PREVIEW: FLYERS VS. FLAMES
In the third game of a six-game homestand, Dave Hakstol's Philadelphia Flyers (28-22-11) host Bob Hartley's Calgary Flames (26-31-4). Game time at the Wells Fargo Center is officially 7:00 p.m. ET but the game itself will not start until after Jim Watson's Flyers Hall of Fame induction ceremony. The game will be televised on CSN Philadelphia.
This is the second and final meeting of the season between the team this season. On Nov. 5, amid a disastrous stretch of hockey that has had the Flyers playing catch-up in the standings after since, the Flyers salvaged one point from a 2-1 overtime loss in Calgary.
The Flyers enter this game with a 2-0-0 record thus far on the homestand. The team is coming off a 4-2 win over the Arizona Coyotes on Saturday afternoon. The Flyers (61 games played) are currently three points and a three regulation/overtime win tiebreaker disadvantage behind the Pittsburgh Penguins (60 games played) for the final playoff spot in the NHL's Eastern Conference.
The Flames, who are in the first game of a four-game eastern road trip, are coming off a 6-4 home loss to the Ottawa Senators on Saturday. This game is the front end of a back-to-back set that will the team play in Boston on Tuesday. It's also the middle game of a three-in-four, with a travel day separating the game in Calgary against Ottawa and Monday's game in Philly. A playoff team last year, the Flames are realistically out of postseason this season before the March stretch drive officially begins.
The National Hockey League trade deadline is at 3:00 p.m. ET. Any trades or roster moves affecting the Flyers will be noted in game-day blog updates with analysis to follow in conjuction with the postgame blog. Any Calgary moves at the NHL level will simply be noted as a pregame update.
Flyers Outlook
The Flyers are 7-4-3 after the All-Star break heading into the final day of February. Overall for the second straight season, the team has been considerably more successful at home (15-8-7) than on the road (13-14-4).
On Saturday afternoon, the Flyers earned a 4-2 win over Arizona. Goals by Scott Laughton, Claude Giroux (power play) and Sam Gagner built a 3-1 lead in the first period. Michael Neuvirth (29 saves on 31 shots) stepped up in the second period as Philadelphia got outplayed significantly. The Flyers were the better team in the third period, although Calgary temporarily cut its deficit back to a single goal before Pierre-Edouard Bellemare scored to give the Flyers some insurance. Bellemare and Gagner have scored in back-to-back games.
The Flyers held a brief optional practice at the Skate Zone in Voorhees, NJ on Sunday. Afterward, the club announced a three-year contract extension for versatile forward Michael Raffl.
The team expects a medical update on star winger Jakub Voracek (lower body injury) on Monday. He missed Saturday's game. 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) is out approximately three weeks from Feb. 16.
Rookie defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere is one goal away from tying Behn Wilson's 13 goals in 1978-79. Gostisbehere needs 15 points to match Wilson's franchise-record 49 points (set over 80 games) the same season. The top three in points are Wilson, Tom Bladon (42 points in 78 games in 1972-73) and Janne Niinimaa (44 points in 77 games in 1996-97). Gostisbehere is currently fourth. After rattling off a franchise rookie record and NHL rookie defenseman record 15-game point streak, Gostisbehere has not recorded a point in the last three games.
Giroux leads the Flyers with 17 goals, 33 assists and 50 points in 58 games. He is followed on the Flyers' scoring leader list by Voracek (10 goals, 38 assists, 48 points), Wayne Simmonds (21 goals, 20 assists, 41 points, 121 penalty minutes), and Brayden Schenn (18 goals, 21 assists, 39 points). Gostisbehere has 12 goals (six on the power play, four in overtime), 21 assists and 34 points in 43 games. Sean Couturier rounds out the top six with nine goals, 15 assists and 24 points in 43 games.
Suddenly related to a backup goaltending role, Steve Mason has appeared in 37 games, posting a 13-15-7 record, 2.70 goals against average, .915 save percentage and three shutouts (four regulation shutouts). Neuvirth has appeared in 28 games, posting a 15-7-4 record, 2.19 GAA, .928 save percentage and three shutouts.
It is worth noting that Neuvirth has gotten somewhat higher goal support this season (ca. 2.50 for Neuvirth compared to 2.33 for Mason) although the difference isn't staggering. Mason has actually posted the higher save percentage (.914 vs. .908) over the goalies' respective last seven appearances, although Neuvirth's is higher for the season. Mason has not played a single minute since removing himself due to leg cramping in the third period of the Feb. 20 game in Toronto.
Flames Outlook
Calgary won't be sad to see February end. The team started out with three wins in the first four games after the All-Star break but it has been all downhill since then. The club is 1-6-1 over its last eight games and brings a four-game winless streak (0-3-1) to Philadelphia.
For the season, the Flames are 9-17-3 on the road compared to 17-14-1 at home.
On Saturday against Ottawa, the Flames held leads of 2-1 after the first period and 4-2 after the second. Thereafter, the Senators exploded for four unanswered goals in the third period including a natural hat trick by Mika Zibanejad. Johnny Gaudreau scored twice in a losing cause for the Flames, while Sean Monahan added a goal and an assist and Joe Colbourne reached double-digit goals for the season. Joni Ortio stopped 20 of 25 shots before the Sens tacked on a late empty net goal to seal the 6-4 outcome.
Goalie Karri Rà¤mö is out with a torn ACL, leaving the goaltending duties to Jonas Hiller (22 GPI, 9-81, 3.29 GAA, .886 SV%) and Ortio (8 GPI, 0-5-2, 3.54 GAA, .885 SV%). The Flames remain without Kris Russell (questionable, lower-body injury), Ladislav Smid (injured reserve, upper body) and Dennis Wideman (NHL suspension through March 14 for physical abuse of an official).
Gaudreau leads the Flames with 62 points (24 goals, 38 assists) in 60 games. He is followed by Monahan (19 goals, 24 assists, 43 points), defensemen T.J. Brodie (four goals, 35 assists, 39 points in 52 games, plus-14) and Mark Giordano (15 goals, 22 assists, 37 points), Mikael Backlund (11 goals, 20 assists, 31 points) and Sam Bennett (15 goals, 15 assists, 30 points).
Key team stat comparisons (NHL overall ranking)
Non-shootout goals per game: Flyers 2.46 (23rd), Flames 2.69 (11th) Non-shootout goals against per game: Flyers 2.61 (15th), Flames 3.08 (T-29th) 5-on-5 Goals For/Against Ratio: Flyers 95/94, Flames 113/127 Power play efficiency: Flyers 18.5% (T-15th), Flames 16.1% (29th) Penalty killing efficiency: Flyers 79.3% (T-23rd), Flames 73.3% (30th) Shots per game: Flyers 30.4 (11th), Flames 29.0 (21st) Shots against per game: Flyers 31.6 (27th), Flames 29.3 (12th) Faceoff percentage: Flyers 49.9% (15th), Flames 48.4% (T-26th)
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 83 Evgeny Medvedev - 3 Radko Gudas
30 Michal Neuvirth [35 Steve Mason]
Scratches: Brandon Manning (healthy), R.J. Umberger (healthy) Jakub Voracek (out, lower body), Jordan Weal (IR, upper body), Michael Del Zotto (IR, wrist).
Flames
13 Johnny Gaudreau - 23 Sean Monahan - 16 Josh Jooris 8 Joe Colborne - 11 Mikael Backlund - 67 Michael Frolik 79 Micheal Ferland - 93 Sam Bennett - 19 David Jones 52 Brandon Bollig - 18 Matt Stajan - 17 Lance Bouma
5 Mark Giordano - 7 T.J. Brodie 29 Deryk Engelland - 27 Dougie Hamilton 26 Tyler Wotherspoon - 33 Jakub Nakladal
1 Jonas Hiller [37 Joni Ortio]
Scratches: Kris Russell (questionable, lower body), Karri Rà¤mö (IR, torn ACL), Ladislav Smid (injured reserve, upper body), Dennis Wideman (NHL suspension through March 14).
FLYERS HALL OF FAME NIGHT: JIM WATSON
Prior to the Flyers game against the Calgary Flames, defenseman Jim Watson will be inducted as the 25th member of the Flyers Hall of Fame. It’s a long overdue honor but one that is much deserved for the five-time NHL-All Star and two-time Stanley Cup winner.
While Hockey Hall of Fame inductee Mark Howe is the best all-around defenseman in franchise history, Jim Watson stands as the best homegrown blueliner the Flyers have had in their 49-season history to date.
“Jimmy had an extremely high hockey IQ and was ultra-competitive. When these traits were combined with his mobility and puck skills, he seemed to be a step ahead of the play. Always thinking, always anticipating, always executing. He was fantastic to play with and not so much fun to play against,… said Bill Clement, a former teammate with the Flyers and opponent with the Capitals and Flames.
The Flyers have had some notable brother combinations on the team during their history -- the Hillmans, the Sutter twins, the Schenns -- but the Watson brothers stand above the rest. Jim's older brother Joe Watson (a two-time NHL All-Star, an original Flyer from the inaugural season and a two-time Stanley Cup winner) was inducted into the Flyers Hall of Fame in 1996.
On the Flyers' official website, I have taken an in-depth look look at Jim Watson's life before, during and after his hockey career with tributes from former teammates and his own recollections: Step-by-Step: The Flyers Hall of Fame Career of Jim Watson.