FLYERS-CANUCKS GAME PREVIEW (5:15 A.M. EST)
In the second match of a six-game road trip, the Philadelphia Flyers (18-16-4) are in British Columbia to take on the Vancouver Canucks (23-11-6). Game time is 10:00 p.m. EST. The match will be televised locally on CSN Philly.
This is the second of two meetings between the inter-conference teams this season, and the lone game in Vancouver.
On Oct. 15, the Flyers experienced one of their most frustrating losses of the season in a 3-2 regulation loss to Vancouver at the Wells Fargo Center. The Flyers outplayed the Canucks for about 50 of the game's 60 minutes, and took a 2-1 lead into the third period on the strength of a pair of goals by Tye McGinn. In the final stanza, however, everything slipped away from the Flyers, as Henrik Sedin took advantage of Philadelphia breakdowns to set up Chris Higgins for the tying goal and Ryan Kesler for the winning goal.
At the time, the loss dropped the Flyers' season record to 1-6-0. In the time since then, Philly has gone 17-10-4.
After tonight's game, the Flyers are right back in action tomorrow night. Playing for the third time in four nights, the Flyers will have New Year's Eve matchup with the Calgary Flames.
FLYERS OUTLOOK
The Flyers are coming off a 4-3 shootout victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday night. Wayne Simmonds notched a pair of power play goals and Scott Hartnell tallied the game-tying goal on a 5-on-3 power play in the third period. Claude Giroux and Michael Raffl scored in the shootout after opening shooter Vincent Lecavalier was unable to convert.
Simmonds has notched seven of his 12 goals on the season and nine of his 24 points during a current five-game point streak. He has scored two goals apiece in each of the team's last three games.
According to the research of Flyers' Media and Broadcast Services manager Brian Smith and the Elias Sports Bureau, this is just the third time in franchise history that a Flyers player has scored multiple goals in three straight games. Reggie Leach and Ross Lonsberry accomplished the feat during the 1975-76 season and then Leach did it again in Oct. 1981. No player in franchise history has done it in four consecutive games.
In the Edmonton game, Giroux and linemate Jakub Voracek each recorded a pair of assists in the game. Giroux brings a career-best eight-game point streak (five goals, 10 assists, 15 points) into tonight's game, while Voracek has a career-best nine-game point streak (six goals, nine assists, 15 points).
With the Flyers' three power play goals on Saturday, the club improved its overall power play rating to 16th in the NHL, at 18.4 percent efficiency (27 for 147). Most of the damage has been done on the road.
While Philly's home record (11-7-0) is superior to the team's record away from the Wells Fargo Center (7-9-4), the club's power play at home has been atrocious (9-for-76, 11.8 percent, 28th in the NHL). On the road, conversely, the team has kept things simpler and more efficient with their puck movement and getting traffic in front of the net. In away games, the Flyers' have clicked at a robust 25.4 percent (18-for-71), ranking 5th in the NHL in that category.
Defenseman Erik Gustafsson remains out of the lineup. He could miss another week with a left knee sprain.
CANUCKS OUTLOOK
The Canucks are playing the second half of back-to-back games. On Sunday night, Vancouver blanked the host Calgary Flames by a 2-0 score. Goaltender Eddie Läck recorded an 18-save shutout on a night where the Canucks mustered a late-first period goal by Jannik Hansen and did not get their insurance goal until Mike Santorelli notched an even-strength tally with 2:16 remaining in the third period.
Vancouver has had a spectacular month of December overall, apart from a stumble on the road in Dallas the night before a marquee road showdown with the defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks (which Vancouver won, 3-2, via shootout). Entering their final game of the month and the 2013 calendar year, the Canucks have posted a 10-1-1 record in December.
In 11 of the 12 games the Canucks have played this month, they have held the opposition to two or fewer goals in regulation. Including last night's win in Calgary, Vancouver has recorded three shutouts this month. There have been three other games in December where the Canucks have limited other teams to a single goal.
Entering Monday's game, Henrik Sedin holds the team's overall scoring lead with 34 points (nine goals, 25 assists). Twin brother Daniel is one point behind, with 12 goals and 21 asssits for 33 points. Kesler leads the squad in goal-scoring with 15 tallies to date.
Most of the Canucks' scoring this season has come at even strength. Vancouver comes into this game having converted 15.2 percent of its power play chances (22nd overall in the NHL). However, Vancouver boasts the NHL's number-one penalty kill (89.5 percent overall, including 90.7 percent at home). The team has also scored four shorthanded goals.
Goaltender Roberto Luongo remains on injured reserve with a suspected groin pull. In his absence, former Flyers draftee Joacim Eriksson has been called up to the big club to back up fellow Swedish netminder Läck.
Apart from Luongo, the Canucks are also missing notable starters in defenseman Alexander Edler (knee injury) and forward Alexandre Burrows (broken jaw).
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 - 18 Adam Hall - 9 Steve Downie
44 Kimmo Timonen - 5 Braydon Coburn
8 Nicklas Grossmann - 32 Mark Streit
41 Andrej Meszaros - 22 Luke Schenn
35 Steve Mason / 29 Ray Emery
Potential Scratches: Jay Rosehill (healthy), Chris VandeVelde (healthy), Hal Gill (healthy), Erik Gustafsson (sprained knee), Chris Pronger (LTIR, post-concussion syndrome).
CANUCKS
22 Daniel Sedin - 33 Henrik Sedin - 36 Jannik Hansen
20 Chris Higgins - 17 Ryan Kesler - 25 Mike Santorelli
7 David Booth - 15 Brad Richardson - 9 Zack Kassian
29 Tom Sestito - 21 Zac Dalpe - 32 Dale Weise
2 Dan Hamhuis - 8 Chris Tanev
5 Jason Garrison - 6 Yannick Weber
3 Kevin Bieksa - 41 Andrew Alberts (or callup player)
Potential Scratches: Andrew Alberts (day-to-day, upper body), Jeremy Welsh (healthy), Alexander Edler (IR, knee), Alexandre Burrows (IR, jaw), Roberto Luongo (IR, groin), Jordan Schroeder (IR, ankle), Ryan Stanton (IR, high ankle sprain).
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