Penguins

Penguins Game 36, Rivalry Hatred; Lines , Notes & How to Watch vs Flyers

Published

1 month ago

December 23, 2024

Pittsburgh Penguins game vs. Philadelphia Flyers

The Pittsburgh Penguins (15-15-5) slipped back to .500 Saturday but have points in seven of their last ten games to keep pace in the Eastern Conference wild-card race. The Philadelphia Flyers (15-15-4) are right with the Penguins, but roster restocking by both teams has never dampened the hatred between them, and they’ll face off at PPG Paints Arena in a holiday jam Monday night.

The puck drops just after 7 p.m.

The Penguins fell back to .500 with a tough 3-0 loss to the New Jersey Devils. The breaks didn’t go their way, including Evgeni Malkin’s botched breakaway, as the bad ice caused the puck to bounce off his stick on the second shift of the game. New Jersey was the more physical team and earned the big break when Stefan Noesen bulldozed the Penguins defenseman Ryan Shea before he could play the puck near the net, leading to New Jersey’s second goal, which proved to be the backbreaker.

Shea (and teammates after the game) correctly argued for interference, but no call was made.

The shots were 14-11 for New Jersey late in the second period, but the second goal and bad ice defeated the Penguins as they mustered only one more shot in the loss. The game also showed how far the Penguins have come with some tactical adjustments but how difficult change can be.

The Flyers have lost three of the last four games but beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 5-4 in overtime Saturday to halt a three-game skid.

The Flyers engaged in a thrilling comeback, scoring four goals in the third period to force overtime and win 5-4 in overtime over the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Owen Tippett registered four points, including three assists and the OT-winner. Travis Konecny also tallied three assists, and Morgan Frost scored twice in the third.

It should be a wild holiday battle also between Penguins coach Mike Sullivan and his long-time boss, Flyers coach John Tortorella.

Sullivan talked at length about his relationship with Tortorella Monday after the Penguins’ morning skate.

Penguins Lines

Rickard Rakell-Sidney Crosby-Bryan Rust

Michael Bunting-Evgeni Malkin-Cody Glass

Anthony Beauvillier-Drew O’Connor-Philip Tomasino

Matt Nieto-Blake Lizotte-Noel Acciari

Defense

P.O Joseph-Kris Letang

Matt Grzelcyk-Erik Karlsson

Ryan Graves-Ryan Shea

Goalie: Tristan Jarry

Flyers Lines

Joel Farabee–Sean Coutourier–Travis Konecny

Owen Tippett–Morgan Frost–Matvei Michkov

Tyson Foerster–Noah Cates–Bobby Brink

Ryan Poehling–Scott Laughton–Garnet Hathaway

Defensemen

Cam York–Travis Sanheim

Yegor Zamula–Rasmus Ristolainen

Nick Seeler–Jamie Drysdale

Goalie: Aleksei Kolosov/Samuel Ersson

Special Teams

Penguins power play: 22.4%, 113h. Penguins penalty kill: 82.4%, 8th.

Flyers power play: 15.6%, 27th. Flyers penalty kill: 80.2%, 14th

Penguins Game Notes

The Penguins are 11-3-3 in their last 17 games against the Flyers. They have also scored points in eight straight home games against Philadelphia (6-0-2).

Bryan Rust has an active five-game scoring streak (3-5-8) against the Flyers.

Blake Lizotte has been plus or even in all 19 games that he’s played this season. His plus-6 leads all Penguins.

The Penguins’ eight-game points streak against Philadelphia at home is their third-longest streak. They’ve also won 15 in a row at home against Columbus and are 7-0-3 in their last 10 against Detroit.

During this 12-game stretch in which the Penguins are 8-3-1, the top line of Sidney Crosby, Bryan Rust, and Rickard Rakell has dominated, combining for 18 goals and 45 points.