Pens' Crosby: 'Urgency is heightened' down 0-2

PHILADELPHIA -- Sidney Crosby said "the urgency is heightened" for the Pittsburgh Penguins after the Philadelphia Flyers won the first two games of their first-round playoff series.

The Flyers took the first two games on the road, ahead of Game 3 back in Philly on Wednesday night. It's the sixth time in Crosby's career that his team has been in an 0-2 series hole. He has helped rally the team twice to series wins, both of them in 2009: in the conference semifinal against the Washington Capitals and in the Stanley Cup Final against the Detroit Red Wings, both of them in seven games.

"Obviously, the urgency is heightened," said Crosby. "I think it's always heightened when you're down in a series. You're trying to give momentum back. I've been up 3-1 in a series. I know how quickly that can turn."

Crosby doesn't have a point against the Flyers, his first playoff appearance since 2022. Some of that can be chalked up to the Flyers' defense, which has allowed just 15 Penguins shots from the inner slot in two games, and their goaltender Dan Vladar (.956 save percentage). But Philadelphia has also stifled the Penguins' power play, killing off all seven opportunities in the series. Crosby scored 23 of his 74 points in the regular season with the man advantage.

"We've been a little more aggressive. I like our up-ice pressure. Little things have helped, whether it's a key block or a clear or a Vladdy save," Flyers coach Rick Tocchet said.

In seeking to build momentum for a series rally, Crosby said the Penguins need to get more of it from their power play.

"The power play is not always going to score, but you want to try to at least get momentum from it. And we haven't done a good enough job doing that," Crosby said. "Teams' kills are going to be good, especially this time of year. So I think the biggest thing for us is give ourselves a chance to contribute. And if not, then at least get some momentum. So executing that would, I think, go a long way, for sure."

The Penguins will start goalie Stuart Skinner for the third straight game. Forward Justin Brazeau, who stands at 6-foot-6, is expected to draw in for Game 3 and skate with rookie center Ben Kindel and winger Egor Chinakhov, who has also yet to score in the series.

Game 3 will be eight years to the day of the last Flyers playoff home game, when they were eliminated in Game 6 of the first round by Crosby and the Penguins.

"I've been in those situations where you could be over-keyed. I mean, we know the city and what's going on. We're excited to get playoff hockey back, but we've got to be careful that we're not overexuberant," Tocchet said. "I don't want to take the aggressiveness and using the crowd for advantage away, but this is where experience comes in. We're going to have to play our game, which is a smart game, but we can't be overexuberant."