PHILADELPHIA -- We hold these truths to be self-evident:
• Claude Giroux has to step up his game for the Flyers to have a chance.
• Brian Dumoulin has some offensive game. Seriously.
• In a series dominated by special teams, the Penguins are winning the battle and the war.
• Oh, and if the Penguins should win Game 4 tonight at the Wells Fargo Center to take a 3-1 series lead, this series will be over by the weekend.
1. D'OH, CAPTAIN
Bobby Clarke. Dave Poulin. Eric Lindros. Keith Primeau. Mike Richards.
The Flyers have had outstanding and even inspirational captains who have led, carried or dragged the club to eight Stanley Cup Final appearances, the most of any non-Original Six franchise.
But since the 'C' was stitched on Giroux's orange sweater on Jan. 15, 2013, the Flyers have reached the postseason just three times in five years and have not advanced beyond the first round. Barring something unforeseen, that will be the result again this spring, and Giroux will be a large reason why.
The NHL's second-leading scorer in the regular season has gone AWOL against his rivals with just one assist in this series (on Shayne Gostisbehere's power play goal in Game 2):
Since former coach Peter Laviolette anointed him "the best player in the world" in the spring of 2012, Giroux has just four goals in 19 playoff games, the last of which was four years ago. He has just seven assists over that span.
No, Giroux isn't the best player in the world. Sidney Crosby still is, and, really, it's unfair to compare Giroux to him. But Giroux has to be much better than what he's shown in the first three games (seven shots and a minus-5).
What really stands in stark contrast to Crosby is that the Penguins captain -- seven points in three games -- always seems to rise to the occasion.
This is a de facto must-win game for the Flyers. Forget the goalie or the lineup changes. It's up to the captain -- possibly without his center -- to take his team by the scruff and lead.
2. BEWARE ... DUMOULIN?
Guess who is the second-leading scorer among all defensemen in the postseason? Hint: It's not Drew Doughty, Charlie McAvoy or Seth Jones.
If you guessed Dumoulin ... oh, who are we kidding? Nobody would have picked him.
But there he is, second only to John Carlson. With five points (a goal and four assists), Dumoulin has as many points as Taylor Hall and Patrice Bergeron. Not bad for a "defensive" defenseman.
Dumoulin is just three points shy of establishing a career high for points in a playoff season. His previous best was eight points in 24 games in 2015-16.
On Sunday, Dumoulin's goal at 6:53 of the second came just five seconds after Evgeni Malkin's power play goal, tying the fastest two playoff goals in NHL history. It was also the first by a Pittsburgh defenseman this postseason:
Dumoulin is coming off a career year, his third full NHL season, setting highs in goals (five) and points (18). Since coming to Pittsburgh, he has been pigeonholed into a defensive role, which allows regular partner Kris Letang to take a few chances offensively. But Dumoulin, the 51st overall pick in 2009, does have some pedigree. He scored seven goals in 44 games in his final season at Boston College.
As for his playoff production this spring?
"It's nothing I'd say I've done," Dumolin told me. "The forwards have been doing a good job for us, and we've gotten some bounces, obviously, and been capitalizing on opportunities that we've had. When we've had good chances, we've put them in the back of the net, and that helps."
Still, someone has to get the puck to the forwards, and Dumoulin gives the Penguins one more player the Flyers have to account for.
3. DON'T OVERTHINK IT, IT'S THE POWER PLAY
For a team that struggled all season on the road, the Penguins have made themselves feel right at home in Philadelphia, where they have absolutely dominated the Flyers this season.
Including their two wins in the regular season, the Penguins are 3-0 at the Wells Fargo Center and have outscored the home team by a margin of 15-4.
Almost all of that success in Philly can be explained by the Penguins' top-ranked power play, which has converted on an astonishing 6-of-13 chances, including a 3-of-7 showing in Game 3. Conversely, the Flyers power play is 0-for-15 at home against Pittsburgh's PK.
Other than, you know, scoring, the Flyers couldn't have scripted a much better start than the one they received in Game 3. But when Crosby scored on a wraparound at 10:25 of the first period, the energy went completely out of the building:
After that, the frustrated Flyers were content to take penalties, and the Penguins made them pay for it repeatedly. If the Penguins can score early and take the crowd out of it again, there's little reason to think the score won't get as ugly as the previous three.
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