While not quite a war of words, things are heating up between Peter Laviolette and Peter DeBoer.
Pete-ing up, if you will.
/shows self out
A few hours after the Devils head coach said the pressure’s on Philadelphia, the Philadelphia head coach shot back.
“It’s irrelevant. Who somebody says the pressure is on is irrelevant,” Laviolette told The Star-Ledger. “New Jersey’s got a good team. The Flyers have got a good team. It’s 1-1 in the series.
“The team that plays the best on the ice tonight has the best chance of winning the hockey game.”
Described as “a bit testy” in his pregame presser, Laviolette stressed that both teams are desperate, want to win and have equal amounts at stake heading into Game 3. Ergo, the talk about shifting pressure is totally inconsequential.
“I’d like to think our strides are more meaningful tonight,” he said. “I don’t know what switch you turn on, but nobody wants to go down, 2-1, in the series.”