Flyers veterans on Penguins: 'The rivalry is still there… There's still a lot of emotion'
Flyers F Sean Couturier
Sean Couturier after practice in Pittsburgh on April 10, the eve of the opening of the Penguins-Flyers series.
What happened to the hostilities between the Penguins and Flyers?
According to the Flyers, they never went away.
It's been six years since Philadelphia faced the Penguins in a playoff series and 12½ months since they've beaten them in any game. The past 14 regular-season meetings have featured all of two Flyers fighting majors.
But that doesn't mean the Penguins-Flyers rivalry isn't still simmering, veteran Philadelphia players said on the eve of a playoff series between the two.
"There's still a lot of emotion out there, a lot of things going on," Flyers forward Sean Couturier said after practice Tuesday at PPG Paints Arena. "I think (the rivalry) is the same, just with a lot of different guys.
"A lot of new faces since (the most recent playoff meeting), but I think the emotions and everything surrounding the series, the fans, the rivalry is still there."
Only seven players remain from the wild 2012 playoff series between the teams: three Penguins (Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang) and four Flyers (Couturier, Claude Giroux, Wayne Simmonds, Jakub Voracek). There has been only one fight during each of the past two four-game regular-season series between the teams.
These guys from across the state are in your city for the next four days... pic.twitter.com/BJRsSK81cx
— Chris Adamski (@C_AdamskiTrib) April 10, 2018
It's been more than three years since any meeting devolved into the type of old-school-style melee that used to be a hallmark of all their games against each other (four fights and an unsportsmanlike conduct during the second period Jan. 20, 2015, at Wells Fargo Center).
Last time Flyers had 3 fights in one period was 2nd period vs. Penguins on Jan. 20, 2015 https://t.co/PhuRTGqXF7
— Adam Kimelman (@NHLAdamK) February 18, 2018
Still, don't think these next two weeks will be bereft of dislike and aggression.
"I think (the intensity) will be always pretty high, obviously," Simmonds said of playing the Penguins. "We're interstate rivals."
Chris Adamski is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at cadamski@tribweb.com or via Twitter @C_AdamskiTrib.
