(Kate Frese/SB Nation)
By Kevin Durso, Sports Talk Philly editor 
It's do or die time for the Flyers. After another embarrassing effort on home ice in Game 4, the Flyers will need to find a way to win again in Pittsburgh on Friday night, or the season will come to an end.
It's a tall task to try to beat the defending back-to-back Stanley Cup champions in three straight games, but all the Flyers can do is focus on Friday and deliver a better effort. That, of course, is easier said than done when the powerhouse Penguins are playing in their home building with a chance to advance on the line.
Game time for Game 5 is set for 7 p.m.
Team Leaders
| Philadelphia Flyers | GP | G | A | P | Pittsburgh Penguins | GP | G | A | P |
| Sean Couturier | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | Sidney Crosby | 4 | 5 | 4 | 9 |
| Ivan Provorov | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | Jake Guentzel | 4 | 1 | 6 | 7 |
| Nolan Patrick | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | Evgeni Malkin | 4 | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| Jake Voracek | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | Brian Dumoulin | 4 | 1 | 4 | 5 |
| Travis Konecny | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | Kris Letang | 4 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| Player to Watch | |
| 19 Nolan Patrick | 87 Sidney Crosby |
| In Series: 1 G, 1 A, 2 P, -4 | In Series: 5 G, 4 A, 9 P, +8 |
| Goalie Matchup | |
| 37 Brian Elliott | 30 Matt Murray |
| 1-3, 4.75 GAA, .856 SV% | 3-1, 1.27 GAA, .948 SV% |
Brian Elliott was pulled for the second time in the series in Game 4 with Michal Neuvirth coming on in relief. The Flyers have stuck with Elliott throughout the season and the expectation here is that they will again.
Matt Murray continued to boost his postseason numbers with another shutout in Game 4. In the Penguins three wins in the series, Murray has allowed just one goal. He allowed four in the Flyers Game 2 win, but his overall numbers for the series — a 1.27 GAA and .948 save percentage — speak for themselves.
Flyers Projected Lineup
Injuries: Sean Couturier
Scratches: Dale Weise, Taylor Leier, Robert Hagg, Johnny Oduya, Petr Mrazek
| Left Wing | Center | Right Wing |
| 28 Claude Giroux | 51 Valtteri Filppula | 93 Jake Voracek |
| 54 Oskar Lindblom | 19 Nolan Patrick | 11 Travis Konecny |
| 24 Matt Read | 15 Jori Lehtera | 17 Wayne Simmonds |
| 12 Michael Raffl | 21 Scott Laughton | 40 Jordan Weal |
| Defense | ||
| 9 Ivan Provorov | 47 Andrew MacDonald | |
| 8 Robert Hagg | 53 Shayne Gostisbehere | |
| 23 Brandon Manning | 3 Radko Gudas | |
| Goalie | ||
| 37 Brian Elliott |
Lineup Notes
The big question remains if Sean Couturier will play in Game 5. He did not practice on Thursday, but said he is day-to-day and did not rule out playing on Friday. If Couturier cannot play, the above lines were the ones used at practice on Thursday. If he can play, he'll slot back into the top-line center role and Valtteri Filppula will likely drop back to the third line.
Penguins Projected Lineup
Injuries: Patric Hornqvist, Carter Rowney
Scratches: Josh Jooris, Matt Hunwick
| Left Wing | Center | Right Wing |
| 59 Jake Guentzel | 87 Sidney Crosby | 12 Dominik Simon |
| 62 Carl Hagelin | 71 Evgeni Malkin | 81 Phil Kessel |
| 43 Conor Sheary | 19 Derick Brassard | 17 Bryan Rust |
| 34 Tom Kuhnhackl | 15 Riley Sheahan | 46 Zach Aston-Reese |
| Defense | ||
| 8 Brian Dumoulin | 58 Kris Letang | |
| 3 Olli Maatta | 4 Justin Schultz | |
| 6 Jamie Oleksiak | 2 Chad Ruhwedel | |
| Goalie | ||
| 30 Matt Murray |
Game Notes (Regular-Season Totals)
- Power Play: Flyers (15th, 4th on road), Penguins (1st, T-1st at home)
- Penalty Kill: Flyers (29th, 24th on road), Penguins (17th, 21st at home)
- First-Round Series Results
- April 11, 2018 (Game 1) – Penguins 7, Flyers 0 (at PIT)
- April 13, 2018 (Game 2) – Flyers 5, Penguins 1 (at PIT)
- April 15, 2018 (Game 3) – Penguins 5, Flyers 1 (at PHI)
- April 18, 2018 (Game 4) – Penguins 5, Flyers 0 (at PHI)
- Flyers Leaders vs. Penguins
- Claude Giroux – 44 GP, 14 G, 31 A, 45 P
- Jake Voracek – 36 GP, 18 G, 17 A, 35 P
- Wayne Simmonds – 32 GP, 13 G, 11 A, 24 P
- Brian Elliott – 13 GP, 7-3-2, 2.88 GAA, .918 SV%
- Penguins Leaders vs. Flyers
- Sidney Crosby – 63 GP, 38 G, 55 A, 93 P
- Evgeni Malkin – 53 GP, 26 G, 42 A, 68 P
- Phil Kessel – 43 GP, 9 G, 19 A, 28 P
- Matt Murray – 8 GP, 3-2-0, 3.00 GAA, .912 SV%
Where to Watch
TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia, NBCSN
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic
