Pens vs Flyers round 3 pros and cons

Ok, tonight marks the third meeting already between the Flyers and Penguins. They split the first 2 games. Philidelphia comes in with a record of 4-4-1, good for 4th place in the Atlantic division. They are 2 points behind the Penguins but do have a game in hand. Some stat stuff to think about...The Flyers average 2.78 goals per game compared to the Pens 3. They give up 2.67 compared to the Pens 2.5. The Flyers power play has not been sharp this year either. They are converting 15% while the Penguins are at 14.8%.

After what I thought was a pretty tame opener against the Flyers, the last game featured more of what we are used to between these 2 teams. One good story line for tonights game is Aaron Asham facing his former team for the first time after being injured for the first 2 meetings. He has admitted that he still has friends over there but I want to see him take it to them. Boy, wouldnt and Asham pounding of Scotty Hartnell just be great?

Another storyline is the comments from Flyers captain Mike Richards after last game. Richards accused the Penguins as falling easily and drawing unfair penalties. He also mentioned he would fight Matt Cooke when Crosby fights Carcillo. I wonder if this will give Cooke a little extra incentive(like he needs it!) to punish Richards every opportunity he gets.

I expect a good one tonight. It is expected Fleury will get the nod and have the chance to gain some momentum. If Fleury does start, he needs this game, big time. Its the Flyers, in front of the home crowd, Fleury cannot afford anything less than a stellar game to save face in this city. If the first shot for the Flyers goes in tonight, it could get pretty ugly with Fleury and the home town crowd. With that said, I believe in Fleury and think he will rise to the occasion.

On to the pros and cons


PROS:

• The Pens have gotta be hungry. This is Philly. This is in their building. They got ripped pretty good by the media, talk shows, and fans for their performance last game. I expect Cooke, Asham, Rupp, and others to come out here and set the tone.
• Flyers goalie Bobrovsky has looked human since the 1st game of the season. After being the star of the opener, he has posted a record of 2-2 and has a 3.02 GAA in his last 4 games. The Pens got to him last game and should be able to do the same tonight.
• It's the Flyers. They will find ways to self implode. They will take stupid penalties. They will be, well, the Flyers!!

CONS:

• Although I said above I believe Fleury will rebound tonight, you still gotta be concerned. If he does give up a goal early it could get pretty rough for him. Hopefully that doesnt happen. I never like to see Penguins players get booed or mock cheers from the home crowd. 
• I really dont see any other cons..I could go on an on about inconsistency, goaltending, power play, ect. but the Pens have the Flyers right where they want em. They are in their head with the Richards comments, they have gotten to Bobrovsky last game, and the Flyers will be playing in a hostile environment. 

Game time at 7:00 pm tonight. To quote Mike Lang, if you miss this one, shame on you!



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