97.5 The Fanatic Flyers Roundup: Chaotic Penguins Rivalry, Tortorella Blasts Officials
One of the most bitter rivalries in the NHL hasn’t exploded in recent seasons. The Philadelphia Flyers haven’t been a playoff regular in over a decade, and the Pittsburgh Penguins have slowly faded after years of Stanley Cup glory in 2009, 2016, and 2017.
However, a home-and-home series and the third matchup in one calendar month sparked some forgotten Flyers-Penguins rivalry energy. The fallout from a classic on Thursday night even includes John Tortorella passionately blasting a lack of consequences for Boko Imama’s vicious hit on Garnet Hathaway.
- Saturday 2/22 at the Wells Fargo Center: Flyers 6, Edmonton Oilers 3
- Tuesday 2/25 at the Wells Fargo Center: Flyers 6, Pittsburgh Penguins 1
- Thursday 2/27 at PPG Paints Arena: Pittsburgh Penguins 5, Flyers 4 (OT)
Chaos in Flyers-Penguins Rivalry
Times have changed since the Flyers and the Penguins met in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for three series in 2008, 2009, and 2012. However, the uncanny chaos of the heated playoff and regular-season rivalry reappeared this week.
The Flyers snuck away with an ugly win over Pittsburgh on February 8 in the final game before the NHL 4 Nations Face-Off break. They also crushed their cross-state rivals 6-1 on Tuesday in South Philadelphia.
A 3-0 lead in the second period on Thursday looked like it could sink Pittsburgh’s fading playoff hopes deeper into the Alleghany River.
Dynamic performances from Matvei Michkov and Owen Tippett chased goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic from the game. The Flyers seemed to win puck battles with ease in the type of stunningly good rhythm they haven’t sustained through the 2024-25 season.
However, Mike Sullivan’s choice to pull Nedeljkovic woke up his team. With franchise legend Maxime Talbot appropriately in attendance, the Penguins recreated a three-goal rally that resulted from his willingness to drop the gloves with an impulsive Dan Carcillo in 2009.
The Penguins seized the momentum on the back of two goals from gunslinging defenseman Erik Karlsson. Imama’s headhunting check of Garnet Hathaway certainly didn’t disrupt Pittsburgh’s tenacious mentality poised for a third period rally trailing 4-3 at the second intermission.
Evgeni Malkin tied the game 4-4 early in the third, and his overtime winner sealed an electric victory after the Penguins looked dead in the water.
The rivalry clash included standout performances from the two Russian stars Michkov and Malkin, a controversial hit that stirred the pot, and the type of hectic lead changes that characterized the rivalry at its peak circa 2012.
Matvei Michkov Surging & Slumping?
Philadelphia’s favorite rookie has hit the ground running with three goals and five assists in three games since the NHL 4 Nations Face-Off break.
John Tortorella emphasized the benefit for Michkov to take two weeks off from “the weight of the world” that’s resulted from the mental and physical grind of his first NHL season.
Michkov has charged out of the gates for the final 25 games on a line with Sean Couturier and Owen Tippett. The trio scored four of Philadelphia’s six goals against the Oilers in their first game back from the break.
Tim Saunders excitedly yelled for “The Magic Man” after Michkov notched two more assists on Tuesday.
Michkov effectively pushed offense in the second leg of the two-game stretch against the Penguins. His goal in the second period demonstrated the dynamic instincts that make the Flyers so confident in his future as an NHL superstar.
However, Michkov played only 13:54. Tippett played 14:39. While Noah Cates has found a great rhythm with Tyson Foerster and Bobby Brink on his wings, the trio skated significantly more than the two most offensively effective Flyers.
Tortorella’s unorthodox allocation of ice time continued, as Michkov and Tippett sat on the bench for over four consecutive minutes to finish regulation time in a 4-4 game.
While Michkov certainly earned his ice time early in the contest, a defensive lapse during the 3-on-3 overtime that led to the winning goal won’t help convince Tortorella to trust him in crucial situations.
Tortorella has repeatedly and candidly talked about his goal to strike the delicate balance of teaching an unseasoned rookie effective long-term habits in the way that harnesses his offensive skill instead of suppressing it.
“I learn too. Emotion is a double edged sword. It’s a really good thing, but also, you make mistakes with it too, and I think we both (he and Michkov) live in that world.” -John Tortorella
The veteran head coach’s questionable decisions to reach that balance have become the biggest storyline of the 2024-25 Flyers.
Does Michkov learn anything from sitting on the bench? Will he benefit from old school style discipline? There’s no absolute way to answer such subjective questions.
However, Tortorella coaches unapologetically with the priorities he and the front office have already determined.
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After benching Michkov in the second period on January 30, the head coach admitted his regret a week later. Tortorella again pulled the rookie’s ice time back against the Penguins, but he sent Michkov back out despite perceiving weaknesses to accentuate his offensive skills in the wide open 3-on-3 overtime.
How can fans blame Tortorella for not leaning on one of his best players enough after watching Michkov’s devastating mistake following his coach’s more lenient decision?
The Flyers have entrusted Tortorella with substantiating the subjective idea of culture that’s a major focus of their rebuild. They entered the season fully aware that their head coach would butt heads with their expected future superstar. Fans shouldn’t be surprised by the growing pains.
“Dangerous, Cheap Hit” on Garnet Hathaway
A Flyers-Penguins classic can’t end without a controversial hit. Boko Imama, an enforcer with only one point in 22 career NHL games, drilled Garnet Hathaway on a blindside hit at center ice late in the second period.
Hathaway had delivered a clean bodycheck on Pittsburgh winger Noel Acciari immediately beforehand, so Imama unquestionably had retaliation on his mind. The hit came shortly after the Penguins scored two goals to steal momentum and climb out a 3-0 hole.
Hathaway never had control of the puck during the sequence, so the hockey play itself didn’t factor into the check.
Imama blindsided Hathaway, who had no reason to expect a check, and injured him. The officials initially called a five-minute major penalty. However, they reduced the penalty to a two-minute minor after replay review.
It’s hard to understand how the NHL can justify using a replay system to evaluate penalty calls after a clearly intentional cheap hit leads to reduced punishment.
John Tortorella repeated the explanation from the officials during his postgame availability. He criticized the spirit of the decision.
Hathaway missed the remainder of the game, but according to Kevin Kurz of The Athletic, the injury doesn’t appear serious.
The Flyers repeatedly emphasize their own willingness to stand up for teammates as a proud characteristic of the organization. Nick Seeler and Scott Laughton have dropped the gloves this season in response to opponents’ big hits or unnecessary liberties. Hathaway also plays a major role in the pride the locker room has developed as a tough group that plays hard for each other.
However, the idea loses some of its substance after the incident didn’t spark retaliation from the players on the ice. The Flyers barely chased down Imama in an intense rivalry game after a “dangerous, cheap hit” by the words of their head coach.
Michkov scored on the ensuing two-minute power play. He demonstrated a rare case when the Flyers can make teams pay on the scoreboard in the short term, considering their struggles with the man advantage. However, the goal also didn’t change the fact that the Penguins completely stole the momentum from the unsuspecting Flyers.
Pittsburgh still erased the two-goal lead and showed a significant spark that superseded the emotion of their opponents.
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