If you want to get into semantics tonight's game is not a must win for the Philadelphia Flyers, but it kind of is. It would be a tall task to defeat the Pittsburgh Penguins three consecutive games with two of those coming in Pittsburgh. Not impossible, improbable.

Sean Couturier's status is no clearer today than it was yesterday. He is a "game time decision". Nick Bonino was a game time decision for the playoffs last year and he never returned. Not saying we've seen the last of Couturier just saying that the verbiage is meaningless in the playoffs. No Couturier would mean that Claude Giroux will get a new center or he will have to bump over to the center position. It isn't a next man up situation for the Flyers. Couturier would be sizeable loss considering what the matchups would look like.

Dominik Simon will be making his NHL playoff debut tonight. We should find out what the lines are without Patric Hornqvist during warmups.

Marc-Andre Fleury and his .977 save percentage are moving on to the second round. The first round matchup between the Golden Knights and Kings was not exactly a showcase for offense. Despite going 0-4 Jonathan Quick had an all-situations save percentage of .944. Is there a goalie who started four games in sweep that has had a higher save percentage? I would be very surprised if there were.

You have to start wondering what is going to keep Drew Doughty in Los Angeles. He's going to get paid regardless of his destination. Jeff Carter is 33, Anze Kopitar will be 31 before next year starts, and Dustin Brown isn't going to have another year like this one due to a likely shooting percentage regression.

If I was Bruce Boudreau I would have thrown an obscenity laced tirade after the Wild lost Game 4 by a score of 2-0 with an empty netter. Eric Staal was blatantly crosschecked in the head much like how Dubinsky and his brother Marc used to pulverize Sidney Crosby's skull and the refs flat out missed it. It should have been a major penalty at a minimum. Instead of going up 5v3 with a major penalty power play the Jets scored the game winning goal on a sequence that was within that five minute timeline. The Jets are the better team and when you're the underdog you can't afford to see calls blown like that. It's time to hold the officials accountable by making them answer to the press after playoff games. That was embarrassing.

Last home game in Philadelphia this year?

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