Battle of Pennsylvania: Flyers vs Penguins

0:00On April 18, the Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins are clashing in a best-of-seven playoff series dubbed The Battle of Pennsylvania, reigniting one of hockey's fiercest rivalries. Flyers' coach Rick Tockett is all-in, urging his squad to channel that old-school hate while keeping it under control. The series kicks off Saturday night in Pittsburgh, with both teams tied at 98 points from the regular season. 14 years back in the 2012 playoffs, Penguins capped in Sydney Crosby, knocked away a Flyers player's glove during a scrum, straight up, admitting he couldn't stand any of them. That raw edge defined the rivalry at its peak, but things cooled off until this match up brought a roaring back. Crosby, now 38, still dominates with 29 goals and 74 points this year. Tockett knows the Penguins inside out. He played eight years for Philly, suited up for three seasons in Pittsburgh, and assisted there for three more. Winning three Stanley Cubs total, he emits loving the city in franchise, but says handshakes wait till later.

1:05Right now, he's orange and black through and through. Even Tex Crosby regularly, but that's on pause for the next two weeks. Flyers snagged two of four regular season games against Pittsburgh, but the Penguins hold an edge in special teams. Crosby's torched Philly, with 139 points in 93 career games against them. Tockett's game plan, plaster him with the fenceman, Travis Sandheim, and Rasmus Ristolainen make every shift aggrined in the corners. This head-to-head promises controlled chaos, with Tockett demanding his crew go right at Crosby to advance pure playoff fire we haven't seen in years. NHL News today, powered by AI bringing you what matters on and off the field. I'm Cory with the story.