FLYERS VS BLUE JACKETS GAME PREVIEW (7:45 A.M. EDT)
Looking to strengthen their hold on a guaranteed Eastern Conference playoff spot for being a top-three team in the Metropolitan Division, the Philadelphia Flyers (39-27-9) are home to host the Columbus Blue Jackets (38-30-7). Game time at the Wells Fargo Center in 7:00 p.m. EDT. The match will be televised locally on Comcast Sportsnet Philadelphia.
This is the fourth and final meeting between the teams and the second and final one in Philadelphia. The Blue Jackets won two of the first three clashes.
On Dec. 19 and 21, the teams played a home-and-home set. They split the two games.
In the first game in Philadelphia, the Flyers waged arguably the most dramatic of their 11 third-period comeback wins this season. A five-goal outburst in the third period lifted the Flyers to a 5-4 win, capped by Claude Giroux (four points) scoring the tying goal with 3:46 left in regulation and then potting the winning goal on a spectacular backhanded shot with 1:38 remaining in regulation.
Two nights later in Columbus, the Flyers came back to the tie the game in the second period after trailing 2-0. This time, the Blue Jackets forged ahead for good and went on to win by a 6-3 count. Ryan Johansen and ex-Flyer R.J. Umberger had two goals apiece for Columbus.
On Jan. 23, the visiting Flyers once again came up short in a three-goal loss. This time, the final score was 5-2.
The Flyers briefly led by a 2-1 score midway through regulation but trailed 3-2 at the second intermission. With a chance to quickly re-tie the game, Philly failed to score on a 5-on-3 power play that carried over from the second stanza. Columbus had all the momentum thereafter, and pulled away to win.
Brandon Dubinsky and Matt Calvert had two points apiece, and the Blue Jackets dominated the game in faceoffs (59 percent). Sergei Bobrovsky (26 saves) outdueled Ray Emery (34 saves) in net.
Tonight's game marks the start of a three-in-four slate for the FLyers. On Saturday, the Flyers have a matinee in Boston and then return home to play Buffalo the following night.
FLYERS OUTLOOK
Starting with a home game against Detroit on Jan. 28, the Flyers have gone 14-5-3 over their last 22 games. They are 9-4-3 after the Olympic break.
On Tuesday, the Flyers traveled to St. Louis to take on the Western Conference leading Blues. With the Flyers unable to capitalize on any of a half-dozen scoring chances in the opening 10 minutes of the game, the match became an odd combination of sloppy play and tight checking. Each team failed to score on respective late-game power plays. After 65 minutes of regulation and overtime, the teams were still deadlocked at 0-0.
Both St. Louis goaltender Ryan Miller (31 saves) and Flyers netminder Ray Emery (28 saves) were credited with shutouts. The Blues, however, won the shootout by a 2-0 count to earn an extra point from the game.
Despite getting shut out last game, offense has generally not been a problem for the Flyers after their early-season struggles to put the puck in the net. Through the first 15 games of the season, the Flyers scored just 22 goals (1.47 per game). Since that time, Philly has tallied 187 goals in 59 games (3.17 per game).
In the first five games after the Olympic break, the Flyers yielded 21 goals. However, they have allowed just 21 in the last 11 games. The goaltending of Steve Mason and Emery has generally been strong, and the club has paid better attention to defensive detail.
The Flyers took a complete off-day yesterday.
Kimmo Timonen took a puck to the face in the Boston game on Sunday but stayed in to play the rest of the game. However, he did not make the trip to St. Louis with the team. Erik Gustafsson replaced him in the lineup, and the Flyers shuffled their defensive pairings. Officially, Timonen remains day-to-day with an upper body injury but appears likely to be ready to play tonight.
Steve Downie (upper body injury, suspected concussion) has been sidelined since sustaining an injury on March 22. He is still officially listed as day-to-day.
Projected lineups will be updated after today's morning skate.
BLUE JACKETS OUTLOOK
Columbus has had a rollercoaster ride through the post-Olympic stretch run. The team started the month of March with points in seven of eight games (6-1-1). Since that time, the Blue Jackets have gone 3-4-1.
On Tuesday, the team was unable to protect a 2-0 lead in the third period of a home game against Patrick Roy's Colorado Avalanche. The Avs went on to win, 3-2, in overtime. Cam Atkinson and Blake Comeau scored for Columbus. Sergei Bobrovsky made 25 saves.
Tonight's game is the middle game of a three-in-four for the Blue Jackets. Tomorrow night, the team returns home to take on the defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks.
Entering tonight's game, the Blue Jackets hold the final wildcard spot in the Eastern Conference playoff race. Columbus is one point ahead of Toronto (with two games in hand) and two points ahead of Washington (with one game in hand). Looking upward, the Blue Jackets are three points behind Detroit (with one game in hand) for the higher wildcard seed in the East and four points behind the Flyers for third place in the Metro.
Ryan Johansen has had a breakthrough season for the Blue Jackets this year, reaching the stardom predicted for him as a highly-touted prospect entering the pro ranks. The top line center has reached the 30-goal mark for the first time in the NHL and leads the team with 55 points overall.
Columbus is still dealing with some key injuries. Most notably, top line power forward and frequent Flyer-killer Nathan Horton is day-to-day with a lower-body injury. Defensemen Nikita Nikitin (lower-body injury) is also unlikely to play and defenseman Ryan Murray (knee surgery) remains out of the lineup but could return this weekend.
KEY STAT COMPARISONS (NHL OVERALL RANKING)
Non-shootout goals per game: Flyers 2.80 (11th), Blue Jackets 2.73 (14th)
Non-shootout goals against per game: Flyers 2.72 (16th), Blue Jackets 2.68 (14th)
Even strength Goals For/Against Ratio: Flyers 0.96 (16th), Blue Jackets 1.05 (12th)
Power play efficiency: Flyers 19.4% (10th), Blue Jackets 17.6% (17th)
Penalty killing efficiency: Flyers 85.0% (5th), Blue Jackets 81.8% (16th)
Faceoff percentage: Flyers 50.1% (16th), Blue Jackets 51.6% (8th)
PROJECTED LINEUPS (Subject to change)
FLYERS
19 Scott Hartnell - 28 Claude Giroux - 93 Jakub Voracek
15 Tye McGinn - 10 Brayden Schenn - 17 Wayne Simmonds
24 Matt Read- 14 Sean Couturier - 12 Michael Raffl
36 Zac Rinaldo - 40 Vincent Lecavalier - 18 Adam Hall
44 Kimmo Timonen - 5 Braydon Coburn
8 Nicklas Grossmann - 32 Mark Streit
47 Andrew MacDonald - 22 Luke Schenn
35 Steve Mason
[29 Ray Emery]
Potential Scratches: Steve Downie (upper body), Erik Gustafsson (healthy), Jay Rosehill (healthy), Hal Gill (healthy), Chris Pronger (LTIR, post-concussion syndrome).
BLUE JACKETS
38 Boone Jenner - 19 Ryan Johansen - 55 Mark Letestu
11 Matt Calvert - 17 Brandon Dubinsky - 13 Cam Atkinson
71 Nick Foligno - 42 Anton Anisimov - 18 R.J. Umberger
14 Blake Comeau - 24-Derek MacKenzie - 40 Jared Boll
7 Jack Johnson - 47 Dalton Prout
21 James Wisniewski - 51 Fedor Tyutin
15 Nick Schultz - 58 David Savard
72 Sergei Bobrovsky
[31 Curtis McElhinney]
Potential Scratches: Cory Tropp (healthy), Tim Erixon (healthy), Matt Frattin (healthy), Nathan Horton (lower body, day-to-day), Nikita Nikitin (lower body, day-to-day), Ryan Murray (knee surgery), Jack Skille (IR, upper body).
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