Ah, it’s back. After a brutal 7-1 loss in Pittsburgh at the end of October, Philadelphia (26-17-6) has been awaiting the return of the Penguins (31-13-5) in South Philadelphia.
Coming off of a tough 4-1 loss at home against the Montreal Canadians, the Flyers bounced back. Led by Travis Konecny’s two goals, Philadelphia roared past the Kings in a 4-1 victory of their own. The Flyers now will wrap up their three-game homestand in game one of a home and home with the Penguins.
Catch the game at 7:30 p.m. EST with coverage beginning at 7 on NBC Sports Philadelphia.
The Stats
After some great stat digging by PhillySportsNetwork’s own Derrik Bobb, a few things stood out in the history of this rivalry.
- In the history of the two franchises, the Flyers lead the head-to-head record in January over the Penguins. Since 1967, the Flyers edge them out, 26-14-6-0.
- Claude Giroux continually shines against Pittsburgh. Even though opposing captain Sidney Crosby has 102 points in 62 games against Philly, Giroux averages a point per game for Philadelphia (50 points in 49 games).
- Brian Elliot, the starting goaltender for Tuesday’s marquee matchup, has had an above-average career against Pittsburgh. As found by Derrik: “in 15 games against the cross-state rivals, Elliott is 8-4-2. He’s allowed 43 goals in those games, with nine allowed during a penalty kill. His career save percentage against the Pens is .911 and his goals-against average is 3.19.”
- Evgeni Malkin has also been a Flyers killer in his career. In 56 career games, Malkin has posted 70 points.
Pittsburgh This Season
Goalies
The first thing to talk about here is how the Penguins, again, have this random, yet stellar young goalie. Tristan Jarry has emerged as a 1b option with Matt Murray this season. In fact, Murray had been playing so poorly in comparison, the Penguins fans gave Murray the classic Bronx Cheer in their game Sunday afternoon.
Tristan Jarry, in fact, was even voted into his first all-star game. This season, Jarry is 16-7-1 with a 2.16 goals-against average and a .929 save percentage. The funny thing is, Murray has not even been playing that bad, as he showcases a 15-6-4 record, with a 2.84 GAA and .900 save percentage.
Expect Jarry to get the nod against Brian Elliot Tuesday night, as Murray started between the pipes Sunday afternoon.
Forwards
Sidney Crosby is the first name that comes to mind when thinking of the Penguins. Yes, he is good. Yes, he has posted crazy numbers against Philadelphia in his career. However, he has only played in 21 games this season, managing 25 points in those games. He just returned from injury and looked like he hasn’t missed a beat.
Jake Guentzel was on fire to start the season for Pittsburgh but suffered a bad shoulder injury to start the new year, sidelining him 4-6 months. In 39 games, Guentzel had 43 points. Evgeni Malkin and Bryan Rust have led their offense, sitting atop the team with 50 and 43 points, respectively.
Home vs Road Success
It’s no secret to those who have been following the Flyers this season that Wells Fargo Center is their safe haven. They’ve collected points in 20 of their 24 home games this season, and their goaltending has been drastically better on home ice.
On the flip side, Pittsburgh has been solid on the road. Their home and road records are nearly identical and have accumulated points in 15 of their 23 road games this season. They have proven to be one of the tougher opponents for home teams around the NHL this season.
Prediction
Okay, this game is virtually impossible to predict. The history of this rivalry has always been a toss-up, and can really go either way on any given night.
But, of course, with that being said, I’ll let the bias here get the best of me. This game will not nearly be anything like the 7-1 loss to the Penguins back in October, and it’ll be close. In fact, so close that some 3-on-3 overtime will fill Wells Fargo Center tomorrow night.
Flyers win this one in O.T., 4-3.
Mandatory Credit – © Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
