FLYERS-WILD GAME PREVIEW (12:05 A.M. EST, 12/23/13)
In their game before breaking for Christmas, the Philadelphia Flyers (16-16-4) return to the Wells Fargo Center to take on the Minnesota Wild (20-13-5). Game time is 7:30 p.m. EST. The match will be televised locally on CSN Philly, nationally in the U.S. on NBC Sports Network and in Canada on TSN2.
This is the second of two meetings between the teams this season, and the lone game in Philadelphia. On Dec. 2 in St. Paul, the Flyers were downed by a 2-0 score. Goaltender Ray Emery almost singlehandedly kept the game scoreless for two periods. In the final stanza, the Flyers attacked with much more energy but a pair of mistakes ended up in closely spaced goals by Jason Pominville and Charlie Coyle. Josh Harding made 11 saves in the third period to complete a 21-save shutout.
After this game, the Flyers have four nights off. The schedule will resume on Saturday, Dec. 28, as the Flyers start a three-game western Canada road trip in Edmonton.
FLYERS OUTLOOK
The Flyers are coming off a 6-3 road loss to Columbus in the back end of a home-and-home set. Philly trailed 2-0 in the second period before goals 20 seconds apart by Wayne Simmonds and Sean Couturier forged a tie. The Blue Jackets recovered to pull away in the third period.
Jakub Voracek brings a career-best seven-game point streak (six goals, five assists) into this game. Claude Giroux has a career-high matching six game point streak (four goals, 11 points) heading into this game.
Flyers goaltender Steve Mason has not had great month of December (3.23 GAA, .890 save percentage), but has had a solid season overall with a 2.40 goals against average, .922 save percentage in 27 outings). With Emery getting the start on Saturday, Mason could get get the final start before the Christmas break.
Vincent Lecavalier (non-displaced fracture in his lower back) returned to the Flyers' lineup on Saturday, two weeks ahead of schedule. He registered an assist. As Lecavalier returned, Steve Downie was placed on injured reserve for seven to 10 days with an upper body injury.
Nicklas Grossmann missed Saturday's game with the flu. He is day-to-day. Grossmann did not take part in an optional skate on Sunday, but may be available for this game. Fellow Swedish defenseman Erik Gustafsson was injured in the Minnesota game. He will miss two weeks with a left knee sprain.
WILD OUTLOOK
The Wild are 5-5-0 thus far in December. The team, which is 6-10-3 on the road to date, has dropped each of the first two games of its three-game eastern road trip.
On Sunday night, the Wild dropped a 4-1 decision to the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden. Pominville got Minnesota off to a quick start in the first period, but it would be the only time the Wild would solve Cam Talbot in 25 shots. Niklas Bäckström made 32 saves in a losing cause.
Harding is currently on injured reserve while having his medication regimen for multiple sclerosis adjusted. The club has otherwise gotten some important players who were missing the first time the Wild played the Flyers -- such as Mikael Granlund -- back into the lineup.
Mikko Koivu and Zach Parise are tied for the team's overall scoring lead, with 27 points apiece. Koivu's is second on the team to Ryan Suter (21 assists) with 20 helpers to date. Parise's 15 goals are second on the team to Pominville's 17.
PROJECTED LINEUPS (Subject to change)
FLYERS
12 Michael Raffl - 28 Claude Giroux - 92 Jakub Voracek
19 Scott Hartnell - 10 Brayden Schenn - 17 Wayne Simmonds
24 Matt Read - 14 Sean Couturier - 40 Vincent Lecavalier
36 Zac Rinaldo - 76 Chris VandeVelde - 18 Adam Hall
44 Kimmo Timonen - 5 Braydon Coburn
8 Nicklas Grossmann (or 75 Hal Gill) - 32 Mark Streit
41 Andrej Meszaros or 75 Hal Gill - 22 Luke Schenn
35 Steve Mason
[29 Ray Emery]
Potential Scratches: Jay Rosehill (healthy), one of Nicklas Grossmann (flu) or Hal Gill (healthy) or Andrej Meszaros (healthy), Steve Downie (upper body), Erik Gustafsson (sprained knee), Chris Pronger (LTIR, post-concussion syndrome).
WILD
11 Zach Parise - 9 Mikko Koivu - 3 Charlie Coyle
22 Nino Niederreiter - 64 Mikael Granlund - 29 Jason Pominville
15 Dany Heatley - 21 Kyle Brodziak - 24 Matt Cooke
27 Mike Rupp - 56 Erik Haula - 17 Torrey Mitchell
20 Ryan Suter - 25 Jonas Brodin
6 Marco Scandella - 46 Jared Spurgeon
2 Keith Ballard - 4 Clayton Stoner
32 Niklas Bäckström / 31 Johan Gustafsson
Potential Scratches: Zenon Konopka (healthy), Nate Prosser (healthy), Justin Fontaine (healthy), Josh Harding (IR, MS medication).
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