Game #19 - at Philadelphia Flyers

Pittsburgh Penguins (9-7-2, 20 pts) at Philadelphia Flyers (5-13-2, 12 pts)

sssshhhhh! Don't look now, but the Flyers have been playing better of late (except for their hiccup in San Jose on Saturday night). They went through the same 3 game West Coast swing that the Penguins did, except that the Flyers won in Anaheim and Los Angeles. Admittedly, Anaheim has been coming back to earth a bit, but anytime an East Coast team can go on a three game road trip to Anaheim, LA and San Jose and come out with two wins, they're playing pretty decently.

Add to this mess the fact that the Penguins historically struggle in Philadelphia, and you have a recipe for disaster. I'm hoping the Penguins can avoid the quagmire and step up their game. They are over .500 at home, and Philly is 2-5-2 at home.

For the Pens, the formula is as simple as it has been recently. Take advantage of the man-advantage and play even the rest of the time. Easier said than done, I know, especially against a strong PK like Philly, but no one ever said this would be easy.

One other thing - the Pens need to keep their noses above the nonsense. Unless, that is, someone (like Thorburn or Roy) can get that wimp Hatcher to fight. Then they should go for it with aplomb.

I'm looking for a tough road win, with Colby Armstrong's first goal of the year.

Let's Go Pens!