PREVIEW: FLYERS VS. RED WINGS
Returning home for a crucial game in the Eastern Conference wildcard playoff chase, Dave Hakstol's Philadelphia Flyers (32-23-12) will face Jeff Blashill's Detroit Red Wings (34-24-11). Game time at the Wells Fargo Center is 7:30 p.m. EDT. The game will be televised on CSN Philadelphia and nationally on NBC Sports Network.
This is the second of three meetings this season between the clubs, and the lone game in Philadelphia. The Flyers took a 2-1 overtime decision in Detroit on Jan. 17. The season series wraps up back at Joe Louis Arena on April 6.
The Flyers hold a 10-game home winning streak against the Red Wings. Philly is 5-1-0 in their last six meetings overall with Detroit.
The Flyers took three of four possible points in Tampa Bay and Sunrise over the weekend, but lost a 5-4 decision to the Florida Panthers via shootout on Saturday. The Red Wings were nipped, 1-0, in regulation by the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sunday. As a result, the Flyers enter this game three points behind the Red Wings -- with two games in hand -- for the final wildcard playoff spot in the East.
Flyers Outlook
The Flyers are 6-1-1 over their last eight games. Seven of the Flyers' remaining 15 games are on home , where the Flyers currently have an 18-9-7 record compared to their 14-14-5 record on the road.
Rookie defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere's 15th goal of the season, a seeing-eye wrist shot from the point, found the net at 18:05 of the third period to force OT. After trailing 1-0 midway through the opening period, the Flyers got goals by Nick Cousins (fifth of the season) to tie the game in the latter portion of the opening stanza and a Ryan White deflection power play goal (eighth of the season) to forge a short-lived second period 2-1 loss that Florida got back just 18 seconds later. Early in the third period, Michael Raffl (10th goal of the season) deflected home an Evgeny Medvedev shot from the point to put the Flyers ahead 4-3.
With Michal Neuvirth sidelined by a stomach virus, Steve Mason started for the fourth straight game. He stopped 22 of the first 24 shots he faced but finished the night with 25 stops on 29 shots in regulation and overtime and went 0-for-2 in the shootout.
All four Florida goals in regulation were scored from high-danger areas where many goals are scored leaguewide: two from the left circle near the hash marks, one from the slot and one crashing the doorstep of the net.
Jakub Voracek will miss at least one more game with a lower-body injury. He skated briefly on Sunday and practiced on Monday but did not feel ready to play yet. Top-pairing defenseman Michael Del Zotto (torn ligaments in his left wrist, suffered on Feb. 13) is out for the rest of the season. Sparingly used forward Jordan Weal (upper body) has been out since Feb. 16. He has been activated from the injured reserve list but is likely to be a healthy scratch. Andrew MacDonald, who missed Saturday's game with a lower-body injury, practiced Monday and is probable for Tuesday's game.
Gostisbehere has set two franchise records and an NHL record this season: most goals by a Flyers rookie defenseman (15 to date), and longest consecutive-game point streak (15 games) by a Flyers rookie or any rookie defenseman in NHL history. Gostisbehere needs 11 points to match Behn Wilson's franchise rookie defenseman season record of 49 points (set over 80 games in 1978-79). The top three in points are Wilson, Janne Niinimaa (44 points in 77 games in 1996-97) and Tom Bladon (42 points in 78 games in 1972-73). Gostisbehere is currently fourth.
Team captain Claude Giroux leads the Flyers with 18 goals, 39 assists and 57 points in 64 games. He is followed on the Flyers' scoring leader list by Voracek (10 goals, 38 assists, 48 points in 60 games), Simmonds (24 goals, 23 assists, 47 points, 129 penalty minutes), and Brayden Schenn (23 goals, 23 assists, 46 points). Among Gostisbehere's 15 goals, seven have come on the power play, and four in overtime to go along with 23 assists and 38 points in 49 games. Sean Couturier rounds out the top six with nine goals, 20 assists and 29 points in 49 games.
Mason has appeared in 41 games this season, posting a 16-15-8 record, 2.60 goals against average, .915 save percentage and four shutouts (five regulation shutouts). Neuvirth has appeared in 30 games, posting a 16-8-4 record, 2.29 GAA, .925 save percentage and three shutouts. Hakstol has not named a starter for Tuesday but Neuvirth took extra practice on Monday.
Red Wings Outlook
On Sunday, as the Red Wings got blanked on 38 shots by Jonathan Bernier and the Toronto Maple Leafs. Michael Grabner's goal in the final minute of the second period was the lone marker of the game for either team.
The Red Wings are 5-4-1 over their last 10 games. For the season, the team is 16-12-5 on the road and 18-12-6 at home.
The Red Wings have recalled forward Anthony Mantha from the AHL. He will dress for the game but it is not clear who is linemates will be. Blashill noted on Monday that the team has multiple players who will be game-day decisions and are nursing what the coach deemed "bumps and bruises,"
One player who is out for certain is shutdown defenseman Niklas Kronwall, who is out with a sprained knee. Likewise, forward Drew Miller (knee) is unavailable. Darren Helm (illness) is questionable) and there appear to be other players with nagging injuries. Tomas Jurco could be in the lineup along with Mantha depending on how many forwards are out.
Veteran forward Henrik Zetterberg leads the Red Wings with 43 points (12 goals, 31 assists) in 69 games. He is followed by dynamic rookie Dylan Larkin (20 goals, 20 assists, 40 points, plus-18), Tomas Tatar (18 goals, 21 assists, 39 points), veteran star Pavel Datsyuk (13 goals, 25 assists, 38 points), Gustav Nyquist (16 goals, 21 assists, 37 points), defenseman Mike Green (four goals, 22 assists, 26 points, minus-eight) and forward Brad Richards (nine goals, 13 assists, 22 points).
Petr Mrazek, Tuesday's expected starter, has appeared in 48 games, posting a 26-14-6 record, 2.17 goals against average and .925 save percentage. Erstwhile starter Jimmy Howard has played in 26 games, posting an 8-10-5 record, 2.82 GAA and .907 save percentage.
Key team stat comparisons (NHL overall ranking)
Non-shootout goals per game: Flyers 2.57 (19th), Red Wings 2.48 (23rd) Non-shootout goals against per game: Flyers 2.58 (14th), Red Wings 2.56 (13th) 5-on-5 Goals For/Against Ratio: Flyers 109/104, Red Wings 109/106 Power play efficiency: Flyers 18.9% (13th), Red Wings 17.0% (T-23rd) Penalty killing efficiency: Flyers 79.6% (22nd), Red Wings 80.7% (T-19th) Shots per game: Flyers 30.4 (11th), Red Wings 29.8 (16th) Shots against per game: Flyers 30.9 (T-22nd), Red Wings 29.7 (14th) Faceoff percentage: Flyers 50.2% (T-13th), Red Wings 50.2% (T-13th)
Projected lineups (subject to change, will be updated)
Flyers
10 Brayden Schenn - 28 Claude Giroux - 17 Wayne Simmonds 12 Michael Raffl - 14 Sean Couturier - 89 Sam Gagner 21 Scott Laughton - 52 Nick Cousins - 24 Matt Read 76 Chris VandeVelde - 78 Pierre-Edouard Bellemare - 25 Ryan White
47 Andrew MacDonald - 53 Shayne Gostisbehere 55 Nick Schultz - 32 Mark Streit 23 Brandon Manning - 3 Radko Gudas
35 Steve Mason [30 Michal Neuvirth]
Scratches: Evgeny Medvedev (healthy), R.J. Umberger (healthy) Jakub Voracek (out, lower body), Jordan Weal (IR, upper body), Michael Del Zotto (IR, wrist).
Red Wings
71 Dylan Larkin - 40 Henrik Zetterberg - 8 Justin Abdelkader 21 Tomas Tatar - 13 Pavel Datsyuk - 39 Anthony Mantha 14 Gustav Nyquist - 15 Riley Sheahan - 72 Andreas Athanasiou 43 Darren Helm - 41 Luke Glendening - 17 Brad Richards
65 Dan DeKeyser - 27 Kyle Quincey 2 Brendan Smith - 25 Mike Green 52 Jonathan Ericsson - 47 Alexey Marchenko
34 Petr Mrazek [35 Jimmy Howard]
Scratches: Tomas Jurco (healthy), Teemu Pulkkinen (?), Niklas Kronwall (knee), Drew Miller (IR, knee), Johan Franzén (IR, post-concussion syndrome).