Four-for-Four: The Fight or Flight Edition

FLYERS

Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

BOB SAYS NO, AND THEN SAYS IT AGAIN

Something that seems to happen a lot when it comes to media members interviewing former Philadelphia athletes is an attempt to goad the player into speaking poorly of the city. Thursday night, Sergei Bobrovsky and the Columbus Blue Jackets came to town in desperate need of a win over the Flyers, who sat ahead of them in the Metropolitan Division. Bobrovsky, who spent his first two seasons as a professional with the Orange-and Black, was traded prior to the 2012-2013 season to the Blue Jackets for draft picks. He has since won a Vezina trophy as the league’s top goaltender and is the most important player on a Blue Jackets team seemingly on the cusp of contending.

A young goalie with elite talent traded just before hitting the prime of his career might have a different set of emotions than ‘Bob’s’ toward the Flyers. Yet when he was asked as to how he felt about the team that gave him a chance in the NHL, the Russian netminder (in improved English, no less) gave a ringing endorsement.

"This organization means a lot to me,” Bobrovsky said. “I always appreciate them.”"

Short, sweet, and to the point. Now, Bobrovsky did twist the knife a bit more when he and the Blue Jackets shut out the Flyers 2-0 on home ice Thursday night. As much as it pains that the organization essentially let a world-class netminder slip through their fingers (Thanks, Laviolette), Bobrovsky is just another former Flyers who, no matter how much prodding and slanted questions are thrown at him, will not rip the organization.

FIGHT OF THE WEEK: JAROME IGINLA VS. ZAC RINALDO

In the Flyers dramatic home shootout loss to the Boston Bruins last weekend, the team got a significant emotional lift from fourth-line forward Zac Rinaldo. Rinaldo clearly has made a concerted effort to help his team more than he hurts them with foolish penalties and reckless play. That being said, he is fully aware of his role on the team and when the opportunity to take off one of the opponent’s best scorers without costing the team a man advantage, he is more than happy to do so.

Make no mistake, Jarome Iginla can throw with the best of them. For Rinaldo to drop the forward as quickly as he did is rather impressive.

CROSBY’S INSTINCTS TAKE OVER

Earlier this week, the Pittsburgh Penguins fell to the Carolina Hurricanes by a 4-1 margin. The Pens have already essentially locked up the division and are gearing up for their latest playoff run. What might be the most concerning thing for Pittsburgh fans is that their biggest advantage, the officials’ relationship with Sidney Crosby, appears to have hit a rough patch.

They say that the hand motion given by the linesman there can stop a charging Rhino dead in his tracks. The fact that Crosby was able to stay on his feet for as long as he did is a minor miracle. Haven’t checked yet to see if the official still has his job, or his hand for that matter.