Battle of Pennsylvania 2009-10: Game 1

Another season for the Battle of PA rivalry began tonight as the bragging rights stakes were geared up a little higher now that the Penguins are defending champs and the Flyers collected a lot of "muscle".

As Game 1 ended, it was going to be another game where it adds to the Flyers/Penguins lore. All through the game, the Flyers were trying to intimidate the Penguins by throwing heavy hits and provoking fights. Even when the game had its share of fights, one last brawl between Hartnell and Letang which resulted in Letang's hand recieving a bite mark. Of course, Penguins fans are sure not going to forget this along with the Flyers fans not able to live it down. Gotta love this rivalry, right?

The game was in Philadelphia this time around as the Flyers fans seemed to be bursting with bloodlust from the start. The Flyers would get caught with a 2 minute Briere hooking penalty and the Penguins would make them pay with an Evgeni Malkin Power Play goal just 48 seconds into the game. But that wouldn't deter the Flyer-ladened goon squad as many more dumb penalties were exchanged. But with all of the fighting, there was some goal scoring as Jordan Staal remined the hockey world just why Emery was not a great goaltender. Staal faked Emery with a great side-to-side switch with the puck before making it hit the twine.

Second period saw the Flyers bring back some respectablitiy where they kept up on the scoring sheet. Briere added his 2nd goal of the night, but not before the ageless Penguins veteran Guerrin knocked one by the goal as well. The game went into the locker room intermission with a fragile 4-3 lead. Whoever could capture the game's momentum in the third would have the better chance of winning.

The third period saw the Flyers flop and fumble their way out of the game as they continued roughousing and taking stupid penalties. The Penguins Tyler Kennedy would make it a 5-3 game at the period's halfway point. But not to be outdone, Jeff Carter surprised everybody by scoring his 4th goal of the season. That again heighened tensions back in Flyers favor with a chance to tie things late or frustrate the Penguins to make a big mistake.

That didn't happen as the Penguins brawled their way out of Philly with a 5-4 win.

[Via: Yahoo! Sports]