Well, who would have seen this coming?

Look, this is the Stanley Cup Playoffs. It’s one of hockey’s biggest and best rivalries. Anyone who thought this would be easy was lying to themselves.

But I don’t think anyone could have predicted for the Philadelphia Flyers to whoop the Pittsburgh Penguins the way they have through two games.

Game one on Saturday was a Flyers masterclass in how they can win this series. They executed a low-event, physical game and were able to agitate the Penguins, baiting them into taking multiple penalties.

But perhaps most importantly, the Flyers limited the Penguins to a mere 17 shots on goal. So, their 27 shots on goal in game two looks like a much more respectable figure. But it’s also a misleading stat, one that overshadows Pittsburgh’s abysmal two-shot first period as yet another slow start put them in a bind early.

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