The Flyers-Penguins series has been full of emotion, and no player might be feeling that more than Max Talbot.
The 27-year-old forward signed with Philadelphia this season after spending the first six years of his career in Pittsburgh. He played in two Stanley Cup finals with the Pens, winning once (by scoring the Cup-clinching goal, no less) and cemented himself as one of Pittsburgh’s great celebrity pitchmen.
As such, he’s got close ties to the Pens -- especially his good friend, Sidney Crosby. On Tuesday, he was asked what it’s like going up against Crosby and, in typical Talbot fashion, he found a way to make it light.
“Sid is such a great competitor,” Talbot told Shelly Anderson of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “When it’s not going his way, he tries to do other things.
“He’s kind of like me, but with 10 times more skill.”
Crosby’s antics in Sunday’s affair -- he tussled with both Claude Giroux and Scott Hartnell -- have become the topic of great discussion. Pundits blasted them, Don Cherry praised them and Talbot...well, Talbot understands where they came from.
"[Crosby’s] going to do everything he can to spark his team or get a win,” he said. “He tried to do that.”
What about the fact that, following Sunday’s game, Crosby said he “doesn’t like” any of the Flyers?
“He’s definitely a great friend,” Talbot explained. “It gets heated in the moment. That’s OK.”
To be fair, reporters might want to start asking Crosby for his thoughts on Talbot. The Flyers winger has absolutely torched the Penguins’ special teams through three games, notching 3G-1A-4PTS with a power-play goal and a pair of shorthanded markers, which leads the NHL.