On Tuesday night, the Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins faced off in their third meeting of the season. The beloved Battle of Pennsylvania, saw the first two games go to the Flyers, but the the Penguins were able to get the W in the third match up between the two.
Tonight, the Flyers and Pens will battle again. The Penguins will either tie the season series at two, or the Flyers will take a three to one lead over their foes. Last game was not the prettiest, but like most losses this season for the Flyers, there were some bright spots, and we were in the game for a while.
For the Flyers to come out on top tonight, what needs to happen? Let’s take a look at my “Five Keys to Beating the Pens”.
1 – Keep Shooting
Like previously stated, there were definitely some bright spots in the Flyers loss on Tuesday. For a long while, and I mean LONG, the Flyers were not generating nearly enough shots on goal or chances. It seems as though the Flyers head coach Alain Vigneault, has made it a real point to get pucks on net. In Tuesday’s loss, the Flyers managed to get forty two shots on Tristan Jarry. I think Jarry is a pretty solid goalie, but come on, forty saves in one game, he’s not doing that again tonight. If we can continue to pepper Jarry (who is expected to play tonight) then I think we will be just fine.
2 – Remember Who You’re Playing
This may seem like a stupid key to the game, but I think it’s a good one. With the new divisions, you’re playing against rivals almost every night. So I think is paramount for the guys to remember that they’re playing the team we all hate the most, the Pittsburgh Crybabies, I mean Pen… Penguins… Sorry I had to clear my throat. But in all seriousness, let’s have some pride, lets bang them around a bit out there. Like former Flyer Ian Laperriere said once during a game, “They don’t like when we hit them, they’re afraid of the bullies”. Let’s have that energy tonight.
3 – Play Better Defense
I don’t need to say too much about this. I feel like our defense has been pretty solid of late, but Tuesday night’s defense was unacceptable. Coming off of two straight shutouts against the Sabres, I expected us to play well defensively on Tuesday, but that wasn’t the case. Simplify the game, make good, strong passes, and get the puck out of our zone, and the orange and black will be just fine tonight.
4 – Stop The Turnovers
This key and the last go hand in hand. Playing better defense means limiting turnovers. Again, last game we did not do this. We turned the puck over far too much and those turnovers lead to goals against. Even on some of those turnovers, Carter Hart was able to bail out the Flyers defense, but they turned the puck over too much and that led to too many goals.
5 – Relax
The division is tight, you’re playing a rival who just beat you pretty badly, and all 2800 scary Pittsburgh fans are yelling at you from the stands (obviously kidding about them being scary, the only thing scary about Pitt is their addiction to ketchup). Just breathe. Your roster is extremely talented, your goalie is solid, and the best part, your finally healthy. Trust one another out there and don’t try to do too much. What I’m trying to say is, we have the talent and drive to play extremely solid hockey against whoever comes our way. Make them play our game and they don’t stand a chance.
Thank you for reading my Five Keys to Beating the Pens. My prediction for tonight is that it will be a fast paced game with solid defense and goal tending. I think the Flyers will come out on top with a 3-2, 4-3 win tonight.
