NHL Playoffs 2012: 5 Reasons to Believe Penguins Can Come Back Against Flyers

"Don't let us win tonight!"

Those were the words uttered by Kevin Millar of the Boston Red Sox in Game 4 of the 2004 ALCS when the Sox roared back and made history, coming down from an 0-3 deficit against the New York Yankees to win the series.

The Pittsburgh Penguins must've been thinking the same thing coming into Wednesday night's game.

You see, by winning Game 4 by a 10-3 margin, the Penguins now have something that the Flyers never wanted them to have: faith, hope, and confidence.

There are numerous reasons why we should keep an eye out on the Penguins in this series now. The Flyers missed their chance to put this team away and the Penguins have all of the momentum right now. 

It's not just because they won.

It's because of how they won. 

This win did several things for the Penguins to make them believe in themselves even more. They obviously had the self-assurance to win 10-3 in an elimination game, but the win itself took it to a new level. 

Here's why. 

They Can Score at Will

Even during their dismal three-game losing streak in the series, the Penguins were scoring goals. They averaged four goals per game in the first three games.

Generally speaking, if a team scores four goals in a game, they're going to win more often than not. With a solid defense, even three goals should be enough for a victory.

The Penguins offense exploded for 10 on Wednesday night, showing that the highest-scoring team in the NHL will not be silenced. They can score whenever they want.

With names like Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Jordan Staal facilitating the offense, the Penguins will continue to score goals—especially against the Flyers' shaky defense and goaltending duo. 

Fleury Gained Some Confidence

Unlike Ilya Bryzgalov and Sergei Bobrovsky, Marc-Andre Fleury has shown in the past that he can be an elite goaltender. He has playoff experience and a Stanley Cup ring.

What he lost in the last three games was a truckload of confidence. It doesn't take one save to change that. He allowed a plethora of goals and his save percentage was below 80 percent. 

That being said, after shutting out the Flyers in the second and third periods on Wednesday night and making some nice saves, Fleury might have regained some of that old swagger. 

With the home crowd on his side on Friday night, it won't be surprising to see Fleury go on a little run here and stop some pucks.

Pair that with the Penguins' explosive offense, and we may see some ugly games in favor of the Penguins as the series goes on. 

James Neal Is Coming Back

The Penguins got plenty of help from Jordan Staal and Evgeni Malkin on Wednesday night in terms of scoring goals. 

On Friday, they'll get 40-goal scorer James Neal back in the lineup, and there's no doubt he's going to be another threat for Pittsburgh. 

It's amazing that the Penguins scored 10 goals without Neal in the lineup. Still, the Flyers will make adjustments to try to stop the Penguins offense. They're a well-coached team.

But having Neal come back in the lineup gives the Penguins another angle of attack—and that is something that should concern the Flyers. 

Turning the Other Cheek

The Penguins were on the penalty kill seemingly every other shift in the first period and throughout Game 3.

They were undisciplined and committed stupid penalties. They also got involved in physical altercations throughout the game, and it was pretty obvious that the Flyers were in the Penguins' heads.

The Penguins were frustrated and they let the Flyers get to them. As a result, they lost three guys due to suspension.

In Game 4, the Penguins turned the other cheek. No more of that "eye for an eye" business that was throwing them off their game. The Flyers tried to agitate, but the Pens would not budge. 

Zac Rinaldo tried to initiate a melee late in the third period by shoving Zbynek Michalek in the face, but the Penguins eventually ended up skating away for the most part. 

They ignored getting into scrums and didn't let the Flyers play their style of hockey, which is a highly physical and aggressive brand.

And why would the Pens fight?

That's not their game. They're not built to throw punches and fight. They're better off not retaliating and getting on the power play like they did many times on Wednesday night.

Kudos to the Penguins for backing away from meaningless scrums and fights and not letting their early frustrations get to their heads.

Strong Leadership

When Dan Bylsma took over the Pittsburgh Penguins in February 2009, the Penguins were in 10th place in the Eastern Conference. He led them to the playoffs and they won the Stanley Cup.

Penguins fans called it "Byls-magic."

The reason why the team was able to win so many more games under their new coach, rather than with Michel Therrien, is because Bylsma has a knack of staying cool and calm in times of pressure. 

The Penguins have faced adversity many times in the last three-and-a-half seasons; more times than not they've overcome them because of Bylsma's leadership. 

When the Penguins went down 0-3, there is no way Bylsma wilted or panicked in any way.

Instead, he's probably relishing the challenge of going into the history books if the Penguins can pull off the comeback.