Philadelphia Flyers vs. Pittsburgh Penguins: Early Atlantic Division Battle

The Philadelphia Flyers play the Penguins on Friday in Pittsburgh’s new arena for the second time this season. 

The first meeting was the opening of the Consol Energy Center for the Penguins, and that was promptly ruined by a Flyers victory.

The Flyers met the Penguins early last week and were beaten handily, 5-1.

“I think it’s very important we take care of the puck against the Penguins,” Flyers head coach Peter Laviolette said Wednesday morning.

Philadelphia has struggled early in the season and if they want to stay in the playoff hunt throughout the year, they have to win these division games.

The Penguins are a good team, but they have their flaws. Aggressive play from the Flyers will force the Penguins back on their heels and take them out of their game.

If the Flyers can win on Friday, they would tie the Penguins for the Atlantic Division lead and set the tone for the season. With a goalie situation going as smoothly as possible and a sputtering offense turning it around, a win could be the spark to get this team hot!

The Danny Briere, Scott Hartnell and Ville Leino line is hot right now, and they need to play well for the team to go into Pittsburgh and steal a victory. In the last three games, the trio has scored nine points and Scott Hartnell has a five game point streak going.

“There is certainly some chemistry with that line,” Laviolette said regarding the Briere, Hartnell, Leino line.

Jeff Carter and Mike Richards are finding their scoring while Claude Giroux is already at midseason form; Carter scored a goal and had two assists Tuesday while Richards added an assist last game against Buffalo.

Giroux could be the best player on the Flyers because of his versatility and his stick handling skills. 

On the season, he has three goals and four assists and has been an intricate part of the Flyers penalty kill. He is aggressive on the forecheck and he never gives up on plays. Giroux enhances any line that he is on, and they have to find the right mix to accent his talent.

The defense needs to shut down Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and the rest of the stars that Pittsburgh offers if they have any chance of winning. Pronger didn’t play on Tuesday night in a victory against Buffalo, but he should be ready to play Friday. 

He and defensive partner Matt Carle have been beaten on some ugly plays this year and have to get on the same page to make it easier on the goaltending. 

Speaking of goaltending, it looks like Andy Reid isn’t the only coach in Philadelphia with a quarterback controversy.

Peter Laviolette has been rotating at the most important position in hockey, between Brian Boucher and rookie Sergei Bobrovsky. Both goaltenders have been playing well, but with the lack of offense, their imperfections have been magnified in the loses. 

My personal belief is that if “The Iron Curtain” Sergei Bobrovsky is your goalie of the future, he should start getting some back-to-back starts for the team. He looks good when he is between the pipes and seems to have picked up the NHL very well. If the defense plays a little smarter in front of him, he could be a legitimate No. 1.

No matter who starts in net, if we don’t get our offense going, Pittsburgh will beat up on the Flyers. Get to them early and keep the throttle down.

Enjoy a great weekend of hockey!

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