GAME 79 PREVIEW: FLYERS VS. BRUINS
Dave Hakstol's Philadelphia Flyers (39-25-14) host Bruce Cassidy's Boston Bruins (49-17-11) at the Wells Fargo in an Easter Sunday matinee. Game time is 12:30 p.m. EDT. The game will be nationally televised on NBC.
This is the third and final meeting of the season between the teams. The Flyers are 0-2-0 so far.
On December 2 at the Wells Fargo Center, the Flyers' reached the nadir of a 10-game winless skid (0-5-5) as they got blanked, 3-0, by the Bruins in a game where Philly were both outplayed and undisciplined.
On March 8 in Boston, the Flyers outplayed an injury-riddled Bruins team for the first two periods but seemed to run out of gas in the final 10 minutes of the second game of a tough back-to-back (Philly had played the Penguins the previous night). The game was tied at 2-2 in the final minute of regulation when disaster -- a Bruins goal at 19:38 -- doomed the Flyers to a 3-2 loss. Earlier, Boston had scored in the final minute of the first period to take a 2-1 lead.
FLYERS OUTLOOK
The Flyers are 4-0-3 in their last seven games. The team is coming off a three-night break in the schedule and did not practice on Thursday or Friday after completing an extremely tough road three-in-four gauntlet (Pittsburgh, Dallas and Colorado) across three time zones. When having schedule breaks of three or more nights, the Flyers have a 4-2-0 record in their first game back in action.
After seasons of 53, 54 and 55 points on home ice in 2014-15, 2015-16 and 2016-17, the Flyers have had something of a disappointing season on home ice this season (19-13-6, 44 points) while greatly improving their road record. Three of the Flyers' final four games this season are at home.
Entering play on Sunday, the Flyers have a magic number of 5 to clinch a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Any combination of five points that Philadelphia earns over its final four games and/or the Florida Panthers fail to earn over their final five games will do it.
However, the Flyers very much want to stay ahead at least of the lower wildcard seeded New Jersey Devils in the playoff seeding race. That race is still up in the air, with New Jersey defeating the New York Islanders on Sunday to move within one point (92-91) and one ROW (37-36) in the primary tiebreaker behind the Flyers. The lower wildcard seed will draw the Atlantic Division champion in the first round of the playoffs, while the upper wildcard will face the Metro Division winner (likely the Washington Capitals).
A late-game collapse by the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday, blowing a 4-1 lead in the waning minutes of the third period enabled the Columbus Blue Jackets to earn a point from their game. However, the Canucks won in overtime.
A Flyers' win over the Bruins would put Philly in a points tie (94-94) with the Blue Jackets while a regulation or OT win by the Flyers would also create a ROW dead heat (38-38). Both teams earned 5 points against each other head-to-head, so the secondary tiebreaker of head-to-head points also would not be applicable. However, even if that scenario plays out, the Flyers will still remain in fourth place in the Metro after Sunday's game via the tertiary tiebreaker of total goal differential (the Blue Jackets are +12 ahead of the Flyers in that category).
The Flyers' hopes of catching the Penguins in the standings took a severe hit on Saturday, with Pittsburgh overcoming an early 1-0 deficit to go on to defeat the Montreal Canadiens by a 5-2 count. The Flyers are technically four points behind Pittsburgh but it is, in reality, a five-point gap because the Penguins have already clinched the tiebreaker with 43 ROW to the Flyers' 37.
Philadelphia enters this game coming off a gut-check 2-1 road win on tired legs against a desperate and more rested Colorado Avalanche team on Wednesday. First period goals by Claude Giroux (27th) and Ivan Provorov (15th) were just enough to win. Michal Neuvirth had to leave the game at 8:07 of the second period due to re-aggravating a lower body injury (suspected to be a groin pull). Petr Mrazek earned the win in relief.
The Flyers announced on Saturday that Neuvirth is day-to-day with a lower-body injury. Alex Lyon has again been recalled from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms under emergency conditions. In the meantime, Brian Elliott is believed to be close to returning to the Flyers' lineup from core muscle surgery.
Valtteri Filppula missed Wednesday's game in Colorado due to an upper-body injury sustained the previous night in Dallas. He could return for Sunday's game.
BRUINS OUTLOOK
The Bruins have taken over first place in the Atlantic Division, and have points in nine of their last 10 games (6-1-3). On Saturday, with the Tampa Bay Lightning idle, Boston earned a 5-1 home win over Florida to again pass the Bolts in points (109-108) and knot the ROW tiebreaker at 46-46.
If there is such a thing as an ideal time to play this excellent Boston team, this game would be it. The Flyers have been resting for three nights while the Bruins will be playing for third time in less than four nights, including back-to-back weekend matinees. While that is far from a guarantee of the well-rested team beating a potentially leg-weary one, it does provide a better on-paper opportunity for the Flyers to come away with points than from a game against longtime nemesis Boston under equal rest conditions.
With Tuukka Rask having been in goal for Boston both in Thursday's emotional 4-2 home win over Tampa (Rask made 26 saves, including 10 in the third period, to take first-star honors) and Saturday's 5-1 home win over Florida (Rask was the third-star selection with 30 saves), the Flyers may instead face Boston backup Anton Khudobin.
For the season, Khudobin is 15-6-6 with a 2.53 GAA and .915 save percentage. In six career games against the Flyers, he is 4-2-0 with a 2.97 GAA and .897 save percentage.
Perennial Selke Trophy candidate Patrice Bergeron was out of the Bruins lineup the last time the Flyers played Boston. He's since returned. Zdeno Chara (day-to-day) and Rick Nash (upper-body) were both injured after the last Flyers-Bruins game. Nash did not travel with the team and has not yet resumed skating. Chara took the trip to Philadelphia with the team, but may be held out until at least Tuesday's road rematch with Tampa Bay.
Rookie defenseman standout Charlie McAvoy has been out since March 4 with a sprained MCL in his left knee (he did not play in the last Flyers-Bruins game) but is very close to returning. He is traveling with the Bruins to Philadelphia and there is a decent chance he could be back in the Bruins' lineup. If not, he should be ready for the team's Florida road trip to Tampa and Sunshine.
Both defenseman Brandon Carlo and forward Riley Nash had to leave Saturday's game against Tampa Bay. Neither player will accompany the team to Philadelphia. Carlo had to be stretchered off after an awkward tumble behind the net. Nash was struck on the ear by a Torey Krug shot. Brian Gionta (who scored a breakaway goal against the Flyers in the March 8 game) could slot into the Boston lineup.
If either McAvoy or Chara is ready to return for Sunday, the Bruins will not need to make a recall from Providence. If neither is able yet to play, veteran Paul Postma (sent to the AHL on March 29) is available. Veteran forward David Backes missed time with a knee laceration but was back in the Boston lineup on Saturday.
Jake DeBrusk also returned to the Bruins lineup on Saturday from an upper-body injury. He scored his 15th goal of the season, which proved to be the game-winner against Florida. Saturday's game will be the Flyers' first look at rookie Ryan Donato since he joined the Bruins. In his first seven NHL games, Donato has four goals and seven points.
PROJECTED LINEUPS (subject to change, will be updated)
FLYERS
28 Claude Giroux - 14 Sean Couturier - 11 Travis Konecny 54 Oskar Lindblom - 19 Nolan Patrick - 93 Jakub Voracek 40 Jordan Weal - 51 Valtteri Filppula - 17 Wayne Simmonds 21 Scott Laughton - 15 Jori Lehterठ- 24 Matt Read
9 Ivan Provorov - 53 Shayne Gostisbehere 47 Andrew MacDonald - 6 Travis Sanheim 23 Brandon Manning - 3 Radko Gudas
34 Petr Mrazek [49 Alex Lyon]
Scratches: 20 Taylor Leier (healthy), 22 Dale Weise (healthy), 8 Robert Hà¤gg (semi-healthy), 29 Johnny Oduya (healthy), 12 Michael Raffl (upper body), 37 Brian Elliott (IR, core muscle surgery), 30 Michal Neuvirth (lower body)
BRUINS
63 Brad Marchand - 37 Patrice Bergeron - 88 David Pastrnak 74 Jake DeBrusk - 46 David Krejci - 17 Ryan Donato 43 Danton Heinen - 42 David Backes - 12 Brian Gionta 59 Tim Schaller - 55 Noel Acciari…‹ - 57 Tommy Wingels
33 Zdeno Chara - 44 Nick Holden 47 Torey Krug - 54 Adam McQuaid …‹ 48 Matt Grzelcyk - 86 Kevan Miller
35 Anton Khudobin [40 Tuukka Rask]
Scratches: 33 Zdeno Chara (could play Sun. or Tue), 73 Charlie McAvoy (MCL, could play Sun. or Tue.), 20 Riley Nash (injured vs. FLA), 25 Brandon Carlo (injured vs. FLA), 61 Rick Nash (upper body), 52 Sean Kuraly (upper body), 10 Anders Björk (IR, left shoulder surgery).
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PHANTOMS BEAT BELLEVILLE, CUT MAGIC NUMBER TO 6
The Lehigh Valley Phantoms did not bring their "A" game on Saturday night but were able to build a 3-0 lead through two periods and then go on to defeat the lowly Belleville Senators by a 4-2 count at the PPL Center on Saturday night. Dating back to Jan. 13, the Phantoms have rattled off a 15-1-2 home record in their last 18 games at the PPL Center.
With the win, the Phantoms reduced their magic number to clinch the Atlantic Division to six. The Phantoms have 97 points on the season; nine points ahead of the Wilkes Barre/ Scranton Penguins and 10 points ahead of the Providence Bruins. The Phantoms have six games remaining in the regular season while the Penguins and Bruins each have seven left. The Phantoms also hold a 42-36 ROW edge on WB/S and 42-35 over Providence. When the Phantoms clinch the tiebreaker over the two teams that can still mathematically tie them in points, the magic number will reduce by one.
On Saturday, the Phantoms were outshot by a 14-4 margin in the first period but Greg Carey's 30th goal of the assist (assisted by David Drake in his AHL debut as well as by Phil Varone) established a 1-0 lead at 12:10. Dustin Tokarski stopped all 14 shots he faced.
Lehigh Valley's play picked up in the middle stanza, and the club built a 3-0 lead by the second intermission while outshooting the Sens by a 9-6 count. At 9:56, Phantoms captain Colin McDonald (assisted by Mike Vecchione and Will O'Neill) found the net on a power play tally for his sixth goal of the season and a 2-0 Phantoms lead.
In the waning seconds of the second period, a Belleville defenseman stumbled at the right point in the Phantoms zone. Vecchione used the opportunity to poke the puck past him and race off on a 2-on-1 rush that was joined by Mikhail Vorobyev. From the left circle, Vecchione fired a wrist shot that beat goalie Marcus Högberg to the glove side for an unassisted goal (16th) and a three-goal lead for the Phantoms.
The third period was a sloppy and ugly one for the Phantoms, although they had a 10-9 shot advantage. Some loose coverages and carelessness with the puck enabled Belleville to put together a push -- and to also score two goals that narrowed the gap to 3-2 with more than half of the period still remaining.
There were a few anxious moments where Belleville had opportunities to tie the game. However, Tokarski (27 saves on 29 shots) nailed down the win and Cole Bardreau (10th goal of the season) added some late empty-net insurance off an unselfish -- and right on the tape -- feed from Nicolas Aube-Kubel (25th assist) for a tap-in to ice a 4-2 final.
Before the Senators finally solved Tokarski, he and Muse had combined for 102 consecutive saves in home ice games, spanning 233:30 of play. Lehigh Valley had recorded shutouts in each of its previous three home games and 11-plus periods overall; a new home-ice Phantoms franchise record that spanned the gamut of team history from its Philadelphia and Glens Falls eras through its years in Allentown.
Prior to Saturday's game, scheduled starter Anthony Stolarz was a late scratch from the lineup. According to head coach Scott Gordon, Stolarz (who was in the PPL Center pressbox with the other scratched Phantoms players) was held out for precautionary reasons but it was nothing serious. No specific reason was given. Perhaps Stolarz felt some discomfort around his twice-operated knee or perhaps it was a different minor physical issue.
Goaltending prospect Felix Sandström, recently signed by the Flyers to an entry-level contract and with the Phantoms to practice, was not initially slated to sign a professional tryout (PTO) deal with the Phantoms. However, with Stolarz a late scratch and John Muse back with the ECHL's Reading Royals, Sandström signed a PTO and dressed as Tokarski's backup on Saturday night.
The Phantoms play back-to-back road games against the Charlotte Checkers on Tuesday and Wednesday. Next Saturday, Lehigh Valley returns home to Allentown to host the Hartford Wolf Pack before heading to Providence to play the Bruins the next evening.
PHANTOMS STARTING LINES ON SATURDAY
19 Radel Fazleev - 21 Mike Vecchione - 16 Nicolas Aube-Kubel 10 Greg Carey - 26 Phil Varone - 36 Alex Krushenyski 18 Danick Martel - 15 Mikail Vorobyev - 9 Cole Bardreau 12 Tyrell Goulbourne - 14 Corban Knight - 13 Colin McDonald
43 T.J. Brennan - 37 Mark Friedman 39 David Drake - 44 Reece Willcox 8 Will O'Neill - 20 Max Lamarche
35 Dustin Tokarski [33 Felix Sandström]
Scratches: 3 Samuel Morin (injury), 5 Philippe Myers (injury), 22 Chris Conner, 40 James de Haas, 41 Anthony Stolarz (precautionary).
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CHL PLAYOFFS: SATURDAY UPDATES
1) WHL Playoffs: Carter Hart recorded a 36-save shutout as the Everett Silvertips skated to a 4-0 home win on Saturday to close out their first-round series with the Seattle Thunderbirds in five games. Selected as the first star in both Game Three and Game Five, Hart stopped 140 of 150 shot (.938 save percentage) for the series.
2) QMJHL Playoffs: The Quebec Remparts sustained a 3-1 road loss to the Charlottetown Islanders on Saturday night as Charlottetown took a three games to two lead in the series. Game Six is in Quebec City on Monday. Pascal Laberge did not record a point in Game Five. He's been held off the scoresheet in three straight games, and was minus-two while taking a pair of penalties. For the series, Laberge has four points (one goal, three assists), 6 PIM, an even plus-minus rating and 14 shots on goal in five games.