Faceoff Factor

7:30 at Mellon Arena
TV: FSN Pittsburgh
Radio: WXDX Radio, FM 105.9
Probable Goalies: Fleury (Pit), Biron (Phi)

The last time these two teams met, we saw an overtime thriller clinched for the Pittsburgh Penguins with a beauty of a goal by Pascal Dupuis.

Look for tonight’s Atlantic Division showdown to be more of the same despite the Philadelphia Flyers’ early season woes.

Coming off an emotional win Tuesday against the team that defeated them in the Stanley Cup Finals just months ago — the Detroit Red Wings — the Penguins will look to extend their winning streak to five games.

The Flyers, meanwhile, will be looking to turn their season around with an important divisional game against a team they historically have had few problems with, but have struggled against in recent seasons.

This year, the Flyers have brought plenty of offense to the table, scoring 48 goals in just 14 games played, but their offense never really was a concern.  Instead, it’s their defense and goaltending that keeps bringing them down.

In one fewer game played than the Penguins, the Flyers have given up six more goals, averaging more than three goals-against per game.

The Penguins, meanwhile, have been one of the league’s better defensive teams — that is until they allowed six goals in their come-from-behind victory Tuesday night in Detroit.  Even so, their 42 goals-against in 15 games puts them well below a three goals-against average mark, and their 48 goals scored puts them above the three goals scored per game mark.

As always between these two teams, look for a physical matchup with plenty of scraps and possibly even a fight or two, though the Flyers’ tough guy, Riley Cote, may not be in action due to injury.

For those who may not recall, Cote and Penguins’ tough guy Eric Godard battled in one of the best fights of the season thus far during their last matchup on October 14.

 

And, on that note, let’s look at some stats…