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Flyers Gameday: 4/9/17 vs. CAR; Quick Hits: Phantoms, NCAA & More |
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UPDATE 11 AM
The Flyers have recalled defensemen Robert Hägg, their second round pick in the 2013 NHL Draft, from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. The 22-year-old will make his NHL debut for the Flyers in tonight's season finale and then return to the Phantoms. He will wear number 48.
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PREVIEW: FLYERS VS. HURRICANES
In the final game of the 2016-17 season for both clubs, Dave Hakstol's Philadelphia Flyers (39-33-9) play host to Bill Peters' Carolina Hurricanes (35-31-15). Game time at the Wells Fargo Center is 7:00 p.m. ET. The game will be televised on CSN Philadelphia.
This is the fifth between the Atlantic Division clubs this season and the third in Philadelphia. Philly has won three of the first four.
The Flyers earned a 6-3 home win on Oct. 22. Eight days later in Raleigh, Philly prevailed by a 4-3 count. On January 31, the visiting Flyers got blown out by a 5-1 score. On March 19, the Flyers dominated a leg-weary (fifth game in seven nights, sixth in nine nights) Hurricanes team for nearly 30 minutes but then had to scramble to force overtime before skating off with a 4-3 victory.
Flyers Outlook
The Flyers finished the road portion of their schedule with a terrible 14-21-4 record. On the flip side, they are 25-11-4 at home. If they win on Sunday, they will have posted their best home record in any season since 2000-01.
Anthony Stolarz is the likely starter in goal on Sunday. Nick Cousins, a healthy scratch on Saturday, indicated after the team's final practice that he expected to play in one of the weekend finale game.
On Saturday, the Flyers skated to a 4-2 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets. With the victory, the Flyers have beaten every team in the Eastern Conference at least once this season.
In what could be his final start as a Flyer, impending unrestricted free agent Steve Mason stopped 20 of 22 shots -- both Columbus goals were double-deflections off Flyers players -- to earn his 200th career win and 104th as a Flyer. His win in Ottawa in the 2013 finale was career win 100 (number four as a Flyer). Mason finished the season on an excellent run over his final 17 starts: 10-5-2 record, 2.14 GAA, .926 SV%, and two shutouts (plus a regulation shutout in the road finale in New Jersey).
Another former Blue Jacket, Jakub Voracek, scored a power play goal on Saturday as he notched his 20th goal of the season. He has hit the 20-goal mark four times in the last five seasons. The Flyers also got goals from Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, Michael Del Zotto and Barry Ashbee Trophy winning rookie defenseman Ivan Provorov.
Mike Vecchione, who was in Chicago on Friday for the Hobey Baker Award announcement, is back with the Flyers and available for Sunday's game. Hakstol indicated last week that he anticipated Vecchione playing in Sunday's game.
Veteran defenseman Nick Schultz, who may retire after this season unless he finds a suitable NHL playing opportunity (among other considerations, one for which he would not have to immediately uproot his family again), will play his 1,069th career NHL regular season game. Long-term, the highly respected Schultz may be interested in coaching or other opportunities that would allow him to still work within the game.
Pelle Lindbergh Memorial Award winner and Barry Ashbee Trophy runner up Radko Gudas (upper body injury, skated on Friday), Matt Read (arm), Raffl (lower-body injury), and Michal Neuvirth (upper-body injury, recuperation from upper respiratory illness) are out.
Hurricanes Outlook
The Canes are in the same boat as the Flyers. A dismal 12-19-9 road record was the undoing of a club that went 23-12-6 at home.
On Saturday in Raleigh, the Hurricanes engaged in a seesaw game against the St. Louis Blues. Carolina trailed 1-0, led 2-1 and 3-2, then trailed 4-3 in the third period until Jeff Skinner's 37th goal of the season and second of the game forced overtime. After a scoreless OT, Carolina converted its first-round shootout opportunity (Lee Stempniak) but did not score again. After St. Louis tied it in the second round, the skills competition remained unresolved through round three. In round four, Sebastian Aho was unable to score and the deadly Vladimir Tarasenko converted his chance to make the Blues a 5-4 winner. Cam Ward stopped 35 of 39 shots in regulation and overtime before going 2-for-4 in the shootout.
Easy-going and loquacious backup goaltender Eddie Läck has been in Peters' doghouse for much of the season, and at one point was publicly called out by the coach. Nevertheless, he is the likely starter for the season finale with Ward having played in Saturday's 65-minute plus four shootout round game.
Sunday's game is going to be an emotional one for the entire Hurricanes team but especially for teammate Bryan Bickell. Diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, the 31-year-old left winger will be retiring at season's end. He won three Stanley Cup championships as a member of the Chicago Blackhawks; two as a regular in the lineup.
Projected lineups (Subject to change)
FLYERS
11 Travis Konecny - 28 Claude Giroux - 93 Jakub Voracek
40 Jordan Weal - 51 Valterri Filppula - 17 Wayne Simmonds
22 Dale Weise - 14 Sean Couturier - 10 Brayden Schenn
25 Nick Cousins - 74 Mike Vecchione - 78 Pierre-Edouard Bellemare
9 Ivan Provorov - 47 Andrew MacDonald
15 Michael Del Zotto - 55 Nick Schultz
48 Robert Hägg - 53 Shayne Gostisbehere
41 Anthony Stolarz
[35 Steve Mason]
Scratches: Chris VandeVelde (healthy), Roman Lyubimov (healthy), Brandon Manning (semi-healthy), Matt Read (upper body), Michael Raffl (IR, lower body), Nick Cousins (day-to-day, upper body), Michal Neuvirth (upper body), Radko Gudas (upper body).
HURRICANES
20 Sebastian Aho - 11 Jordan Staal - 16 Elias Lindholm
53 Jeff Skinner - 33 Derek Ryan - 21 Lee Stempniak
42 Joakim Nordström - 49 Victor Rask - 86 Teuvo Teräväinen
29 Bryan Bickel - 57 Andrew Poturalski - 23 Brock McGinn
74 Jaccob Slavin - 22 Brett Pesce
5 Noah Hanifin - 27 Justin Faulk
6 Klas Dahlback - 26 Matt Tennyson
31 Eddie Läck
[30 Cam Ward]
Scratches: Ryan Murphy (healthy), Jay McClement (lower body).
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QUICK HITS
1) The Lehigh Valley Phantoms skated to a 4-2 home win over the Springfield Thunderbirds at the PPL Center on Saturday night, reducing the Flyers AHL affiliate's playoff magic number to one. Rookie goaltender Alex Lyon starred as he turned aside 44 of 46 shots. The Phantoms went 8-for-8 on the penalty kill. two-way forward Corban Knight (10th goal, 27th assist), offensive defenseman T.J. Brennan (power play, 21st goal), playmaking forward Andy Miele (11th goal, 43rd assist) and former Flyers 1st round pick Scott Laughton (17th goal) led the way offensively. If the Bridgeport Sound Tigers lose by any means -- regulation, OT or shootout -- to the Hartford Wolf Pack on Sunday, the Phantoms clinch a playoff berth.
2) Congratulations to former Flyers and Phantoms center Jim Montgomery for coaching the University of Denver to the NCAA national championship.
3) The other Frozen Four finalist, University of Minnesota Duluth, is also coached by a Flyers alum. Scott Sandelin, a defenseman, a defenseman on the 1990-91 Flyers team who spent the majority of his three seasons in the Flyers' organization with the AHL's Hershey Bears, has coached Minnesota Duluth since 2000-01. As with Dave Hakstol, Sandelin is both a University of North Dakota alum as a player and was an assistant coach at UND for six seasons before getting the Minnesota Duluth head coaching job. However, Hakstol and Sandelin were never at UND at the same time, either as players or coaches.
4) In Monday's blog, there will be Flyers junior and European league prospect playoff updates.
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
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