Heading into the start of the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs last week, one of the highlighted games of the series was the first-round match up between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.
The Flyers and Penguins are arguably the bitterest rivals in the NHL, having played each other in the playoffs three times in the past five years. How- ever, a rivalry once known for
physicality and sportsman-like respect has taken a turn for the worst.
In Game Three on Sunday at the Wells Fargo Center in South Philadelphia, there were a com- bined 158 penalty minutes, a number that usually occurs over the course of a seven-game se- ries. However, this is not the re- sult of very physical, clean play. The Penguins, a team picked by many to win the Battle of Penn- sylvania, have imploded over the past three games.
After losing a 3-0 and 3-1 lead in Pittsburgh last week, they went to Philadelphia in the hopes of making a series of it, but almost nothing went right for the Penguins in Game Three.
An 8-4 loss that saw more vio- lence than finesse has put a po- tential Stanley Cup champion on the brink of elimination in the first round. Hockey fans ev- erywhere will be keenly aware of what happens in Game Four this Wednesday in Philadel- phia.
