Battle for PA Highlights This Week in the NHL

In what is known as one of the better rivalries in NHL, another chapter will be written in the battle for Pennsylvania tonight as the Flyers take on the Penguins in Pittsburgh. What makes this battle even more intriguing is both teams are tied with 46 points apiece in the Eastern Conference standings. One team will take earn those coveted two points tonight, and that team will jump into, possibly, the number two spot in the conference, with just one win. Whenever these two Eastern Conference powerhouses meet on the ice, there’s always bad blood – the bitter Pennsylvania rivals don’t like one another, it’s pretty clear. However, the game tonight is even more interesting and will prove to be another hard fought battle because two former Penguins, who now play for the Flyers, are returning to the Steel City to play in front of their former home fans, and they won’t be welcomed back so kindly either. Jaromir Jagr and Max Talbot will make their first return to Pittsburgh’s ice since departing from the Penguins franchise, both at much different times. Jagr, one of the staples of the Penguins Stanley Cup Champion teams with Mario Lemieux, hasn’t played in Pittsburgh as a member of their biggest rival since his departure after the 2000-2001 season. He and Lemieux were a dynamic duo in Pittsburgh for years, and he even admitted in an episode of HBO’s “24/7: Road to the Winter Classic”, that if he returned to Pittsburgh this season, accepting the offer that was on the table, maybe his famed #68 jersey would hang in the rafters of the Consol Energy Center someday. There’s not a chance that will happen now, since he is playing for the Pens’ biggest rival and wearing the orange and black that has been despised in Pittsburgh for years. Talbot, on the other hand, would have never had his jersey immortalized in Pittsburgh hockey lore, but fans will always remember his contributions during the 2009 Stanley Cup Finals. After a shaky game in the quarterfinals against their cross-state rivals, Talbot scored both Penguins’ goals in game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals against the Detroit Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena, in one of the most closely contested finals in recent memory. No matter how many “boooooos” rain down from the fans at the new Igloo in Pittsburgh, Penguins fans do appreciate the impact these former players had on their historic franchise. One was much longer ago, and the other was more recent, but without these current Flyers, the Penguins organization may not have been so successful in the quest for Lord Stanley’s Cup. It will be one hell of a battle in Pittsburgh on Thursday night.

While the battle for PA is the game of the week this week, there’s much going on in the Western Conference too. The Blues have continued their hot streak under Ken Hitchcock, amassing the best winning percentage in the NHL since he took over on November 8th. The Red Wings just overtook the Blues in the Central Division and Conference standings with a come from behind victory at the Joe on Tuesday night, but the Blues will get another shot at the Winged Wheel on their home ice this Saturday. The Blackhawks, even though they were blanked by the Kings at home last night, continue to lead the Western Conference with 50 points, but the Vancouver Canucks have regained their form and only trail the Hawks by two points in the standings. Ever since Roberto Luongo overcame his horrific October, he has been a rock in net for the Canucks on a nightly basis. The Canucks are 7-2-1 in their last 10 games, and Luongo has cleared the air of any “goalie controversy,” at least for now. He’s living up to his hype, again, which is a big reason why the Canucks have been climbing in the conference standings. They’ve been somewhat under the radar the past couple of months, but their stellar goalie play (3rd in the NHL in GPG; 7th in GA) and their league leading powerplay have catapulted the ‘Nucks into first place in the Northwest Division and second overall in the conference.

Player of the Week

I didn’t name a player of the week last week, so I figured I better get back to my weekly tradition in this post. There have been a lot of stars who have continued to separate themselves from the pack in the NHL, but one player in particular has had a stellar past 11 games. Penguins center Evgeni Malkin’s shoulders have been wide, as he continues to carry the Pens with Sidney Crosby still sidelined by post-concussion syndrome. He is currently tied for second in the NHL in scoring, with 42 points, with 15 goals and 27 assists. Malkin has had an incredible December – in 11 games he has racked up six goals and added 13 helpers, is a +5 and has been a threat to score on both home ice and away. The Penguins continued pace will only go as far as Malkin takes them, and it’s clear that while they miss their best player and top scorer, they can now rely on the man they call “Geno” to push them to the top of the Eastern Conference standings. He has been prone to injuries over the past couple seasons, but once he came back healthy after suffering another injury at the beginning of this season, he has become a true leader for the Penguins, both on the ice and in the locker room. When he’s on his game, there’s no other player like Malkin in the NHL; the combination of his size, hands and scoring ability are hard to come by, but the Pens sure are happy #71 has continued to carry them this past month with their captain sidelined. If Malkin can stay healthy and continue this pace, he can eclipse the 100-point mark this season.