The 2012 Eastern Conference playoffs have finally arrived, and the hockey gods have delivered a dream matchup in round one, pitting the Pittsburgh Penguins against the Philadelphia Flyers. Pittsburgh and Philadelphia met twice in the last week of the regular season, with the game seven days ago ending in a brawl and both coaches looking to go at each other.
Saturday's 4-2 Pittsburgh victory in the season finale for both teams saw Penguins star Evgeni Malkin net his 50th goal of the season, becoming just the ninth Pittsburgh player to score 50 goals in a season. Malkin ended the year tops in the league with 109 points.
Pittsburgh earned the No. 4 seed in the East, and will have home-ice advantage against the No. 5 seed Flyers.
For all the latest news and analysis on the Penguins, visit PensBurgh. If you are a Flyers fan, make sure to stop by Broad Street Hockey. Still not enough hockey for you? Make sure to visit the SB Nation NHL Hub page for all the latest news on every team in the NHL down the stretch run and on the road to the Stanley Cup Finals.