UPDATE 12:30 PM
Projected starting lineups (subject to change)
FLYERS
Hartnell - Giroux- Jagr
JVR - Briere - Simmonds
Voracek - Talbot - Read
Zolnierczyk - Couturier - Rinaldo
Carle - Pronger
Timonen - Coburn
Lilja - Meszaros
Bryzgalov
[Bobrovsky]
Lightning
Purcell - Stamkos - Downie
Connolly - LeCavalier - St. Louis
Shannon - Moore - Thompson
Hall - Pyatt - Jones
Gervais - Bergeron
Gilroy - Brewer
Kubina - Clark
Roloson
[Garon]
UPDATE 11 AM EST
More than ever, it looks like Chris Pronger is playing tonight. Although Erik Gustafsson was at practice yesterday, he apparently did not make the trip to Florida.
According to a
Swedish article published by Hockey Sverige today, Gustafsson indicated that he sustained a ligament injury ("I don't know what the doctor called it exactly in English") when he was accidentally slashed during a puck battle at the blueline in the game against Columbus on Saturday.
The article quotes Gustafsson as saying he will out soon if the injury requires an operation or if surgery can be avoided.
Gustafsson was not at practice Monday, with what was deemed a maintenance day. He was on the ice in Voorhees yesterday -- albeit not among the three starting pairs of defensemen. The Flyers did not include him as an injured player on yesterday's report.
As for Pronger, he is supposed to be a game-day decision today after the morning skate. But if Gustafsson stayed behind in Philly area (as the article says), the Flyers only have six
defensemen on the trip.
PREVIEW 5:30 AM EST
It has been four days since the Flyers (8-4-2) pummeled the woeful Columbus Blue Jackets, 9-2, at the Wells Fargo Center. A new, road-heavy phase of the season begins tonight in Tampa Bay, as the Flyers take on the Lightning (7-5-2) in Philadelphia's lone game this week. The game starts at 7:30 PM EST and will be broadcast nationally on Versus.
This is the first of four meetings between the teams this season. Last year, the Bolts won three of four games, by a combined 18-12 score. The totals included an 8-7 game at the Wells Fargo Center won by Tampa Bay and a 4-0 shutout in the first game after the All-Star break. The Flyers salvaged a 4-3 shootout victory in the final meeting on the season.
I asked Peter Laviolette after practice yesterday how a Flyers team that at times this season has been very porous defensively can do a better job containing the many dangerous Tampa attackers without sacrificing their own offensive aggressive. The coach said the team has talked a lot this week about the need for better puck management; specifically putting the puck in safe areas if there is not a play to be made and in maintaining consistent support for the puck carrier.
Philadelphia has done a tremendous job scoring at even strength of late; so much so that the team's recent power play struggle without Chris Pronger (2-for-28, 7.1%) has not had much bearing on game outcomes. But the team is going to have to do a better job defensively.
In the seven games Pronger has been out, the Flyers have managed to go 4-2-1. However, the team has allowed 3.67 goals per game over that span, as opposed to their 2.71 GAA in the first seven games. It has not all been because of Pronger's absence nor has the goaltending been the primary culprit. The team as a whole has been spotty in its defensive execution. Starting goalie Ilya Bryzgalov has played very well in each of his last three starts.
Offensively, the Flyers' top line of Claude Giroux centering Jaromir Jagr and Scott Hartnell has been nothing short of dominant. The club is hoping that James van Riemsdyk, Jakub Voracek and Wayne Simmonds will build off their efforts in the Columbus game on Saturday. Meanwhile, the Flyers are set to welcome rookie Matt Read back to the lineup tonight after he missed the last three games with an undisclosed upper body injury.
The status of Pronger for tonight's game remains unknown. It will be a game-day decision to be made after the Flyers' morning skate (10:30 AM) in Tampa today. At this point, it has nothing to do with Pronger's vision. His eye is healed. Instead, it's a matter of conditioning. Pronger was in good spirits after practice yesterday, and the chances of him playing tonight seem better than 50-50.
If Pronger plays, who will be the healthy scratch on defense? Andreas Lilja worked with Andrej Meszaros at practice yesterday, and Erik Gustafsson was mixed and matched. That suggests the rookie will be the one who sits tonight if Pronger goes.
The Lightning have won three of their last four games, including the last two by overtime or shootout decision. Steven Stamkos (6 goals in last 5 games) is on a tear now, and has generally had good success (8 goals, 12 points in 12 career games) against the Flyers. Martin St. Louis (points in 7 of last 8 games) has had even more career success in games against the Flyers (48 points in 37 games, including 13 goals).
Meanwhile, Philly needs to be mindful of Tampa Bay defenseman Marc-Andre Bergeron whenever he joins the play or starts the rush up ice with a lead pass. The diminutive 31-year-old blueliner is actually tied for the team scoring lead (15 points) and has five points in the last five games, going plus-five over that span. The Flyers will need to do a better job at making reads when he's on the ice than they did last season.
Last but not least, Vincent LeCavalier (3 goals, 4 points in last three games) has been heating up of late. Although he's only hurt the Flyers sporadically over his career (12 goals, 38 points in 47 games) his size and skill present matchup problems for Philly when the club has to worry first and foremost about the Stamkos line. Teddy Purcell (5 goals, 12 points on the season) can also hurt Philadelphia if they are not strong defensively tonight.
I will post lineups in an update later today.
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