For the first time in four years, playoff hockey returned to Pittsburgh and PPG Paints Arena.

Fans packed inside the home of the Penguins as Sidney Crosby and the gang were set to face off against their cross-state rival in the Philadelphia Flyers.

Yes, with the goaltender pulled they scored to make it interesting at 3-2, but it was too little, too late. That extra-attacker goal was more or less a blip in an overall pretty pitiful night for the Penguins on home ice.

In the shots department, Pittsburgh’s defense actually did a decent job of limiting opportunities. The Flyers were held to just 20 shots on goal in this game, including a measly 11 shots in the final 40 minutes. That’s really good!

The problem is, three of them went into the net.

Now, don’t get me wrong. Stuart Skinner made some amazing saves last night, and he is the reason why the final score wasn’t way more lopsided. However, three goals on 20 shots against is an .850 save percentage. Rarely will that cut it in April hockey.

Philadelphia played a very opportunistic game all the way around. Even though Skinner made some key saves, the Flyers picked their spots to beat him.

They don’t have the offensive talent advantage in this series, a fact I think even they would admit if given truth serum. But, they played to their strengths, their abilities, and played to their game.

The Penguins actually had the slight edge in hits, throwing 41 to Philadelphia’s 40. But, the Flyers were able to muck up this game perfectly, baiting the Penguins into taking multiple unnecessary penalties.

Crosby was called for a roughing call alongside Philly goal-scorer Jamie Drysdale in the first, Anthony Mantha was sent to the box for a cross-check in the third, and Crosby was back off the ice with another roughing call, this time bringing defenseman Travis Sanheim with him.

Even if two of those situations resulted in 4-on-4 play, that’s exactly what the Flyers wanted in this series opener. They found their opportunities to score, to hit, to agitate, and eventually, to win.

On the other end of the ice, the Penguins finished this game with a mere 17 shots on goal. Bryan Rust, Elmer Soderblom, and Crosby all had three, but Rickard Rakell was the only other Penguins to have a multi-shot game. Only three pucks that found their way to the net came from blue liners.

This is the Stanley Cup Playoffs. You have to, have to, have to get more shots on goal.

Dan Vladař had a decent season in net for the Flyers (with a career-best .906 save percentage and 2.42 goals against average), but he is not invincible. He had a grand total of 48:38 in net in the postseason, never making a start in the playoffs. Aside from Evgeni Malkin’s goal in the second period, the Penguins made it too easy of a night for Vladař.

Some of that lack of shots was thanks to the Flyers, who blocked nine of them. But the Penguins were too passive, and sometimes when they just needed to take the shot, they passed the puck or spun around on their skates.

In a way, it’s a bit understandable why the Penguins came out a little flat in the postseason. But it’s certainly no excuse.

After clinching a playoff spot (and later that night, second in the Metropolitan Division) on April 9th in New Jersey, the Penguins rested a decent amount of their roster in the final games. Crosby and Malkin only played once in the team’s final three games, attending a trip to Washington for what was possibly their last chance to play against Alex Ovechkin.

But even in that game, the Penguins had nothing serious to play for. For the Capitals, they were fighting desperately for their postseason lives, but for the Penguins, the game was far more ceremonial than anything else. So, none of these guys have played a truly necessary, desperately needed hockey in a week and a half.

Philly, meanwhile, had to fight longer to officially punch their ticket to this matchup. Even if it was just for an extra few days, the Flyers were slightly more battle born coming into game one. It showed.

So now, the Flyers hold a surprising 1-0 series lead. Game two is a must-win, that’s obvious.

This series is far from over, but teams who claim game one in the Stanley Cup Playoffs historically take the series about 2/3 of the time. The Penguins have a lot of work to do in front of them.

Being mentally prepared is the big difference the Penguins will need between now and game two. Malkin alluded to that after game one.

“We played good all year long,” Malkin said after the game. “We know how we play and we just, like, maybe nervous too much or we want (it) too much. We just not thinking a little bit, I think. Everybody wants to play good.”

A more mentally prepared team might be able to come out and get some more shots on goal early, putting some pressure on Vladař and the Philly blue line.

Look, this series is far from over. But it’s fair to say that if the Penguins can’t bounce back in game two, we might just have to start reaching for the panic button.