"It's more intense than anything I had in the Western Conference," Wayne Simmonds told the Inquirer. "Anaheim was our biggest rivalry when I played with L.A. But
last year, when I stepped on the ice, it felt like both teams wanted to
take each others' heads off. It definitely makes for exciting hockey for
the fans, and as a player, these are the type of games that I like to
play in. I can't wait to get it started tonight."
Wayne speaks the truth. A little rivalry hockey is certainly more exciting for the fans in the arena and those of us sitting at home. It doesn't get much better than Flyers-Penguins over the past few matchups.
A lot was made about Claude Giroux calling out his team over the weekend and the way they bounced back to wallop the Islanders. Was Giroux speaking out truly a spark or are the Islanders simply a terrible team? Probably a bit of both.
How the orange and black respond tonight should be a bigger test. Timmy P. calls it a measuring stick game while Wayne Simmonds says it's desperation time.
The lines should be the same as they were in Monday's sweet win. 7:30 puck drop on NBC Sports Network. Good news for you out of towners.
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Notes: Hartnell has been cleared to practice and you could see him playing in 7-10 days.
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