Flyers are motivated for Tuesday's game with Pittsburgh

Having survived an overtime thriller that oozed with playoff-like intensity in Boston, the Flyers have a more-daunting challenge Tuesday - trying to end the Pittsburgh Penguins' 12-game winning streak.

The bitter cross-state rivals will meet at the Wells Fargo Center, where the Penguins will be aiming for a franchise-record eighth straight road win.

For the Flyers, it's Part II in a difficult four-game stretch - starting with Saturday's 2-1, overtime win over the Bruins - that includes matchups against Montreal (Wednesday) and the Rangers (Saturday).

"It's kind of like your own mini-playoff series," defenseman Matt Carle said.

"The fun thing with this little stretch is the motivation factor: It's easy to come by for the next few games," center Danny Briere said. "Tough games, but at the same time, fun games to play in."

The fun starts Tuesday.

"Pittsburgh. Nothing needs to be said," Briere noted.

This season, the Flyers are 2-1 against the Penguins, 1-1 against the Canadiens, and 1-0 against the Rangers.

"Apart from Washington, we're playing [some of] the best teams in the conference that we're fighting with," Briere said, "so it's a big test for us."

The Penguins (21-8-2) have 44 points and are one point ahead of the Flyers (19-7-5) in the Atlantic Division and in the overall NHL rankings. The Flyers, though not as hot as the Penguins, are on a 7-1-3 roll.

"These are all very important games against playoff teams," Carle said. "If we could get on top, it would be huge for us going into the Christmas break. We'd certainly like to carry the momentum going forward."

No one has more momentum than Pittsburgh, which is led by the incomparable Sidney Crosby.

Containing Crosby, who leads the league with 51 points, will be foremost on the Flyers' minds. Crosby has points in 18 straight games. In 31 games, he has 26 goals and 25 assists.

In the Flyers' two 3-2 victories over the Penguins this season, Crosby was not a factor. He was scoreless in the first meeting and managed an assist in the Pens' other loss.

In Pittsburgh's 5-1 win at the Wells Fargo Center on Oct. 16, Crosby had two goals and an assist.

Oddly, each team has lost at home in their three meetings this season.

Flyers coach Peter Laviolette will have a difficult goalie decision. Well-rested rookie Sergei Bobrovsky, who has a 2.29 goals-against average and .922 save percentage, is 2-1 against the Penguins this year, but Brian Boucher (2.23, .919) has a 1.21 GAA and a jaw-dropping .960 save percentage in his last four starts (3-0-1).

Breakaways. Flyers winger Jody Shelley will have a hearing with NHL discipline czar Colin Campbell on Monday for his hit on Boston's Adam McQuaid on an icing in Saturday's game. A one- or two-game suspension is expected. . . . The Flyers lead the NHL with 522 blocked shots. . . . Pittsburgh goalie Marc-Andre Fleury has 11 straight wins; he hasn't given up more than two goals in his last nine games. . . . Pittsburgh is within five wins of equaling the NHL record, set by the 1992-93 Penguins, of 17 straight victories. . . . The Flyers are 6-0-2 in their last eight regular-season visits to Boston.