The crest on their sweaters makes it clear that those guys are, in fact, the Flyers.
Good thing, too, because there are a lot of numbers that suggest otherwise.
Like how 26 teams have more points than Philadelphia.
How no fewer than18 have more penalty minutes than the one with Broad Street Bullies bloodlines.
And how a couple dozen clubs -- if not more -- have a better chance of qualifying for the Stanley Cup playoffs this spring.
The plain truth is, their uniforms aside, the Flyers bear scant resemblance to the kind of team generally found on the far side of the Commonwealth.
Philadelphia enters its game against the Penguins tonight at 7:08 at PPG Paints Arena with two -- yes, two -- victories in its past 17 games.
That free fall has left them 19 points out of the final wild-card playoff berth in the Eastern Conference, meaning they've been all but mathematically guaranteed to sit out the postseason for the third time in four years. And assuring that GM Chuck Fletcher will conduct a fire sale as the March 21 trade deadline approaches, with captain Claude Giroux among those likely to be auctioned off.
Being without Sean Couturier, one of the league's top defensive forwards, obviously has hurt, but there is no single explanation -- or fix -- for the Flyers' miseries.
Even so, Mike Sullivan said after the Penguins' game-day skate that their rivalry with the Flyers -- the longest and most fierce in franchise history -- has not lost any of its edge because of Philadelphia's struggles in recent seasons.
"Anytime the Penguins play the Flyers, they're always emotionally charged games," he said. "Both teams tend to bring out the best in one another. I just think that's the nature of rivalries, and this rivalry has been deep-rooted for a long time. I don't think those things just go away.
"I know that it's been a bit of a struggle for the Flyers as of late, but we have a lot of respect for their players and their coaching staff, and we know how hard it is to win in this league."
MORE FROM THE SKATE
• Casey DeSmith will be in goal for the second time in three games. "I thought he had a solid game (in a 2-0 victory at Ottawa last Thursday)," Sullivan said. "He obviously posted a shutout. He made two or three really good saves at key times during that game that gave us an opportunity to win. ... I think his last few starts have been really strong."
• Matt Cullen, who is filling in for assistant coach Todd Reirden while Reirden recovers from knee surgery, suggested that Reirden has mentored him on some things. "it's been actually really fun for me to kind of learn from him, the ideas,' Cullen said. "He's got some pretty innovative ideas, especially when it comes to the power play."
• A lot of people are talking about the possibility of Sidney Crosby scoring his 500th career goal tonight, but his teammates apparently aren't among them. Not when they're in the locker room, anyway. "We don't bring it up," Jake Guentzel said. "When it happens, it happens."
• Teddy Blueger, who is recovering from a broken jaw, worked out on the ice with skills coach Ty Hennes for about an hour before the team skate, in which he did not participate.
• Personnel combinations:
Jake Guentzel-Sidney Crosby-Bryan Rust
Brock McGinn-Evgeni Malkin-Kasperi Kapanen
Danton Heinen-Jeff Carter-Evan Rodrigues
Zach Aston-Reese-Brian Boyle-Dominik Simon
Brian Dumoulin-Kris Letang
Marcus Pettersson-John Marino
Mike Matheson-Chad Ruhwedel
No. 1 power play: Crosby, Malkin, Letang, Rust and Guentzel.
No. 2 power play: Carter, Rodrigues, Kapanen, Heinen and Marino
