PITTSBURGH — Jordan Staal scored twice and Sidney Crosby’s goal and assist early in the first period amid a succession of fights lifted the Pittsburgh Penguins to a 6-1 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday night in a feisty renewal of an intensifying rivalry.
Crosby scored an infrequent Penguins power-play goal 3:30 in — and before a flurry of three fights in 16 seconds — and set up Bill Guerin’s goal about 2 1/2 minutes later, immediately after the first round of pushing, shoving and punching. Crosby had a three- point night and has 21 goals and 28 assists in 28 career games against Philadelphia.
The Penguins had scored only once in 15 attempts with the man advantage and came into the game next to last in the NHL in power-play efficiency before Crosby scored his 21st goal.
The cross-state rivals hadn’t met since the Penguins accused the Flyers’ Scott Hartnell of biting defenseman Kris Letang’s finger in Philadelphia on Oct. 8, and they picked up the rivalry as if that game had been played last week. There were fights between Arron Asham and Mike Rupp, Riley Cote and Eric Godard, and Dan Carcillo and Craig Adams in the first 5:33. The game settled down a bit after that, but there appeared to be considerable on-ice jawing and agitating.
The Flyers, playing for the second night in a row, set the tone with their aggressive style, but couldn’t match the Penguins’ scoring, just as they couldn’t while being eliminated by Pittsburgh in the last two Eastern Conference playoffs. The Flyers are 2-5 under new coach Peter Laviolette.
