PREVIEW: FLYERS VS. PENGUINS
With four games remaining on their 2014-15 schedule, Craig Berube's Philadelphia Flyers (31-29-18) return home on Sunday to take on Mike Johnston's Pittsburgh Penguins (42-25-11). Game time at the Wells Fargo Center is 12:30 p.m. EDT. The game will be televised nationally on NBC.
This is the fourth and final meeting of the season between the cross-state archrivals, and the second game in Philadelphia. The Flyers have won each of the first three games, including a 4-1 decision on Wednesday in Pittsburgh. Philadelphia takes a seven-game winning streak against the Penguins into Sunday's game.
Both teams are playing the second half of weekend back-to-back matinees. The Flyers were in Raleigh on Saturday afternoon, while the Penguins were in Columbus. Philly hosts the New York Islanders on Tuesday, while Pittsburgh has a road game in Ottawa.
Flyers outlook
The Flyers finished their road schedule on Saturday with a 3-2 shootout loss to the Hurricanes, posting a 10-20-11 record. Each of the four remaining games will be played at the Wells Fargo Center, where the Flyers enter play with a 21-9-7 record. That is the third biggest disparity between the team's home and road records in franchise history.
This season, Philly has set a new franchise record for regular season games that have gone past regulation (26). That is a dubious mark for the team that is 3-11 in shootouts in 2014-15 and has habitually struggled to earn bonus points since the post-game skills competition was introduced in 2005-06.
When playing on home ice this season, the Flyers have scored an average 2.89 goals per game while allowing 2.30 per game. On the road, Philly mustered just 2.29 goals per game while yielding 3.10 goals per game.
On Saturday afternoon in Raleigh, the Flyers slogged through a sluggish first period that saw them generate just four shots on goal and fall behind 1-0 on a rebound goal by Elias. The deficit grew to 2-0 early in the second period as Jordan Staal stripped Nicklas Grossmann of the puck in the neutral zone and went in to score a short-side goal on a 2-on-1 counterrattack, looking away from the net and then using a quick shot release.
Ray Emery did not look good on the Staal goal but otherwise settled in to play a strong game in stopping 24 of 26 shots in regulation and overtime. He stopped one of three in the skills competition.
As the game progressed, the Flyers finally got their skating legs going a little bit more. However, the combination of Eric and Jordan Staal markedly outplayed Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek throughout the game.
The Flyers drew within one goal at 9:46 of the second period, as the second unit struck for a power play goal shortly after a first-unit near miss on a wide-open rebound chance for Ryan White that was tucked wide of the net. With the second unit out to finish the power play, Michael Raffl moved in front of the net to deflect home a Sean Couturier left point shot. Michael Del Zotto got the secondary assist.
The third period was much more wide open than the first 40 minutes. Emery had to come up big several times to keep the deficit at one goal, while the Flyers had multiple scoring chance of their own. Finally, with 1:50 left in the third period, Couturier got to a bouncing puck in front of the Carolina net and slid the puck quickly between the pads of Cam Ward.
Ward made 21 saves on 23 shots in regulation. The Flyers did not have an overtime shot but there was a late 2-on-1 opportunity that saw puck carrier Matt Read run out of room and fail to get a shot on net or a pass over to Couturier. Carolina had one OT shot.
In the skills competition, Carolina's first two shooters (Nathan Gerbe and Chris Terry) scored against Emery. After Voracek was denied by Ward's right pad, rookie Nick Cousins prolonged the shootout with a nice hesitation move to his right and backhanded finish. Emery then denied Viktor Rask in the top of the third round. The game ended as Giroux dropped to 1-for-12 on shootout attempts this season on an unsuccessful backhanded attempt with Ward staying right with him.
The Flyers went 1-for-2 on power plays in Saturday's game, and 3-for-3 on the penalty kill. Philadelphia was credited with 55 hits to 25 for the Canes.
Steve Mason will get the start in Sunday's game. He enters play with a 14-5-5 record on home ice, with a 1.92 goals against average, .939 save percentage and one shutout.
The Flyers will be without Wayne Simmonds (left leg fracture), Andrew MacDonald (right hand fracture), Luke Schenn (abdominal tear), R.J. Umberger (hip and abdominal surgery) and trade deadline acquisition Radko Gudas (knee surgery) for the rest of the season.
Penguins outlook
On Saturday afternoon, the Penguins jumped out to a 2-0 lead over the Columbus Blue Jackets midway through regulation on goals by Art Ross Trophy race leader Sidney Crosby and Brandon Sutter. Thereafter, the wheels fell off and Pittsburgh went on to lose 5-3 in regulation as Nick Foligno compiled a hat trick for the Blue Jackets.
Columbus scored twice in the second period and twice in the third. A Ben Lovejoy goal midway through the third period trimmed the gap to one goal but the Pens could not find an equalizer against Sergei Bobrovsky (31 saves). A late empty-netter sealed the outcome. Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 30 of 34 shots.
With the loss on Saturday, the Penguins remain in the higher wildcard seed in the Eastern Conference. Pittsburgh has four games remaining.
Star center Evgeni Malkin missed Wednesday's game against the Flyers and Saturday's match in Columbus with an undisclosed injury. He has been skating with the team, and is questionable to probable for Sunday's game.
Pittsburgh remains shorthanded on the blueline with key defensemen Kris Letang (concussion), Christian Ehrhoff (upper body; doubtful for Sunday but possible for Tuesday) and Olli Mà¤à¤ttठ(IR, shoulder surgery) still sidelined. In Wednesday's game, the Penguins were forced to dress five defensemen. The team now has Taylor Chorney available to dress in the sixth defensive spot.
Key team stat comparisons (NHL overall ranking)
Non-shootout goals per game: Flyers 2.58 (22nd), Penguins 2.69 (17th) Non-shootout goals against per game: Flyers 2.72 (22nd), Penguins 2.44 (T-7th) Even strength Goals For/Against Ratio: Flyers 1.01 (19th), Penguins 1.09 (T-10th) Power play efficiency: Flyers 22.9% (3rd), Penguins 19.8% (8th) Penalty killing efficiency: Flyers 77.1% (29th), Penguin 85.3% (2nd) Faceoff percentage: Flyers 51.2% (13th), Penguins 48.7% (T-21st)
Projected lineups (Subject to change, will be updated)
FLYERS
12 Michael Raffl - 28 Claude Giroux - 93 Jakub Voracek 24 Matt Read - 14 Sean Couturier - 10 Brayden Schenn 25 Ryan White - 52 Nick Cousins - 36 Zac Rinaldo 76 Chris VandeVelde - 78 Pierre-Edouard Bellemare- 40 Vincent Lecavalier
15 Michael Del Zotto - 55 Nick Schultz 8 Nicklas Grossmann - 32 Mark Streit 26 Carlo Colaiacovo - 43 Brandon Manning
35 Steve Mason [29 Ray Emery]
Scratches: Luke Schenn (lower body), Wayne Simmonds (left leg fracture), Andrew MacDonald (right hand fracture), R.J. Umberger (hip/abdominal surgery), Radko Gudas (IR, knee surgery).
PENGUINS
26 Danel Winnik - 87 Sidney Crosby - 72 Patric Hörnqvist 14 Chris Kunitz - 71 Evgeni Malkin - 39 David Perron 17 Blake Comeau - 16 Brandon Sutter - 23 Steve Downie 40 Maxim Lapierre - 13 Nick Spaling - 19 Beau Bennett
7 Paul Martin - 12 Ben Lovejoy 51 Derrick Pouliot - 28 Ian Cole 4 Rob Scuderi - 44 Taylor Chorney
29 Marc-Andre Fleury [1 Thomas Greiss]
Scratches: Pascal Dupuis (IR, blood clots in lungs), Kris Letang (concussion), Christian Ehrhoff (upper body), Olli Mà¤à¤ttठ(IR, shoulder surgery).