Penguins Game 36, Rivalry Hatred; Lines , Notes vs. Flyers

PITTSBURGH — This story originally appeared on pittsburghhockeynow.com

The Pittsburgh Penguins (15-15-5) slipped back to .500 Saturday but have points in seven of their last ten games to keep pace in the Eastern Conference wild-card race. The Philadelphia Flyers (15-15-4) are right with the Penguins, but roster restocking by both teams has never dampened the hatred between them, and they’ll face off at PPG Paints Arena in a holiday jam Monday night.

The puck drops just after 7 p.m.

The Penguins fell back to .500 with a tough 3-0 loss to the New Jersey Devils. The breaks didn’t go their way, including Evgeni Malkin’s botched breakaway, as the bad ice caused the puck to bounce off his stick on the second shift of the game. New Jersey was the more physical team and earned the big break when Stefan Noesen bulldozed the Penguins defenseman Ryan Shea before he could play the puck near the net, leading to New Jersey’s second goal, which proved to be the backbreaker.

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