PITTSBURGH — This article originally appeared on PGHHockeyNOW.com.
A pair of underdogs, supposed to be in the throes of rebuilding, surprised everyone and finished second and third in the Metro Division.
The Pittsburgh Penguins claimed second place and their first playoff appearance since 2022, while the Philadelphia Flyers surged to third place and their first playoff appearance since 2020.
The Penguins are 3-4 all-time in a postseason series against the Flyers, but the Penguins have advanced to at least the second round of the playoffs eight times in the 16 playoff runs they’ve had with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin in the lineup. In five of the 16 runs, the Penguins have gone to at least the Conference Final.
The Penguins have four players who will make their Stanley Cup Playoffs debut: Egor Chinakhov, Ben Kindel, Elmer Soderblom, and Ryan Shea.
The Penguins scored seven power-play goals on 18 opportunities (38.9%) during the regular season against the Flyers.
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