Flyers ready for another showdown

In another critical Eastern Conference test, the first-place Flyers will host a Pittsburgh team Thursday that has shown remarkable resilience despite playing without its two main cogs.

Are they happy to face the Penguins without injured stars Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin?

"Well, who wouldn't be?" Flyers defenseman Kimmo Timonen asked rhetorically after Wednesday's practice in Voorhees. "They're missing some guys. We're missing some guys. Obviously they're a little bit weaker because they're not there. But we shouldn't be worried about them anyway. We should be worried about us and go from there."

The Penguins are five points behind the Flyers in the Eastern Conference and Atlantic Division.

Winning Thursday's game "puts us in a position where we think we can get them," Penguins coach Dan Bylsma told Pittsburgh reporters.

It will be the Flyers' second straight game against an opponent missing two standouts. Washington, minus Alex Ovechkin and Mike Green, outlasted the Flyers, 5-4, in a shootout Tuesday and moved to within a point of first place in the East.

The Flyers controlled most facets of the game but lost because of shaky goaltending.

"There were a lot of positives," center Danny Briere said. "Obviously, the ending wasn't what we were looking for, but after watching the tapes and the way we dominated the game puck-possession-wise and on the forecheck, we definitely deserved a much better fate. If we keep playing the same way, we're going to be successful on more nights than what happened [Tuesday] night."

What happened was that Sergei Bobrovsky allowed three goals on nine shots and was yanked early in the second period, and Brian Boucher surrendered the tying goal late in regulation and was 0 for 3 in the shootout.

Briere said he "was not at all" concerned with the goalie situation. "It's one tough game for them. We all have tough games at some point or another," he said.

Pittsburgh has stayed within striking distance of the Flyers despite losing its two stars. It also recently lost Matt Cooke, an agitating winger who is one of the Penguins' top penalty killers, for the rest of the season and the first round of the playoffs because of a suspension.

"It doesn't seem to slow them," said Briere, mindful that Pittsburgh also may be without injured defenseman Brooks Orpik. "They keep finding ways to win."

"They have a lot of [depth at forward], and they have a good defense, and, obviously, have solid goaltending, and that'll take you far," said Flyers defenseman Braydon Coburn, whose game has risen since Chris Pronger left the lineup because of hand surgery.

Thursday will be the Flyers' second straight game against an opponent that is on its heels.

"It's good for us to get in some of these games," coach Peter Laviolette said. Tuesday "was great for us. The building was great. The fans were great. It had a buzz to it, and our guys showed up and were moving pretty hard out there."

The Flyers are 3-1 against the Penguins this season, with three 3-2 wins, including two in Pittsburgh.