Pittsburgh Penguins

There comes a time for any great player when they find the stage. The stage will be littered with other great players, storylines, history, and much more.

The great players elevate. They show their worth and add notches to their belt.

It’s not because they are just good, it’s because they’re great. A good player can play well on the stage – a great player makes the stage his own.

Game 6 in Philadelphia was a stage, just like the first round series between the cross-state rivals. Flyers forward Claude Giroux made it his.

He set a franchise record for points in a playoff series with 14. He also extended his lead as the top scorer in the playoffs. If the Conn Smythe Trophy were given away after the first round, Giroux would most likely hoist it.

TCL's Mark Trible was joined on air Tuesday night by a couple of callers and The Fourth Period Penguins writer, Joe Depto.

The two discussed the suspensions levied by Brendan Shanahan; one game for James Neal and four for Arron Asham.

Was it fair? Or not enough?

Most of the 30 minute show was dedicated to the suspensions and the unruly play in this year's playoffs.

However, both Joe and Mark weighed in on game four at the end of the show.

The Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins faced off in a playoff game. One team lost its cool and went over the line. They seemed to come close but never had enough to get over the hump.

One team looked like it was trying to exercise its demons and yet seemed so far from actually doing it.

Normally, that team is in black and orange. However, this time the orange has been swapped out for gold.

Sunday’s 8-4 game three win for Philadelphia felt like it was played in an opposite universe. Not long ago, Daniel Carcillo was running amok and Max Talbot was shushing the Wells Fargo Center crowd.

It seems like yesterday when Captain Mike Richards was losing his cool and letting the Pittsburgh superstars get under his skin. With those teams, it seemed like they’d never get over the brink against the Penguins.

Sunday, they were far beyond the brink.

Sportsnet's Nick Kypreos reported on Monday that two Pittsburgh Penguins will face disciplinary hearings on Tuesday morning for their actions in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals.

James Neal will have two hearings at 10am - one for his 3rd period hits on Sean Couturier and Claude Giroux.

Neal left his feet on the hit on Couturier, a hit that was unfounded and unnecessary as the rookie did not have control of the puck and it was nowhere near him. Neal targeted Couturier's head and left the 19-year-old dazed. Couturier left the ice for a few minutes to be tended to, but thankfully returned to finish the rest of the game.

It looked like a blatant attempt to take Couturier out, but Neal claimed it wasn't intentional.