Flyers, Penguins fight it out
With six days left in the regular season, the Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins already seem to have play-off-style hatred for each other.
The Pennsylvania rivals are likely first-round opponents, and tempers boiled over Sunday in the Flyers’ 6-4 win at Pittsburgh. In the third period, the Penguins’ Joe Vitale decked Daniel Briere with an open-ice hit that led to almost 10 minutes of fighting, pushing, shoving and name-calling. When order was restored, the referees had called 52 penalty minutes and Pittsburgh assistant Tony Granato and Philadelphia coach Peter Laviolette were ejected.
“This could end up one of the all-time great playoff series,” NBC analyst Pierre Mcguire said Sunday. “It is clear these two teams don’t get along.”
The third-period scrap presumably resulted from the Penguins’ unhappiness with Flyers center Brayden Schenn’s crosscheck of Sidney Crosby. Laviolette and Pittsburgh coach Dan Bylsma yelled at each other through the plexiglass partition.
Bylsma put out his fourth line with about a minute remaining and the Flyers holding a comfortable lead.
When the penalties were sorted out, Philadelphia’s Wayne Simmonds and Pittsburgh’s Deryk Engelland were the only players to receive fighting majors. Schenn received two minutes for roughing. Pittsburgh’s Arron Asham and Philadelphia’s Zac Rinaldo each earned 10-minute misconducts. Each team received a minor penalty for the coaches’ conduct. Several players took minor penalties for unsportsmanlike conduct.
Panthers on track:
The Florida Panthers are nearing their first playoff appearance since 2000, but general manager Dale Tallon prefers to view the success as another step toward his long-term goal for the franchise.
“I’m looking at it like we are on the right track,” Tallon said. “We are doing the right things. We are moving forward. We are having a winning season. We have a blueprint, and we are just more confident that it is (working).”
The Panthers, who lost 2-1 to the Detroit Red Wings in a shootout Sunday, lead the Washington Capitals by three points in the Southeast Division. They need two points in their final four games or any Buffalo Sabres loss in regulation to lock up a playoff berth.
The fight for the Southeast Division might come down to Thursday, when the Panthers visit the Capitals (7 p.m. ET).
“We’ve just needed to get healthy,” Tallon said. “We’ve done this with Band-aids, clawing and scratching our way.”
Here’s how the playoff situation is shaping up:
Who’s in: The Ottawa Senators are in after routing the New York Islanders 5-1 on Sunday.
Who’s moving up: After the Minnesota Wild’s 5-4 shootout win Sunday at the Chicago Blackhawks, the Red Wings are one point ahead of the Nashville Predators and the Blackhawks for fourth place in the Western Conference.
Out: The Winnipeg Jets and Calgary Flames are eliminated.
Wounded: The Sabres lost to the struggling Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday and are two points behind the Capitals with three games to go.
Important games this week: Tuesday, San Jose Sharks at Dallas Stars (8:30 p.m. ET). Thursday, Sharks at Los Angeles Kings (10 p.m. ET). Saturday, Blackhawks at Red Wings (1 p.m. NBC) and Kings at Sharks (10 p.m. ET, NHL Network).