Record: 23-10-9
Leading scorers: Jeff Carter (29G, 17A), Mike Richards (16G, 28A)
Blogs: Broad and Pattison | Flyers Goal Scored By...
Penguins lost this one and they're just another .500 team. That's how crucial this one is. Combine that with the fact that four of the Penguins next eight games are division games and you can almost conclude that tonight is a must-win.
But lately they're all must-wins, aren't they? With the Penguins dropping eight of their last nine they definitely have some ground to make up for in the division. Here's their first chance.
Rest assured, it won't be easy. The Flyers are 3-0-2 since kicking off the new year but for all intents and purposes should be 5-0. Their 55 points puts them in first atop the Atlantic as the equally beloved New York Rangers sit only one point behind. The Pens? Yeah, they're 11 points out of first.
Again, this is a good chance to close that gap.
The Penguins have a slight edge on the season series at 2-1-0. Tonight they head back into Philadelphia where they were knocked down 6-3 during a Saturday matinee back on December 13. Hopefully Sid brings his earmuffs with him.
In short here's what the Pens have to do: keep the Flyers from getting two and edge a bit closer. This month doesn't get any easier.