The Flyers finish up the 2011-2012 regular season today in Pittsburgh, and though they already have thier playoff spot secured, this last game of the season has a lot of weight to it.
The Pittsburgh Penguins will be the Flyers first round opponents when the playoffs start next week, and if the history between these two teams has proved anyhting, it is that these two teams hate each other.
The Flyers have owned the Penguins this season, winning four of five games against Pittsburgh so far. In the Penguins home arena, the Consol Energy Center, the Flyers are 5-0-0 since the arena's opening.
The Flyers played the Penguins in Pittsburgh last week, and came back down 2-0 to beat Pittsburgh 6-4. But what was mostly remembered about last week's game was what had happened in the closing minutes of the third period.
Brayden Schenn cross-checked Sidney Crosby from behind, and Crosby fell to the ice (but in my honest opinion, I think Crosby dived on that one, but I'll go off about Crosby later).
Then as retaliation, Pittsburgh coach Dan Bylsma sent out his checking line with a little over a minute left.
Joe Vitale delivered a hard hit to Danny Briere, and it was clear that Vitale was looking for him. A brawl on the ice ensued, and one on the bench as well.
Coach Peter Laviolette took Max Talbot's stick and broke it over the boards out of pure anger and frustration after the hit on Briere, then got on top of the boards and yelled over at Bylsma on the Penguin's bench.
The Flyers won the game, but the anger towards Pittsburgh still carried over.
After the game, Laviolette said that Bylsma's decision to put the checking line out was "gutless."
On Comcast Sportsnet's Daily News Live, assistant coach Craig Berube went off about the Penguins, their two stars Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin specifically.
“Crosby and Malkin are the dirtiest players on their hockey team,” Berube said. “They slash, they punch guys in the face, they do all these little things.”
Then Berube was asked about Schenn's hit on Crosby.
“I have no problem with what Schenn does,” he said. “If someone runs him (Crosby) over, that’s great; they should run him over. This guy gets away with too much, in my opinion. He whines to the refs all day and all night. It’s a joke. The guy did something to (Schenn) a little bit earlier, so he just gave him a little shot. Not like it was a tough, bad cross-check; but the guy dove.”
Then Berube talked about the hit on Briere, and Pittsburgh's decision to send the checking line out when the game was already decided.
“In my opinion, they were trying to send a message, and you don’t see that too often anymore,” he said. “I’m not saying I haven’t been on the other side of that, because I have. What bothers me is it’s not so much the (Vitale hit on Briere), it was a clean hit; but Wayne Simmonds is banged up, he’s got a bad eye, they take advantage of him. He’s got a lot of guts so he fights the toughest guy on their team (Engelland). It’s a little bit unfair what happens. But those things happen and you deal with them.”
Berube also discussed why he held back Laviolette on the bench.
”He was definitely very upset about what had happened,” Berube said. “I wouldn’t want him getting over there and getting involved, I don’t think that’s good for anybody, especially him. We wouldn’t want to lose him to suspension. He had a right to be upset over what had happened.”
Mike Milbury, NBC's hockey analyst, also had some choice words for Sidney Crosby after the Flyer's win. Milbury called Sports Radio 94 WIP the Monday after ,and said the following about Crosby:
“Little goody two shoes goes into the corner and gives a shot to Schenn. Schenn was late to the party, he should have turned around and drilled him right away, but I guess better late than never."
“So you know, Crosby gets cross-checked, big whoop. He said after he came back from his 35th concussion, ‘I’m not going to do this anymore, I’m not going to get into this scrums, I’m going to stay away from that stuff.’ He couldn’t help himself because there’s a little punk in Crosby."
“He’s not the perfect gentleman. He’s not the sweet kid you see in interviews with his hat pulled down over his eyes.”
It could have been an isolated incident with the Flyers, but then the Penguins went and caused more trouble in the NHL when the played the New York Rangers this past Thursday.
Penguins defenseman Brooks Orpik delivered a knee on knee hit to Rangers forward Derek Stephan. The result left Stephan out with a day-to-day knee injury, and a very aggravated Rangers coach in John Tortorella.
"I wonder what would happen if we did it to their two whining stars. I wonder what would happen," said Tortorella after the game, referring to Crosby and Evegeni Malkin. "So I'm anxious to see what happens with the league. There's no respect amongst players. None. It's sickening."
"It's (the Penguins) one of the most arrogant organizations in the league. They whine about this stuff all the time and look what happens."
It is clear that there is a whole lot of bad blood and dislike towards the Pittsburgh Penguins, that is not just from the Flyers anymore, but from the media and other teams.
The last game of the season for both these teams is not just a throw away game to get ready for the playoffs. It is a playoff preview, and one that is sure to be filled with tension.
However, when you look at the way the Flyers have played against the Penguins this year, just remember that it is Philadelphia who has the advantage right now, especially on the road.
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