Game 66 Preview: Flyers continue home-and-home with Tampa Bay Lightning

Flyers Leaders	GP	G	A	P	Lightning Leaders	GP	G	A	P
Claude Giroux	62	18	39	57	Nikita Kucherov	65	25	2	54
Jakub Voracek	61	10	38	48	Steven Stamkos	67	29	23	52
Wayne Simmonds	65	24	22	46	Victor Hedman	66	6	31	37
Brayden Schenn	63	22	23	45	Alex Killorn	66	13	21	34
Shayne Gostisbehere	47	14	23	37	Tyler Johnson	54	12	20	32

 

Player to Watch
28 Claude Giroux	86 Nikita Kucherov
Last 5 Games: 2 G, 6 A, 8 P, +1	Last 5 Games: 1 G, 4 A, 5 P, +5

 

If there's anything the Flyers will need to continue their playoff push, it's strong play from the top line, and their captain in particular. Claude Giroux is answering the call for the Orange and Black, with eight points in his last five games. He assisted on a pair of third period goals — including what would stand as Brayden Schenn's game-winner — as the Flyers won 4-2 in one of their most impressive wins of the season.

 

Nikita Kucherov has shown signs of being a flashy scorer in his short time with the Lightning, and previously rose to prominence in the 'Triplets' line alongside Tyler Johnson and Ondrej Palat. He has points in four of his last five games — including an assist in Monday's loss to the Flyers — and 

 

Goalie Matchup
35 Steve Mason	30 Ben Bishop
14-15-7, 2.62 GAA, .916 SV%	28-17-3, 2.06 GAA, .926 SV%

Steve Mason made his first start since Feb. 20 in Toronto on Saturday and returned with a shutout, stopping 19 shots. Mason made 29 saves in the Flyers overtime loss to the Lightning to open the season.

Ben Bishop enters Monday's game riding a personal six-game winning streak himself. He allowed three goals to Carolina in his last start but prior to that had allowed no more than two goals in a game since his last loss on Feb. 16 to San Jose. 

Flyers Projected Lineup

Scratches: Evgeny Medvedev, R.J. Umberger, Jordan Weal, Jake Voracek, Michael Del Zotto

Left Wing	Center	Right Wing
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
Defense
47 Andrew MacDonald	53 Shayne Gostisbehere
55 Nick Schultz	32 Mark Streit
23 Brandon Manning	3 Radko Gudas
Goalie
35 Steve Mason

The Flyers roll out the same lineup as Saturday night's win over the Blue Jackets to face the Lightning on Monday.

Game Notes

• Power Play: Flyers (16th, 13th on road), Lightning (25th, 8th at home)
• Penalty Kill: Flyers (21st, 18th on road), Lightning (6th, 6th at home) 
• Recent History vs. Lightning:  
  • March 7, 2016 — Shayne Gostisbehere scored two goals in the Flyers' 4-2 win over the Lightning, and became the highest-scoring rookie defenseman in franchise history. Brayden Schenn continued his stellar play with his 22nd goal of the season, while Wayne Simmonds scored an empty-net goal and Claude Giroux earned a pair of assists. Steve Mason faced only 18 shots, and stopped 16 of them.
  • Oct. 8, 2015 — The Flyers opened their 2015-16 season with a 3-2 overtime loss in Amalie Arena, giving fans their first look at the frantic pace of the 3-on-3 overtime format. R.J. Umberger earned two assists on goals from Matt Read and Brayden Schenn, while Jason Garrison netted the game-winner for the Bolts.
• Flyers leaders vs. Lightning
• Claude Giroux – 25 games, 3 goals, 22 assists, 25 points
• Sam Gagner – 10 games, 0 goals, 8 assists, 8 points
• Mark Streit – 33 games, 4 goals, 18 assists, 22 points
• Steve Mason – 7 games, 2-3-2, 2.98 GAA, .873 Sv%
• Milestone Watch
  • Brayden Schenn is one assist away from 100 in the NHL, and thus 100 as a Flyer.

Where to Watch
TV: CSN
Radio: 93.3 WMMR

Rob Riches is a contributor to Flyerdelphia and Sports Talk Philly. Follow him on Twitter @Riches61