PREVIEW 6:45 AM EST
With 19 games remaining in the 2013 regular season, the Philadelphia Flyers (13-15-1) are about to head into a season-high six-day break after tonight's road game against the Tampa Bay Lightning (12-15-1). Tonight's game starts at 7:30 p.m. EST. It will be televised nationally on NBCSN.
This is the third and final meeting this season between the two teams; the second one in Tampa. On Jan 27, the Flyers got a fluke early goal from Sean Couturier, but went on get crushed by a 5-1 count with Michael Leighton in net. On Feb. 5, a pair of goals by now former Flyers forward Tom Sestito enabled Philadelphia to squeak out a 2-1 home win.
The Flyers have struggled mightily in road games this season, dragging a 4-11-0 record into tonight's game. The month of March has been largely a disappointment thus far, but Philadelphia enters the game coming off a 2-1 win (via shootout) against New Jersey. Ilya Bryzgalov had one of the best games of his Flyers' career in the team's last match.
In the game against New Jersey, the lone regulation Philadelphia goal was scored by Max Talbot. The team has had issues scoring even strength goals for the last several weeks, and has only scored one third period goal thus far in March.
Tampa Bay (7-7-1 at home) has also scuffled of late, dropping seven of their last 10 games in regulation. However, the Lightning enter this game coming off a solid 4-1 win over Carolina on Saturday. Long-time Flyer killer Martin St. Louis has six points in his last five games, while Steven Stamkos is third in scoring in the NHL (38 points in 28 games). Lightning team captain Vincent Lecavalier (lower body) remains on injured reserve.
PROJECTED LINEUPS (subject to change)
FLYERS
19 Scott Hartnell - 28 Claude Giroux - 93 Jakub Voracek
48 Danny Briere - 10 Brayden Schenn - 17 Wayne Simmonds
12 Simon Gagne - 14 Sean Couturier - 24 Matt Read
25 Max Talbot - 26 Ruslan Fedotenko - 36 Zac Rinaldo
44 Kimmo Timonen - 22 Luke Schenn
8 Nicklas Grossmann - 5 Braydon Coburn
41 Andrej Meszaros - 27 Bruno Gervais
30 Ilya Bryzgalov
[49 Michael Leighton]
LIGHTNING
16 Teddy Purcell - 91 Steven Stamkos - 26 Martin St. Louis
12 Ryan Malone - 44 Nate Thompson - 19 B.J. Crombeen
89 Cory Conacher - 11 Tom Pyatt - 17 Alex Killorn
63 Tyler Johnson - 42 Dana Tyrell - 74 Ondrej Palat
77 Victor Hedman - 6 Sami Salo
25 Matt Carle - 75 Radko Gudas
3 Keith Aulie - 2 Eric Brewer
39 Anders Lindback
[32 Mathieu Garon]
**********
Kindle users: Please sign up for Flyers Buzz. For more information
click here.
Click below to follow me on Twitter:
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
Join the Discussion:
»