The latest chapter of the Battle of Pennsylvania turned nasty fast, and two former Maple Leafs ended up right in the middle of it.
Pittsburgh Penguins forward Nick Robertson and Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Simon Benoit spent parts of three seasons together in Toronto, but there was no sign of any leftover familiarity last night. With the Penguins rolling and the Flyers already buried, Robertson sent Benoit into the boards from behind, and the game immediately spilled over into a full-on scrum.
The hit came just past the midway point of the second period with Pittsburgh up 5-0. Benoit was retreating into his own zone to handle the puck when Robertson came hard on the forecheck and drove him into the glass near the corner.
The Flyers took exception right away, and the response was instant. Benoit got back to his feet quickly and jumped into the chaos, while teammates swarmed Robertson and dragged him to the ice.
The scene drew in plenty of familiar names, including Sidney Crosby, Rickard Rakell, and Matvei Michkov, among others. That’s the nature of this rivalry. When the Penguins and Flyers meet, things can boil over in a hurry, and last night had that feeling from the warmups onward.
After the dust settled, the penalties finally came. Robertson was hit with a two-minute minor for boarding on Benoit. Benoit received a two-minute roughing penalty, and Declan Carlile was also given two minutes for roughing.
The Flyers lost the game 7-0, but they made their point in the moment. They weren’t going to be pushed around, even in a lopsided loss.
And this was only the first of four meetings between the teams. The next three are set for January 31st, March 30th, and April 3rd. If the opener is any indication, the rest of the Battle of Pennsylvania is going to have plenty of bite.
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