Hartnell stokes Flyers-Pens rivalry
Flyers Scott Hartnell voices his dislike of the Pittsburgh Penguins and their captain Sidney Crosby.
Hartnell stokes Flyers-Pens rivalry
Sam Carchidi, Inquirer Staff Writer
The Flyers-Penguins rivalry _ arguably the fiercest in the NHL _ doesn’t need any stoking.
But Flyers' left winger Scott Hartnell did just that after the team ended its six-day training camp Friday. The Flyers will open the season Saturday afternoon against the visiitng Penguins.
"It didn't take me long six years ago to get a hatred for the Pens,” said Hartnell, referring to his first season with the Flyers. “Only playing them once in the West, then coming here and seeing (Sidney) Crosby run the show and do what he does, you learn to not like him fast. And I think that goes for all Philadelphians and guys that put on a Flyers jersey.”
The Flyers eliminated the Stanley Cup favorite Penguins in the first round of last year's playoffs, four games to two.
* * *
The Flyers' roster is set, and the lines and pairings are expected to look like this Saturday:
Lines: Claude Giroux centering Hartnell and Brayden Schenn; Sean Couturier centering Max Talbot and Jake Voracek; Scott Laughton centering Wayne Simmonds and Matt Read; and Eric Wellwood centering Ruslan Fedotenko and Zac Rinaldo.
Defensive pairings: Braydon Coburn and Nick Grossmann; Kimmo Timonen and Luke Schenn; and Andrej Meszaros and Kurtis Foster.
Goalies: lya Bryzgalov and Michael Leighton.
Extras: Bruno Gervais, Jody Shelley and Tom Sestito. (Danny Briere starts the season on IR)
Breakaways. The Penguins are 7-2-1 in regular-season games at the WFC since Dan Bylsma became their head coach......The Flyers scored 30 goals in the six-game playoff series against the Pens last year.
Follow Sam Carchidi on Twitter @BroadStBull.
this team isn't going to be very good this year. oh well.— tockeyhockey- This team will be just as good as last year, with the added benefit of a bigger, meaner, more physical defense.
Wait and see, you Philly Chicken-Littles. Always whining. You guys make it hard to admit I'm a Philly sports fan in public. Well, you guys and the Eagles the past couple years :)— Americanitis1 - I personally wouldn't mind seeing Crosby have a one game season.— oakmontleo
- I personally wouldn't mind seeing Crosby have a one game season.— oakmontleo
- Nobody cares what you think... — Soul child2013
- Unfortunately the Kings are playing the Blackhawks at the same time as the Flyers-Pens game so guess which game our local NBC affiliate is carrying?
And, because it's on NBC and available to the remainder of the United States, it's not on NHL Center Ice either.
One more reason to dislike the Kings.
Do I have to buy NHL Center Ice Live and watch the game on my iPhone?
— backhand - He'll fall over the ice and show them whose better. He stinks.— FlyersLosersFor38Years
- Can't wait!!! Oh, and I hope someone goes after Neal, I hate him even more then Crosby after last years headhunting.— bosso_fataka
- I'd be peacocking around if I was running around with Sheena Parvine too.— AngryGregR
- If their nut-case in goal steps up, this team has a shot. But we still need a big time scorer.— mortt1956
- "He'll fall over the ice and show them whose better. He stinks.
— FlyersLosersFor38Yearsa"
When the excrement gets flushed at your house, don't be surprised if you're no longer there.
— Claudio Vernight 
Those forward lines make no sense. I hope that they're just the musings of Our Man Sam, or this is going to be a long 48 games.— icarus- Let's be honest. As always, problems between the pipes will be what dooms this team. Nothing to see here. Move along. Move along.....— jibberjabber
- Lavi knows more than me but if I were making the lines based on those guys it'd be:
1:Hartnell Giroux Voracek
2:Simmonds Couturier Read
3:Talbot Laughton Schenn
4:Fedotenko Wellwood Rinaldo
Doesn't that make the most sense?— DrTickTock - Yeah...well... We despise you too... Won't be happy until we see your brains splattered all along the boards tomorrow... Go Pens!— Soul child2013
