PITTSBURGH – A red mark, what looked to be part cut and part burn, was evident near the right corner of Carlo Colaiacovo’s mouth. Since the defenseman got it while scoring his first goal of the season, first goal as a member of the Flyers and in a feel-good game against a bitter rival, he was in a jovial mood.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he joked when asked about the injury that came courtesy of Pittsburgh forward Blake Comeau’s stick during a 4-1 victory over the Penguins (see Instant Replay).
“It was kind of in the motion. Whatever. It is what it is. I don’t feel the pain now. I didn’t even see the puck go in. If this is what it takes to score goals, I’ll take it.”
The Flyers came by this win honestly.
It was their first game after being eliminated from playoff contention. It was within a rivalry that has often seen games deteriorate into slugfests and parades to the penalty box.
“We talked before the game. We wanted to stay disciplined, and we wanted to win the game,” said Vinny Lecavalier, who also scored (see story). “If you just go out there and run around and get penalties, it’s not really going to get you anywhere. I thought we played well overall.”
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To the point that team penalty leader Zack Rinaldo’s one penalty in the game was a seemingly questionable embellishment minor after he got tripped by Pittsburgh’s Chris Kunitz, and the coincidental minors didn’t even leave the Flyers shorthanded.
It was Pittsburgh that spent more time in the penalty box, six minors to the Flyers’ three. And it was Pittsburgh that scored first, only to give up four unanswered goals.
It was the Flyers who scored a power-play goal, played a solid game at both ends of the rink, held the Penguins to 25 shots and won on a night when they had nothing but pride on the line.
“We were great tonight,” said goaltender Steve Mason, who got just his second road win of the season.
“I wasn’t really called upon to do anything spectacular. That’s a credit to everybody. They really took their time and space away.”
To the point where Coach Craig Berube noted, “We never turned the puck over in the neutral zone, and I thought that was a big key.”
Berube was asked if perhaps his club would still be in the playoff hunt if it got to play the Penguins a lot more often. The Flyers have won seven games in a row against their cross-state and Metropolitan Division rivals, and are 11-1-1 here since CONSOL Energy Center opened.
Berube’s eyebrows went up.
“I wish we had more games here,” he said. “We get excited and we play well against the Penguins. It’s one of those teams that bring out the best in us. We feel pretty comfortable in this building, that’s for sure.”
The Flyers can complete a season series sweep when the Penguins visit Wells Fargo Center on Sunday afternoon.
“Maybe these teams don’t like each other very much,” said Brayden Schenn, who scored twice. “Yeah, some games get a little more rough than others, but we have them again Sunday. I’m sure they’re not going to be happy about this one and they’ll expect to get one then.”