Penguins vs. Flyers preview: Battle of Pa. takes center stage on NBC

The NBC Sports "Rivalry Wednesday" series continues this week as the Philadelphia Flyers travel to Pittsburgh to take on the Penguins for the first time since opening weekend.

Since that 3-1 Penguins victory on Jan. 19 the two teams have seemingly headed in opposite directions, as the Flyers have stumbled their way to a 7-9-1 record while struggling with goal scoring and consistency in net. The Flyers have fought back after a tough start to the season, however, and are now 5-3-1 in their past nine games.

Dropping games on back-to-back night over the weekend, the Flyers destroyed the New York Islanders on Monday night in a 7-0 rout that could be the springboard the team needs moving forward.

The Flyers will have a tough task ahead, taking on a 11-5-0 Penguins team that has lost just twice in their past ten games. Pittsburgh barely held on against the Buffalo Sabres on Sunday, surrendering a 2-0 lead before scoring two late goals to take a 4-3 win in regulation. Sidney Crosby, second in the NHL with 24 points, has 17 points (3 goals, 14 assists) in nine games in February and leads a Penguins offense No. 4 in the league in scoring.

The Flyers and Penguins present one of the more intense rivalries in the NHL, with last season's postseason series one of the most exciting in recent memory. With the Flyers looking to build off Monday's big victory, this could be one of heck of an early-season matchup.

Puck is set to drop at 7:30 p.m. ET with national coverage on NBC Sports Network, and on RDS and TSN2 in Canada.

For more on the Penguins, be sure to check in with Pensburgh. For more on the Flyers, check outBroad Street Hockey.