The Battle of the Keystone State- By: Jessica Hess
Photo Credit - Youtube.com
If you’re a tried-and-true fan of the Philadelphia Flyers, you’re familiar with the feud against the rivals across the state, the Pittsburgh Penguins. There’s nothing like a Flyers- Penguins game, and the fanbase is getting its first taste of the rivalry for the 2021-2022 season tonight in Pittsburgh.
A Short History….
One of the greatest rivalries in Philadelphia sports history can be dated back to 1967, when both teams entered the league in the “Next Six” expansion. The first “Battle of Pennsylvania” occurred on October 19, 1967, at the Philadelphia Spectrum, where the Flyers welcomed their first win against the team across state with a score of 1-0.
The feud wasn’t as strong back then as it is today due to the realignment of divisions prior to the Philadelphia back-to-back Stanley Cup wins in 1974 and 1975. This divisional realignment put the Flyers and Penguins in separate divisions, so they didn’t see each other much on the ice. This would change again six years later when both teams joined the Patrick Division for the 1981-1982 season.
Photo Credit - Yong Kim Inquirer
Let’s fast forward a bit to the 2009-2010 season, where the Penguins took the season series at five games to one, but they would not meet in the playoffs. The Penguins were defeated in the second round, and the Flyers would Cinderella story their way to the finals, where they were famously defeated by the Chicago Blackhawks in six games on home ice.
For the most part, we’ve seen an even split series, or a complete domination from one team over the other every year since this rivalry started. The lifetime Flyers record against the Pittsburgh Penguins sits at 162-108-30, a not-to-shabby 54%-win percentage. They have tallied 1,074 goals for, and 925 goals against, and we can’t wait to see what the 2021-2022 season has in store as the first complete season in two years.
Game One of Flyers-Penguins 2021-2022
Tonight at 7:00 PM, we will see the first meeting of the 2021-2022 season between the Pennsylvania Rivals. Game one is being held in Pittsburgh at the PPG Paints Arena, where the Flyers have seen overall success with a 14-3-3 record. Carter Hart and the Flyers are coming off a red-hot shutout win against the Arizona Coyotes. On the other hand, the Penguins may come out a little shaky tonight without their star forward and team captain Sidney Crosby, who missed the team’s first seven games following an off-season wrist surgery. He found himself back in the lineup for one game, but quickly landed himself on the COVID-19 list and will miss tonight’s game.
The Penguins are off to a slow start (perhaps due to the absence of Crosby) going 3-3-2 to start off the season, whereas the Flyers are hot at 5-2-1. Carter Hart looks like he’s getting back to his old ways and is looking quite comfortable between the pipes nowadays. The Flyers are red-hot in scoring to start, and what a game to continue the momentum. Claude Giroux is on track to a point-per-game season, and we’d like to see that continue into tonight. Sean Couturier, the Flyers points leader, aside from the upsetting Calgary game, is going streaking and we’d like to see more of that as well.
Overall, the season’s “Battle of Pennsylvania” starts tonight and we’re here for it. So buckle up, Philadelphia. It’s going to be a wild ride!
