Struggling Flyers, Penguins resume Keystone State rivalry
The rivalry between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Philadelphia Flyers ranks as one of the most bitter in the NHL.
While neither team needs motivation for the latest round in the Keystone State showdown on Thursday in Pittsburgh, both clubs will look to halt a losing streak at the other's expense.
The Flyers come into Thursday's contest having lost four straight games (0-3-1). That includes a 5-2 loss at Buffalo on Wednesday.
Coach Rick Tocchet's team allowed the Sabres just 14 shots on goal, but the Flyers trailed 3-0 less than five minutes into the second period.
Tocchet bemoaned the types of chances his team allowed in the loss.
"We're not playing smart hockey," said Tocchet, who played 11 seasons with the Flyers and three with the Penguins. "I know they had 14 shots, but we gave them middle ice on three shots."
Defense has been an issue for Philadelphia of late. In the Flyers' last three losses, they've been outscored by a 17-5 margin.
To make matters worse for Philadelphia, starting goaltender Dan Vladar left the Wednesday game after just one period due to an injury. Samuel Ersson played the final two periods in relief.
Tocchet did not give an update on his top netminder's status after the loss.
Trevor Zegras scored his team-leading 18th goal in the loss to snap a three-game streak without a point. He also leads the team with 42 points.
Owen Tippett boosted his season goal total to 15 after scoring for the sixth time in his last 12 games.
Defense is not the issue for Pittsburgh on its three-game skid. All three losses (0-2-1) have been one-goal games, with Tuesday's 2-1 home loss to Tampa Bay coming in a shootout.
The Lightning entered that game coming off scoring 12 goals in two straight wins against the Flyers.
The Penguins, whose current skid comes on the heels of a season-high six-game winning streak, mustered just two goals in the three defeats.
To make matters worse, the Penguins will play their second game without defenseman Erik Karlsson, who leads the team with 29 assists. He is on the injured list, recovering from a lower-body issue.
Sidney Crosby, the Penguins' leader in goals (24) and points (49), has seen his production mirror his team's success of late. The captain has been held without a point in Pittsburgh's last three games after putting together a season-best eight-game points streak (five goals, nine assists).
Crosby told reporters Wednesday after practice that he would like to create a few more scoring chances.
"When you create more, sometimes it goes in. Sometimes it doesn't," he said. "If the chances are there, usually everything else kind of follows."
This will be the third time the Penguins and Flyers have met this season. They split a pair of games in Philadelphia, with the Flyers winning 3-2 in a shootout on Oct. 28, and the Penguins avenging that loss with a 5-1 victory on Dec. 1.
The two teams are scheduled to meet one more time this season, on March 7 in Pittsburgh.