The Pittsburgh Penguins travel to Philadelphia to face their bitter rivals.
The Pittsburgh Penguins kick off the post-Thanksgiving season with a heated rivalry. The Pens travel to Philadelphia to take on the Flyers for their first meeting of the season.
The Flyers are looking to correct their multitude of issues, while the Penguins are pushing up the standings of the Metropolitan Division. Here's three things to watch for in their matchup.
1. Penguins' Penalty Kill
After starting the season with a paltry penalty kill, the Penguins have suddenly turned their special teams unit around in the month of November. The team ranked 28th in the league during the month of October, killing an unimpressive 71% of power plays against.
The Penguins have pulled a 180 degree turnaround on their penalty killing units. During the month of November, the Pens rank first in the league in penalty killing. They've stopped 31 of 35 power play opportunities, good for an 88.6% penalty kill rate. The Pens are also riding a five game penalty killing streak and have stopped 17 of the last 18 chances against them.
What's the biggest difference? It's simple: Teddy Blueger. Since Blueger's return to the lineup, the Penguins have not allowed a power play goal against. The Penguins will look to continue their impressive run against the hated Flyers.
2. Philly is Struggling
The Flyers made a drastic coaching change in the offseason, bringing in the polarizing John Tortorella to help change the locker room culture in Philadelphia. Torts got off to a hot start with his new team, winning five of their first seven games. They’ve quickly come back down to earth, however, with a 7-8-5 record on the season. To top it off, the Flyers have also dropped eight straight games.
This Flyers team was expected to be at the bottom of the Metropolitan Division this season, and Philly’s play lately is supporting that idea. The Penguins have a golden opportunity to not only get a win over a heated rival, but to also keep making up ground in their division.
3. Crosby vs. Philadelphia
No one terrorizes the Flyers organization like Penguins' captain Sidney Crosby. In 80 career games against the Flyers, Crosby has posted a staggering 120 points. He trails only the legend himself, Mario Lemieux, for most points against the Flyers.
Crosby is also riding a hot streak that has put him into the top 10 in league scoring, and tops in the league in even strength points. Crosby will look to continue his reign of terror on Philadelphia as the Penguins go for five straight wins.
The puck drops at 5:30PM between the Penguins and the Flyers.
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