The Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins battled adversity this season. Yet, the Eastern Conference Final feels different. The Penguins head North of the border for Monday’s Game 3, down 2-0 in the series to a Toronto Marlies team that’s playing their best hockey at the right time.

It’s an uphill battle when the Penguins can’t solve the Marlies, who have played a brand of hockey that’s given them fits. The Marlies get the puck in deep and defend the middle, preventing a team that’s thrived on the rush from finding many of those quick chances.

The Penguins have three goals in this series, so any turnaround in this series starts with their offense. It was a strength all season and has fallen flat. The Penguins have the talent to flip the switch, and it’s not hard to see a scenario where they do, starting with Game 3.

The top line was a strength for this team all season, with Joone Koppanen centering it and scoring 25 points in 44 games. He has two points in 12 playoff games. His struggles offensively can be pinned to Rafael Harvey-Pinard’s absence earlier in the playoffs and the shuffling on the other wing. However, Koppanen drives the play and hasn’t done so for a Penguins team that wants to roll four lines.

Likewise, Tristan Broz has been the best player for the Penguins in this playoff run, with a team-leading 10 points. He makes his linemates better with his playmaking and skill at center. It’s why MacDonald must play him with the most skilled wingers on the team, in the previous rounds, that meant Mikhail Ilyin and Ville Koivunen on his wings. Lately, Rutger McGroarty has stepped up, so the Penguins might want to consider a McGroarty-Broz-Koivunen line to get things going.

The Penguins relied on a potent forward unit in the previous two matchups to overwhelm teams. They can come at teams in waves and find offense throughout their lineup. On paper, they have the more talented team. They must prove it on ice.

Tanner Howe’s goal in Game 2 was a good example of how the Penguins are going to generate offense in this series. He got to the net, found a rebound off a shot from the point, and powered it past Marlies goaltender Artur Ahktyamov, who wasn’t in position to make the save. “I was just trying to get to the net. I knew it went low to high, so I just turned around and fired it,” Howe noted after the game.

The Penguins must go North-South to establish an offensive zone presence and get back to the fast-paced game that fueled their offense all season. “I thought we did a good job once we started to build our speed and get behind them, and we build our speed, then we can chip or carry the puck if we have it,” MacDonald mentioned after Game 2.

Then there’s the offense when they have the puck in the offensive zone. They can go low to high but it won’t matter much if there aren’t skaters near the net to take advantage. “We've got to continue to get to the paint, right?” MacDonald added. The Marlies entered this series prepared for the Penguins' offense, and they’ve taken care of it so far. It’s why the Penguins must pivot to find offense. While the goals won’t look like highlight-reel moments, they don’t ask how come playoff time.

Hockey slows down in the playoffs. It’s why playoff hockey is a different brand. The players are tired and battling injuries. The game is hard-hitting and physical. Plus, the ice is slower. “It's tough cuz like this time of year, the ice is bad. Like it is what it is. Like it's not here anywhere,” MacDonald stated after Game 2.

It was 80 degrees outside before puck drop in North East Pennsylvania. At this time in the season, every AHL market battles the heat from the outside, which changes the ice inside. “It’s hot outside. There are more people in the building. So it's like you got to be more cognizant of just getting there,” MacDonald added. When the ice slows down, the teams must pivot, and those who play a simple game where they get the puck to the net end up on top.

It won’t be easy as the series heads to Toronto. The Marlies also have a great defense and better goaltending with Ahktyamov playing at a high level, allowing only nine goals in his last five starts. “Just again like it's two really good goalies, two really good teams,” MacDonald added.

The Penguins have a tough road ahead, and it’s moments like these when they must prove they can win in multiple ways. So far, they’ve dictated play. Now, they must win a game where they aren’t in control and don’t have the edge. It’s where the players who are talented enough to adjust must do so.