Report: Penguins-Flyers likely to highlight Jan. 19 opening day

One of the NHL’s fiercest rivalries could kick off the 2012-13 season.

That’s the word out of Pittsburgh on Wednesday evening as Rob Rossi of the Tribune-Review reports the NHL is targeting a Jan. 19 start date, with a game between the Flyers and Penguins — in Philadelphia — as one of the marquee games of the day.

According to Rossi’s sources, rivalry contests will highlight the opening day/night schedule, setting the tone for a 48-game regular season in which teams will reportedly play divisional opponents seven times and other conference foes twice.

More, from the Tribune-Review:

Philadelphia‘s Wells Fargo Center is booked for Penn State men‘s hockey in the evening, but the Flyers are tentatively scheduled to face the Calgary Flames at 1 p.m.

A 48-game schedule will preserve most of the previously booked arena dates, but matchups will change because clubs will play only in-conference opponents.

The Penguins-Flyers rivalry was arguably the league’s fiercest a year ago, culminating with an epic opening-round playoff series in which Philadelphia beat Pittsburgh in six games. The teams combined for 56 goals, 309 penalty minutes and three separate suspensions totaling six games.

The series also put the Claude Giroux-Sidney Crosby rivalry on a new plateau. The pair spent the offseason exchanging barbs, with Giroux accusing Crosby of injuring his wrists and Crosby saying he didn’t recall doing it — but that if he did, he wasn’t sorry about it.

Note: Before we all go getting ahead of ourselves with this report, some perspective — NHL schedule makers have contingency plans for a number of scenarios, so it’s unfair to suggest this indicated a new CBA has been reached.

Rossi also notes that “several sources” say the plans are subject to change.