Battle of Pennsylvania @ Blogspot: Ver. 3.0

"Other than the breakaway, I didn't notice him. ... It's hard to notice the other team when you spend a lot of time in the other team's zone."

Blame it on instant karma or some sort of cosmic payback, but the Flyers coach Ken Hitchcock may think twice before using disgraceful comments directed at Crosby and the Penguins. In last night's game with the Atlanta Thrashers, Ken Hitchcock took a blow to the head by an errant puck that flew into the bench. It caused a lot of Hitchcock's frosty white hair to turn crimson and trickle down his fat forehead. But it was the Flyers who struck first blood during the first game of the season. Will the tide change along with the venue?

This leads us up to tonight's game infused with freshly squeezed pasteurized HYPE. With the series tied 1-1 going into the Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh, this game had all the potential of it being the opening round of the playoffs.

The Philly Phantoms stars were the ones to step up in tonight's game with Mike Richards, Jeff Carter, and Anti Niittymaki rising to the occasion. Simon Gagne also proved to be a Penguin killer scoring against Thibault in the early first period.

Crosby, responding on the ice with anger and frustration, got on the board with a shot courtesy of a fantastic goal crease pass from his mentor Mr. Mario Lemieux. He also responded verbally to Forsberg's and Hitchcock's accusations.

"I know I was (accused of it) in my first couple of years, too."

But it was all Flyers after that. Goals by Handzus and Gagne put them up 4-2 late in the second period. It was smooth sailing for the Flyers. A powerplay blistering slapshot from Erik Christensen kept some small hope on the 30th ranked Penalty Killing team. It was Mike Knuble who doused a hot Penguins team with a final minute empty net garbage goal to win 6-3.

Ryan Malone, the Pittsburgh native, understood what the Philly v. Pittsburgh rivalry is all about long before

"We play them six more times," Malone said. "If they don't respect us now, they will after the eight games, I hope."

Other game notes: No stranger to the Phantom players having been an AHL player, Shane Endicott played in tonight's game for the Penguins after returning from a bad injury.

[Via: Pittsburgh Tribune Review & Yahoo! Sports]