hartnell wins.

That seemed like the final nail in Pittsburgh’s coffin, and from there, the Flyers used solid defense to dispatch their cross-state rivals. It was the complete opposite of much of the series, where the teams combined for more goals than we’ve ever seen in a Stanley Cup Playoff series. Philadelphia killed off four of five Pittsburgh power play attempts and, in total, the 40 blocked shots and the 30 saves from Bryzgalov were the difference in the game.

The Flyers are the first Eastern Conference team to advance to the semifinals. Their second-round opponent is still to be determined.

Philadelphia’s offense, so good in its first three games while pouring in 20 goals, has slowed down in Games 4 and 5, totaling just five tallies. And the Penguins have found their scoring touch of late, putting in 19 goals in their last three games, including a 10-goal explosion in Game 4 — which was played in Philadelphia.

For complete coverage of the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs, stick with SB Nation’s NHL hub. For more on the Flyers, visit Broad Street Hockey and SB Nation Philadelphia. For more on the Penguins, head to Pensburgh and SB Nation Pittsburgh.

Three series in the 2012 Stanley Cup NHL playoffs could end on Sunday. In all three of them, the lower-seeded team has a chance to close out its better-seeded counterpart.

No. 2 Boston Bruins at No. 7 Washington Capitals

3 p.m. ET -- Game 6, Eastern Conference Quarterfinals | Capitals lead, 3-2

National TV: NBC, CBC, RDS

After giving up 20 goals over less than nine periods of the series -- which included an overtime goal in Game 1 and being pulled after yielding six in the first two periods of Game 3 -- the netminder’s statistics stood at an awful 6.34 goals-against average and .798 save percentage.

This was something completely unexpected from Fleury, who was only three years removed from being the Stanley Cup-winning goalie in the 2009 Penguins’ championship run. Fleury and the Pens defeated the Flyers on the way to that Cup triumph -- the second consecutive postseason they had dispatched their cross-state arch-rivals from the big dance -- and he had the Philadelphia players shaking their heads with some of the stops he had produced.

The Flyers controlled possession throughout the third and came on strong for just about 15 straight minutes in the final period, but Fleury was literally in ninja mode. See, look:

Overall, Fleury was phenomenal in the third and throughout the game, and without his phenomenal play, the Penguins wouldn’t be moving on. Special teams were again huge as well, as Philadelphia scored both goals on the power play, but Pittsburgh’s penalty kill came up strong on a third-period power play that seemed to help Fleury settle in for the barrage that would come after.

The series moves back to Pittsburgh for a fifth game - here’s the info on how to watch it.

No. 5 Philadelphia Flyers at No. 4 Pittsburgh Penguins

7:30 p.m. ET -- Game 5, Eastern Conference Quarterfinals | Flyers lead, 3-1

National TV: NBC Sports Network, TSN, RDS | Local TV: CSN Philadelphia, ROOT Sports

No. 5 Detroit Red Wings at No. 4 Nashville Predators

8 p.m. ET -- Game 5, Western Conference Quarterfinals | Predators lead, 3-1

National TV: CNBC, CBC, RDSI | Local TV: FS Detroit, SportSouth

↵

↵Dirk Hoag from On The Forecheck broke down exactly how these two Stanley Cup favorites were able to stay alive in the postseason and push their respective quarterfinal matchups to Game 5.

Pittsburgh had completely lost their focus and paid the price when the Flyers buried them with special teams goals.

T-shirts were handed out at the doors entering the Wells Fargo Center with “Guess What? We Don’t Like You, Either!” in response to Crosby’s comments following Game 3 about how he didn’t like any Flyers’ players. Not one. Flyers’ fans laughed and danced in celebration, for with a 3-0 series lead, the end was surely near for the rivals from the western portion of Pennsylvania.

Perhaps the reaction of the Philadelphia fans in the front row following Goal No. 9 sums this game and this series up the best:

Pittsburgh won the battle in Game 4. They went 4-for-9 on the power play in the contest, and Philadelphia helped the cause by taking nine penalties in the second period alone. That was the difference in the period that swung the game in the Penguins’ direction, and that’s ultimately why we’re headed to a Game 5. Special teams. It’s important.

Philadelphia is winning the battle for Pennsylvania in convincing fashion: after an 8-5 romp, the Flyers proved it wasn’t a fluke by putting up another 8-spot on the board in an 8-4 victory that put the Flyers one game away from advancing to the second round. (Oh, and it was also fun if you enjoy watching people fight each other and/or Hulk Hogan.)

While the majority of series in this year’s first round have been close, Philly has shown their mettle and will have four chances to come away with the series victory. Although, Pittsburgh fans, don’t get down on yourselves -- teams have come back from 3-0 before! (but not often).

Wednesday night could end two 2012 NHL playoffs series. And both would have to end in upsets and sweeps by the lower seed.

No. 4 Pittsburgh Penguins at No. 5 Philadelphia Flyers

7:30 p.m. ET -- Game 4, Eastern Conference Quarterfinals | Flyers lead, 3-0

National TV: NBC Sports, TSN, RDS2 | Local TV: ROOT, CSN Philadelphia

cover via @DNFlyers

We can complain about objectivity (“Sniveling Sidney!”), or the fact that it’s not even all that clever, or that it’s a pretty poor Photoshop job here, but I have a bigger concern. I’m not terribly familiar with the Cowardly Lion (I know, rough childhood apparently), but I do have Wikipedia on this fancy typin’ box I’ve got here, and, well ...

The NHL announced the suspension late Tuesday, and Asham will only be eligible to return to the lineup if the Penguins are able to win four straight games and advance to the Conference Semifinals.

The NHL’s Department of Player Safety announced the suspension late Tuesday evening.

Both Giroux and Couturier were uninjured as a result of the hits, although Giroux did seem dazed immediately following and Couturier retreated to the locker room for several minutes to gather his bearings.

↵

↵What got the teams in these precarious positions? And do they have what it takes to become just the fourth or fifth team in league history to come back from an 0-3 hole?

Head coach Dan Bylsma has also been fined $10,000 as a result of Adams’ actions.

It’s an automatic suspension in accordance with Rule 46.12, which states that players cannot instigate fights in the final five minutes of a game, and that coaches responsible for players who do so must pay the hefty fine. We’d say this qualifies as instigation:

But the Canucks are at least going down with dignity. Sure, they might dive and they might complain to the officials after the game has already been decided, like Alex Burrows did immediately after the final horn at Staples Center following Game 3, but they’re keeping their cool about them. They aren’t turning the game into a joke.

Neal wasn’t penalized for the hit on Couturier, and as he stayed on the ice for the offensive zone faceoff immediately after Couturier made his way to the locker room for observation, he gave it just a few seconds before taking an even more egregious run at Flyers superstar Claude Giroux.

The hit connected with Couturier’s head and was a blatant attempt to injure, yet Neal was not penalized. That would turn out to be a vital mistake on the part of the officials.

As you can see, Giroux was quite woozy after the hit. He’s had concussion problems this season, so it’s definitely a concern for Philadelphia moving forward. Giroux didn’t play a shift after this, but he did remain on the ice after the check attempt by Neal when tempers flared.

↵Like at PPL Park on Saturday afternoon, for example, where the Philadelphia Union played host to the Columbus Crew in MLS action.

↵

No series is ever truly over at 2-0 but, if the Penguins fail to win on Friday night and let the Flyers go home with a 2-0 lead, the series might as well be over. It would be an extremely difficult hole to climb out of, even for a team with the offensive talent of the Penguins.

No. 5 Philadelphia Flyers at No. 4 Pittsburgh Penguins

April 13, 7:30 p.m. ET -- Game 2, Eastern Conference Quarterfinals | Flyers lead, 1-0

National TV: NBCSN, TSN, RDS | Local TV: CSN Philly, ROOT Pittsburgh

↵

↵

They had been in this situation so many times before, only to pull together and succeed in the end.

As a matter of fact, the 2-0 Pens lead at the 10-minute mark of the opening frame was the 52nd time in the last 56 games that the Orange-and-Black did not lead the game at that stage of play. That fact just makes the club’s resiliency to be able to pull out wins all the more amazing.

Their coach, Peter Laviolette, is a pretty fiery guy. He once punched his own player in the head during a timeout and, of course, just two weeks ago, he broke a stick over the glass on the very same CONSOL Energy Center bench he occupied during Game 1.

Stick with SBNation.com for full Penguins vs. Flyers series coverage. For more from the Pittsburgh perspective, check in with Pensburgh, and for more from the Philadelphia perspective, check in with Broad Street Hockey.