PREVIEW 12:30 AM EDT
In the final installment of their three-game-in-four-day gauntlet and the start of a five-game homestand, the Philadelphia Flyers (41-22-8) return to the Wells Fargo Center to take on the hottest team in the NHL, the Pittsburgh Penguins (44-21-5). The game starts at 12:30 p.m. EDT and will be broadcast nationally on NBC.
This is the fourth of six meetings between the teams this season, and the third and final one in Philadelphia. The Flyers won the first two meetings in December (3-2 at home and 4-2 on the road). In a Feb. 18 matinee game in Philly, the Flyers led 2-1 after the first period and the clubs were tied, 3-3, at the end of the second stanza until Philadelphia self-destructed when they faced a Pittsburgh onslaught in the third period. The Pens skated off with a 6-4 win.
The Flyers have earned points in eight of the last 10 games (7-2-1) but have lost ground on the Penguins, who are riding an 11-game winning streak. Yesterday in Boston, Ilya Bryzgalov stole Philly a point in a game in which the club was largely outplayed but the team went down in a shootout, 3-2. Matt Read and Jakub Voracek -- with primary assists by Danny Briere -- spearheaded Philadelphia's two-goal comeback.
The Penguins, as one would expect from their recent record, have been firing on all cylinders of late. The offense is clicking, and now has superstar center Sidney Crosby back in the lineup. The club, which is very well-coached by Dan Bylsma and his staff, usually plays very strong defense. Meanwhile, goalie Marc-Andre Fleury has been in a tremendous groove. Beyond the club's 11-game winning streak, they've gone 23-4-1 over their last 28 games played.
Pittsburgh can beat opponents with pure skill. They can outlast opponents with their defensive discipline. They can wear other teams down and convert turnovers into goals. They are also very willing to play for a shootout late in a tied game -- and have collected 9 extra points (in 12 tries) that way.
In short, the Flyers will need to play at the type of level they exhibited against Detroit and the second half of their recent home-and-home with the New Jersey Devils. Anything short of their A-game for 60 minutes will likely result in yet another afternoon-game loss. Fatigue will not be a valid excuse if Philly fails, because the Penguins are also playing for the third time in four days, including back-to-back weekend afternoon games.
Philadelphia had a significant injury list heading into yesterday's game, and added two more players to the list in the Boston game.
Max Talbot had to leave the match after appearing to hurt his shoulder in a second-period fight. His status for this game is unknown as of this writing -- and the team will not have a morning skate due to the short turnaround.
In addition, Andreas Lilja took a puck in the throat in the first period and had to come out of the game. He is unlikely to play today. The club has called up Brendan Manning from the Phantoms. Pavel Kubina (upper body injury) and Andrej Mesaros (lower body) will not be available for the Flyers.
For Pittsburgh, the lineup is now basically fully stocked since the returns of Crosby and Kris Letang. Dustin Jeffrey (flu) missed yesterday's game against New Jersey, while backup goaltender Brent Johnson (lower body) is out indefinitely.
In the season series to date, Evgeni Malkin leads the Penguins with four points (1G, 3A). Wayne Simmonds, who is now 12 games removed from his last goal, has two goals and four points against the Penguins this season.
PROJECTED LINEUPS (subject to change)
FLYERS
Hartnell - Giroux - Jagr
Wellwood - Briere - Voracek
Read - Schenn - Simmonds
Shelley - Couturier - Rinaldo
Carle - Timonen
Grossmann - Coburn
Manning - Gustafsson
Bryzgalov/ Bobrovsky
PENGUINS
Kunitz- Malkin - Neal
Cooke - Crosby - Kennedy
Sullivan - Staal - Dupuis
Tangradi - Vitale - Adams
Martin - Letang
Orpik - Michalek
Niskanen - Engelland
Fleury
[Thiessen]
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