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The Penguins and Flyers first round series was an unpredictable mess, with the first half featuring blowouts galore. But the series finally came to an end on Sunday afternoon, and it was the Pens taking care of business in Philadelphia. In a wild back-and-forth Game 6, Pittsburgh downed the Flyers 8-5 to wrap up the series. 

Here's a look at the results, plus how we broke down the series before it started, as well as our predictions.

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NHL Playoffs odds

Here's a look at each team's projected odds to advance via SportsLine, not to mention their odds to win not only their conference, but also the Stanley Cup.    

Matchup breakdown

OFFENSE

This is a little closer than you'd think, because Claude Giroux is a legitimate Hart Trophy candidate and Sean Couturier is working on a career year. But this is also the Penguins we're talking about. Even if their numbers weren't impressive (and they are), they still have such a blatant advantage in experience. Behind Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh has depth, too, deploying guys like Phil Kessel and Derrick Brassard on third-line minutes. Either way, the offensive fireworks shouldn't be lacking, as there are eight players with at least 24 goals between the two teams.

Edge: Penguins

DEFENSE

This is where Philly has the best chance to swing the series. Against just a so-so Pittsburgh blue line that's featured some notable Kris Letang slip-ups and allowed more goals than any other team in the playoffs, the Flyers should have plenty of chances to put pressure on Matt Murray. It's not as if the Flyers are invincible on this end, especially considering the question marks in the net and their own inconsistencies, but if there's an area on the Pens that can be exploited, it's the "D."

Edge: Flyers

GOALTENDING

By Penguins goalie standards, Murray hasn't exactly lived up to the hype in his first season as the full-time net-minder post-Marc-Andre Fleury. Pittsburgh's numbers are actually worse than Philadelphia's, too. And yet, while the Flyers have enough talent to overwhelm Murray for a game or two, it seems like a stretch to bank on the unpredictable duo of Petr Mrazek and Brian Elliott over the proven postseason prowess of the Pens until further notice.

Edge: Penguins

SPECIAL TEAMS

This is the most obvious mismatch of the bunch, and it bodes extremely well for the defending champs. Whereas Pittsburgh boasts the NHL's top power-play unit, the Flyers have been near the bottom of the league when it comes to penalty killing. Philly was also bottled up on its own power plays (2-for-16) during the two sides' regular-season meetings, and in a series that figures to bring out everyone's physicality, it's hard not to see them steering completely clear of the penalty box.

Edge: Penguins

PREDICTIONS

Penguins-Flyers

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Pete Blackburn
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Cody Benjamin
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Kevin Skiver

Penguins
Penguins
Penguins

Benjamin: For the sake of this rivalry, my heart wants to pick the Flyers. But my brain is screaming otherwise. This should be a slugfest, and Philly has juice, but outing such a speedy, savvy team like the Pens so early seems like too tall a task for a fringe contender. Penguins in 6.

Blackburn: I have some lingering concerns about Matt Murray's status, but it's not enough for me to doubt the Penguins in this series. They've got too much firepower up front and their special teams unit is excellent. Penguins in 5.

Skiver: The trendy thing to do here feels like going with the sleeper upset, but the Penguins just have too many scorers against a questionable blue line for the Flyers. Even though I think we might see some games with cumulative goals towards double digits here thanks to Philly's surprising offense, it's hard to imagine the Penguins not coming out on top. Penguins in 5.