Posted by Scott Burnside
PITTSBURGH -- The Penguins had a practice Saturday instead of an optional skate, which is often the standard in the playoffs.
"No morning skate tomorrow was a factor, and there were a couple of things we wanted to get done in practice today," Dan Bylsma said. "I think it was probably the lightest practice we've had since I've been here minus the morning skates, and that was even lighter than most morning skates."
Game 3 is Sunday at 3 p.m. ET.
Too much talk?
Interesting comments from Philadelphia's top defenseman Kimmo Timonen, who was assessed a 10-minute misconduct at the end of Game 2, about the differences he perceives in how the on-ice officials treat the two teams.
"The only thing that I notice is that I didn't see the refs yelling at their bench, not one time," Timonen said. "And I can see them coming over to our bench a few times. It makes you wonder, 'Why?' That's for other people to judge. We just go out there and play. And hopefully, we get some breaks, too."
Pressed about the issue, Timonen said the referees were doing more yelling at the Flyers' bench.
"Obviously, they had something to tell. Was it us yelling at them? Or them to us? I don't know," he said. "But you see [their] guys going to the refs and talking to them and it looks like they talk to them back. But when we go to talk to them, they yell at us. It's a little bit of a difference. It's not something we can control."
Flyers coach John Stevens said he hopes officials will listen to his team leaders like Timonen, Simon Gagne and Mike Richards. He also suggested the Penguins "tend to talk a little more than most teams."
Line changes
Interesting to see Penguins coach Dan Bylsma go to an old favored combination in the middle of Game 2, pairing star centers Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby together along with Bill Guerin. The line shuffling came at a time when the Penguins weren't generating much in the way of offense and the combination came up with the Pens' first goal of the game.
"Billy Guerin promised us before the playoffs he'd have a shooter's mentality and that's why he went on that wing, got the opportunity and it was a much-needed goal for our club," Bylsma said.
Malkin had three points on the night, including the tying goal late in regulation, and has five points in two games. Crosby has three points.
Bylsma also said he used the team's fourth line of Maxime Talbot, Greg Adams and Pascal Dupuis more in the overtime session in Game 2 because he trusts their abilities.
"Those guys have all played different roles at different times in their career, so I'm comfortable with those guys on the ice," the coach said.
Behind the numbers
The Penguins opened each of their three Eastern Conference playoff series last spring with three straight victories en route to a 12-2 record through the Eastern Conference finals. They have a chance to make it four in a row with a win in Philadelphia. The Flyers, meanwhile, have trailed 2-0 in a best-of-seven series 13 times in franchise history and come back to win just twice. In five of the series, the Flyers were swept.
Pens can be physical
The view from the outside is the Penguins are more finesse than grit, given their star power. But Bylsma said the stats show his team gives as good as it gets.
"The last 27 games ... we've almost matched the teams' hits, our opponent. Again it's about being aggressive," Bylsma said. "It's about puck management that allows you to be more physical when you manage the puck well playing in the offensive zone. ... Our team has been able to do that over the last 27 games. I think it's part of our identity. It's what we bring to games and I think we've done a real good job of playing physical and we've actually done a real good job of playing within the rule book, as well."
Speaking of physical, the word out of Philadelphia (thanks to our friends in the Philadelphia media corps) is Daniel Carcillo will play in Game 3. He was suspended for Game 2 after whacking Talbot in the head at the end of Game 1.
ESPN.com Stanley Cup playoffs blog
