Some Flyers-oriented observations from the Stanley Cup Finals:
• Nothing trumps scoring touch in the NHL these days. Not systems, not muscle, not goaltending, not effort or energy, not even Peter Laviolette’s "jam."
Their scoring depth allowed the Pittsburgh Penguins to emerge from the first two games, in which they did not play particularly well, with home-ice victories. After building a 3-0 lead in Game 1, the Penguins went 37 minutes without a shot on goal, then scored on rookie Jake Guentzel’s shot that broke that span. That 5-3 loss, and the ensuing one, left Nashville with little wriggle room, and when goalie Pekka Rinne coughed up a huge hairball in Game 5, none at all.