Sidney Crosby Talks 'Heightened' Urgency as Penguins Face NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs Hole vs. Flyers

Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby says his team is feeling a "heightened" sense of urgency after falling into an 0-2 first-round series deficit to the Philadelphia Flyers.

"I think it's always heightened when you're down in a series," Crosby said when asked about his level of urgency heading into Wednesday's Game 3 (h/t SportsRadio 94WIP's Dave Uram). "You're trying to get momentum back. I've been up 3-1 in a series, and I know how quick that can turn, so I think that regardless of what the series is, it's just all about trying to play the right way, give yourself a chance every night.

"We feel like we took a step towards that in Game 2, and we've gotta do that here in Game 3. So, obviously, the urgency is heightened, and understanding what the situation is."

During the Penguins' last playoff run, Crosby and his team gained a 3-1 first-round series lead over the New York Rangers before losing in seven games back in 2022.

This time it will be the Penguins looking to launch a comeback from two games down when Game 3 begins Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET in Philadelphia.

Wednesday will mark the first road game of the series for the Penguins, who lost 3-2 in Saturday's Game 1 before conceding a 3-0 shutout during Monday's Game 2 in Pittsburgh.

Crosby said he's hoping the road swing will provide a spark for the Penguins, who had a better points percentage on the road than at home during the regular season.

"I think you tend to simplify it on the road. We've been good on the road all year," Crosby said. "I think we understand that we earned being down two-nothing, we've got to earn getting ourselves back in."

Crosby, who has more postseason points against the Flyers than any other player in NHL history, has been held off the scoresheet entirely through two games.

He's not the only scorer who's been struggling early in the series. The Penguins, who ranked third in the NHL in goals per game and tenth in shots per game during the regular season, have been largely stymied by an aggressive Flyers defense.

The Flyers have regularly forced the Penguins into dump-ins rather than controlled zone entries while blocking most of their shot attempts, holding the Penguins to just 16 even-strength shots on goal through the first four periods of the series.

Pittsburgh's power play, which converted at a 24.1 percent rate during the regular season, has meanwhile gone 0-for-7 with just three total shots through two games.

The Penguins picked up some momentum while recording 23 even-strength shots during the last two periods of Game 2, although they were unable to find a way to beat Flyers goaltender Dan Vladar.

Crosby will hope his team's sense of urgency and past success on the road will help them get more shots on Vladar early in Game 3 as they look to avoid falling into an 0-3 hole in their first playoff series in four years.