On demand, the Penguins-Flyers rivalry got reinvigorated

Between the second and third periods of Tuesday night’s hockey game in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh Penguins radio color commentator Phil Bourque was waxing nostalgic about the days of yore for Pens-Flyers at Xfinity Mobile Arena.

Bourque noticed too many empty seats for his liking at Tuesday’s game. He missed being in his chair 90 minutes before a broadcast and already hearing the “Crosby (stinks)” chants from the Flyers faithful.

To say nothing of the physical edge — or lack thereof — from the players on the ice compared to any other Tuesday night game they may skate through in late October.

“There’s been a lot of turnover from both teams,” Bourque said. “There are just a lot of young players that are a whole generation from what it used to be. Really nasty. When this building was packed, it was the game of the night. Penguins-Flyers. The Keystone Rivalry. It’s not the same. It’s just a competitive game out there.”

Does it still have juice?? Didn't look like it for most of the night but Flyers/Pens go boom. https://t.co/sBB6z5Piqp

— Brian Metzer (@Brian_Metzer) October 29, 2025

Well, no sooner asked than answered.

Midway through the third period, Crosby scored to tie the game 2-2. The boos and chants rained down from the rafters. The Flyers got a power play on an Evgeni Malkin slash. The Penguins killed it.

The Flyers were throwing bodies around with hits at the end of the third. The game went to overtime. Both teams had apparent game-winning goals waved off. The building erupted multiple times with cheers and jeers.

FIRST THE PENS HAD THEIR OT WINNER WAVED OFF, NOW THE FLYERS HAD THEIR'S OVERTURNED ???????? pic.twitter.com/lefHr5dHRA

— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) October 29, 2025

There was an extended scrum at the end of OT.

The Battle of Pennsylvania is alive and well ???????? pic.twitter.com/qRzhGaQPGN

— Spittin' Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) October 29, 2025

Sidney Crosby and Trevor Zegras got kicked out of the shootout. Both benches were screaming at the officials.

“I’ll just leave that between me and the refs,” Pens coach Dan Muse grumbled after the game. “I’ll keep quiet on that one.”

It was maddening. It was chaotic. It was unpredictable. It was a little bit out of control. For at least one night, Pens-Flyers was back. It felt like it mattered.

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In the end, Philadelphia won the shootout 2-1 and the game 3-2. But the big winner was the rivalry. It was reinvigorated.

For a little more than 25 minutes, anyway.

“You eat together as a pack. If you’re the lone wolf, you’re done. But a pack lives,” Flyers coach and former Penguin Rick Tocchet said of the scrum after the game via 97.5 The Fanatic.

Rick Tocchet went philosophical about the pack mentality after the Flyers brawled the Penguins for a victory in his first matchup in the rivalry as a head coach.

"You eat together as a pack. If you're the lone wolf, you're done. But a pack lives." pic.twitter.com/qQxwu1dOjs

— 97.5 The Fanatic (@975TheFanatic) October 29, 2025

And hockey fans at both ends of the state have been hungry for something like this.

It’s hard to really blame anyone for the lull in the rivalry in recent years. Both franchises are struggling. The Penguins haven’t made the playoffs in three years. The Flyers haven’t in five. The teams haven’t met in the postseason since 2018, and that was the only time such an occurrence has happened since 2012.

Even the deepest rivers of animosity can dry up under circumstances like that. But as the Flyers continue their latest attempt at a rebuild, and the Penguins move forward with…whatever it is they are doing with their blend of youth and aging stars, maybe Tuesday night’s circus can imbue the rivalry with the snarl it once had.

The next chance to find out will be a Dec. 1 rematch in Philadelphia.

Listen: Tim Benz and Brian Metzer talk about the Penguins’ first month under Dan Muse in this week’s hockey podcast