PREVIEW: FLYERS @ BLUE JACKETS
In the second game of a critical four-game road trip, Dave Hakstol's Philadelphia Flyers (35-24-12) are in Ohio on Tuesday to take on John Tortorella's Columbus Blue Jackets (29-35-8). Game time at Nationwide Arena is 7:00 p.m. EDT. The game will be televised on CSN Philadelphia.
This is the fourth and final meeting of the season between the teams, and the second game in Columbus. On December 5th at Nationwide Arena, the Blue Jackets upended the Flyers by a 4-1 score. Two weeks later in Philadelphia, the teams played to a 2-2 tie through 65 minutes before the Blue Jackets win a shootout. On March 5 at the Wells Fargo Center, the Flyers dominated throughout and enjoyed a 6-0 romp.
For the Flyers, this game is their third in four days and the second half of a back-to-back set. The Flyers gritted out a 4-1 road win over the New York Islanders on Monday. The Blue Jackets were idle on Monday after a 2-1 regulation road loss to the New Jersey Devils on Sunday.
Flyers Outlook
The Flyers are 9-2-1 over their last 12 games. For the season, the team currently has a 16-14-5 road record and 19-10-7 record at home.
In Monday's 4-1 win in Brooklyn, Steve Mason gave the Flyers a stellar performance in goal. He turned back 23 of 24 shots -- not a huge quantity but a large percentage, starting with an opening minute breakaway -- were of the difficult variety.
The Flyers got goals by Nick Cousins, Brandon Manning, Sam Gagner and Claude Giroux (empty net). Jakub Voracek, Andrew MacDonald, Mark Streit, Sean Couturier, Michael Raffl, Brayden Schenn and Wayne Simmonds earned an assist apiece. Cousins had several other scoring chances in addition to his goal. Giroux was 18-for-23 (78 percent) on faceoffs.
Philadelphia's penalty kill, led by the goaltender and some key blocks, stepped up to go 3-for-3. The Manning goal was scored exiting the penalty box moments after a spectacular save by Mason. The Flyers power play went 0-for-4.
With Michal Neuvirth (suspected meniscus tear in his left knee) sidelined for the rest of the regular season, Hakstol will have to decide when the time is right to give rookie Anthony Stolarz a spot start or two over the final 11 games of the season. Mason will get the vast majority of the playing time. It's not so much the number of games remaining that's the issue; rather it's how closely spaced they are. The Flyers still have three more back-to-back sets remaining (including a four-in-five stretch to end the season) between now and April 10.
Mason has appeared in 44 games this season, posting an 18-16-8 record, 2.58 goals against average, .916 save percentage and four shutouts (five regulation shutouts). Neuvirth appeared in 31 games, posting a 17-8-4 record, 2.28 GAA, .925 save percentage and three shutouts.
Second year pro Stolarz has had several NHL recalls but has yet to appear in an NHL regular season game. Stolarz had an outstanding first half of the AHL season -- especially the first two months -- and earned a selection to the AHL All-Star Game. in 40 games this season with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, Stolarz has posted a 19-14-6 record, 2.57 GAA and .917 SV%.
There is also a decision to be made up front. Chris VandeVelde has finished serving a two-game NHL suspension and is eligible to return to the lineup on Tuesday. If he returns against Columbus, Hakstol will have to scratch a winger.
The Flyers have been getting more -- and more balanced -- scoring since the All-Star break. Brayden Schenn has been very productive going to the start of the calendar year. In his last 35 games, he has 34 points (17 goals, 17 assists).
Thus far, the team has done a remarkably good job of playing around the absence of top-pairing defenseman Michael Del Zotto. The player, who suffered torn ligaments in his left wrist on February 13, is out for the rest of the season.
Shayne Gostisbehere has set two franchise records and an NHL record this season: most goals by a Flyers rookie defenseman (16 to date), and longest consecutive-game point streak (15 games) by a Flyers rookie or any rookie defenseman in NHL history. Gostisbehere needs 10 points to match Behn Wilson's franchise rookie defenseman season record of 49 points (set over 80 games in 1978-79). The top four in points are Wilson, Janne Niinimaa (44 points in 77 games in 1996-97), Thomas Eriksson (44 points in 68 games in 1983-84) and Tom Bladon (42 points in 78 games in 1972-73). Gostisbehere is currently fifth. He has recently found it much harder to find time and space to make plays, as he now draws considerable defensive attention.
Team captain Giroux leads the Flyers with 19 goals, 41 assists and 60 points in 68 games. He is followed on the Flyers' scoring leader list by Simmonds (25 goals, 25 assists, 50 points, 129 penalty minutes), Schenn (24 goals, 25 assists, 49 points) and Jakub Voracek (10 goals, 38 assists, 48 points in 60 games). Among Gostisbehere's 16 goals, seven have come on the power play, and four in overtime and he has scored five game-winners overall to go along with 23 assists and 39 points in 53 games. Sean Couturier rounds out the top six with nine goals, 23 assists and 32 points in 53 games.
Blue Jackets Outlook
The Blue Jackets have been relegated to a spoiler's role for awhile, having gotten off to the worst start in the league this season, changing coaches and never sustaining any real momentum despite some stretches of solid play. In each of the last two seasons, Columbus has been riddled with key injuries. This season, there was also a major trade that saw top-line center Ryan Johansen traded to the Nashville Predators for Seth Jones.
Regardless of the standings and the Flyers' landslide victory the last time the teams played, Columbus is a team that Philadelphia absolutely cannot afford to take lightly.
The Flyers are winless in their last trips to Nationwide Arena (0-5-2) and games last the last one in Philly are much more the exception than the norm. Philly often seems to play its worst hockey, especially on the penalty kill (which has been a team strength for the Flyers as of late).
Additionally, former Flyers goalie and 2012-13 Vezina Trophy winner Sergei Bobrovsky is capable of stealing a game on a night when Columbus gets outplayed and young netminder Joonas Korpisalo has high-end potential as he continues to develop.
Bobrovsky dealt with recurrent groin pulls for much of the season -- something that has become a frequent problem for him the last couple years -- but has been back in the lineup since March 11. He has lost three of his last four starts and has not had a great season even when healthy but remains a netminder who can step up in any given game.
The Blue Jackets enter this game having lost four of their last five matches. On Sunday, they were tied 1-1 with New Jersey until a mid third period goal by Devante Smith-Pelly put the Devils ahead to stay. Jared Boll, who has been limited to 27 games this season, finally got off the goal scoring schneid for 2015-16 to provide the lone Blue Jackets tally. Korpisalo stopped 20 of 22 shots. The previous night, Columbus beat the Devils, 6-3, at Nationwide Arena.
On the Blue Jackets injury front, the status of young forward Alexander Wennberg (lower-body injury) will be determined on Tuesday. Veteran forward David Clarkson (concussion) is trying to get back in the lineup. Defenseman Jack Johnson (shoulder) is on injured reserve and veteran backup goalie Curtis McElhinney had season-ending knee surgery.
Former Flyers left winger Scott Hartnell has periodically been at odds with Tortorella this season for undisciplined play, and was twice made a healthy scratch earlier in the season. Tortorella more or less ran Johansen out of Columbus over his conditioning and has also been critical of the play of Nick Foligno; not without some justification.
Foligno had a hat trick and four points against the Devils back on Feb. 26 but has just two assists and zero goals to show for his last 10 games. Prior to the hat trick game, he had gone pointless in nine of 10 games. However, among his nine goals this season, two came on Dec. 5 against the Flyers and he has four points in the three games.
Cam Atkinson leads Columbus with 46 points (25 goals, 21 assists) in 71 games. He is followed by Hartnell (21 goals, 23 assists, 44 points, 108 penalty minutes), sometimes controversial forward Brandon Dubinsky (14 goals, 28 assists in 65 games), Boone Jenner (25 goals, 17 assists, 42 points), Brandon Saad (24 goals, 17 assists, 41 points in 68 games) and Foligno (nine goals, 25 assists, 34 points in 63 games).
Since the time of his acquisition from Nashville, Jones has posted 16 points (two goals, 14 assists) in 31 games, a minus-five rating at even strength, and the Columbus blueline's best statistical puck-possession analytics while logging very heavy ice time.
Dubinsky has had multiple run-ins with the Flyers during his NHL career with the New York Rangers and Blue Jackets, including a couple this season. Former Flyers prospect Michael Chaput had a fight earlier this season against Brayden Schenn.
Bobrovsky has appeared in 31 games this season, posting a 12-16-1 record, 2.74 goals against average, .908 save percentage and the lone shutout the Blue Jackets have recorded this season. The 21-year-old Korpisalo, who played impressively against the Flyers in the Blue Jackets' shootout win on Dec. 19, has appeared in 27 games, with a 14-9-4 record, 2.61 GAA and .918 save percentage.
Key team stat comparisons (NHL overall ranking)
Non-shootout goals per game: Flyers 2.59 (T-18th), Blue Jackets 2.54 (21st) Non-shootout goals against per game: Flyers 2.58 (15th), Blue Jackets 3.04 (29th) 5-on-5 Goals For/Against Ratio: Flyers 119/112, Blue Jackets 126/141 Power play efficiency: Flyers 18.2% (17th), Blue Jackets 17.7% (T-18th) Penalty killing efficiency: Flyers 80.6% (21st), Blue Jackets 81.1% (17th) Shots per game: Flyers 30.4 (8th), Blue Jackets 28.9 (15th) Shots against per game: Flyers 30.9 (T-23rd), Blue Jackets 31.0 (T-25th) Faceoff percentage: Flyers 50.7% (T-8th), Blue Jackets 48.6% (27th)
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 93 Jakub Voracek - 52 Nick Cousins - 24 Matt Read 21 Scott Laughton - 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 [65 Anthony Stolarz]
Scratches: Evgeny Medvedev (healthy), R.J. Umberger (healthy) Chris VandeVelde (healthy, eligible to return from NHL suspension), Jordan Weal (healthy), Michael Del Zotto (IR, wrist, Michal Neuvirth (suspected left knee injury).
Blue Jackets
20 Brandon Saad - 38 Boone Jenner - 13 Cam Atkinson 43 Scott Hartnell - 25 William Karlsson - 71 Nick Foligno 11 Matt Calvert 17 - Brandon Dubinsky - 28 Oliver Björkstrand 9 Gregory Campbell - 39 Michael Chaput - 40 Jared Boll
27 Ryan Murray - 3 Seth Jones 58 David Savard - 29 Cody Goloubef 47 Dalton Prout - 51 Fedor Tyutin
72 Sergei Bobrovsky / 70 Joonas Korpisalo
Scratches: Justin Falk (healthy), Rene Bourque (healthy), Alexander Wennberg (lower-body injury), David Clarkson (concussion), Jack Johnson (IR, shoulder), Curtis McElhinney (knee surgery).