The Flyers have been playing completely different hockey in the month of January than the first half of the season, and that is reflected in their recent streak of points in six-consecutive games. Since Thanksgiving, the Orange and Black are 13-5-3, and have won five of their last six games.
They take the ice against the Toronto Maple Leafs for the first time this season, who have hit a rough patch as of late. They've lost their last five games (including a 7-0 shellacking at the hands of the San Jose Sharks on Jan. 9), and have lost one of their top scorers — ex-Flyer James van Riemsdyk — to a broken foot. With a 16-20-7 record and 39 points, the rebuilding Leafs sit at 15th in the Eastern Conference, and are one point shy of last overall in the league.
Of course, the Flyers' struggles in playing down to lower teams is well-documented. Tonight's game provides a decent opportunity for the Leafs to get back on track, and considering how crucial points are for the Flyers (20-15-8) at this stage of the season, they cannot afford to fall back into that bad habit.
The opening face-off from Wells Fargo Center is set for 7 p.m.
| Flyers Leaders | GP | G | A | P | Maple Leafs Leaders | GP | G | A | P |
| Claude Giroux | 43 | 13 | 22 | 35 | Leo Komarov | 43 | 16 | 14 | 30 |
| Jake Voracek | 43 | 5 | 26 | 31 | James van Riemsdyk | 40 | 14 | 15 | 29 |
| Wayne Simmonds | 43 | 12 | 13 | 25 | Tyler Bozak | 39 | 9 | 19 | 28 |
| Brayden Schenn | 41 | 10 | 12 | 22 | Nazem Kadri | 43 | 8 | 15 | 23 |
| Sean Couturier | 37 | 9 | 12 | 21 | P-A Parenteau | 43 | 11 | 11 | 22 |
| Player to Watch | |
| 28 Claude Giroux | 23 Shawn Matthias |
| Last 5 Games: 1 G, 5 A, 6 P, +3 | Last 5 Games: 1 G, 1 A, 2 P, -1 |
| Goalie Matchup | |
| 35 Steve Mason | 34 James Reimer |
| 10-10-6, 2.66 GAA, .915 SV% | 7-7-4, 2.03 GAA, .934 SV% |
Michal Neuvirth starts are coming more sporadically with Steve Mason heating up, but in a back-to-back situation, he's in against Detroit. After suffering a tough loss, making 30 saves in Los Angeles in a 2-1 defeat, Neuvirth won his last start, stopping 21 of 24 shots against the Canadiens on Jan. 5.
James Reimer figures to start for the Leafs, after Jonathan Bernier was saddled with the loss in Saturday's game. Reimer, who is in search of his first win since Nov. 20, has been splitting time with Bernier between the pipes. In six career starts against the Orange and Black, Reimer is 2-4-0 with a 2.73 GAA and a .909 save percentage.
Flyers Projected Lineup:
Scratches: Brandon Manning, Jordan Weal
| Left Wing | Center | Right Wing |
| 93 Jake Voracek | 28 Claude Giroux | 17 Wayne Simmonds |
| 12 Michael Raffl | 14 Sean Couturier | 10 Brayden Schenn |
| 24 Matt Read | 21 Scott Laughton | 20 R.J. Umberger |
| 76 Chris VandeVelde | 78 Pierre-Edouard Bellemare | 25 Ryan White |
| Defense | ||
| 15 Michael Del Zotto | 3 Radko Gudas | |
| 55 Nick Schultz | 32 Mark Streit | |
| 53 Shayne Gostisbehere | 82 Evgeny Medvedev | |
| Goalie | ||
| 35 Steve Mason |
Dave Hakstol will continue to ice the same lineup that has allowed the Flyers to sustain their recent success. It appeared that Ryan White would be missing at least one game after a hit to the head of the Red Wings' Tomas Jurco in Sunday's game, but he avoided supplementary discipline.
Game Notes
- Power Play: Flyers (29th, 28th at home), Maple Leafs (26th, 27th on road)
- Penalty Kill: Flyers (24th, 24th at home), Maple Leafs (17th, 4th on road)
- Recent History vs. Maple Leafs
- Feb. 26, 2015 — The Maple Leafs jumped out to a 3-0 lead thanks to Phil Kessel, Tyler Bozak and Dion Phaneuf, and were able to hang on for a 3-2 win after a pair of third-period powerplay goals from Claude Giroux and Brayden Schenn. Jonathan Bernier made an astounding 47 saves, while Steve Mason finished the game with eight saves. Mason relieved Rob Zepp, who allowed two goals on eight shots.
- Jan. 31, 2015 – Michael Del Zotto's fifth goal of the season at 4:05 was all the offense the Flyers needed, as they shut the Leafs out 1-0. Steve Mason made 30 saves for his second shutout of the 2014-15 campaign.
- Dec. 20, 2014 — Six different Flyers (including Claude Giroux, who netted two goals) helped lift the Flyers to a season-high seven goals in a 7-4 rout of the Leafs. Thanks to goals from Joffrey Lupul and James van Riemsdyk, the Leafs raced out to a 2-0 lead, but R.J. Umberger, Sean Couturier, Peter Holland and Giroux made it a 3-3 game by the end of the first period. Ray Emery made 21 saves, while Bernier was yanked after the Flyers' seventh goal after a 34-save performance. Reimer made one save in relief.
- Milestone Watch
- Steve Mason: 1 shutout to reach 30 in career.
Where to Watch:
TV: CSN
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic
Rob Riches is a contributor to Flyerdelphia and Sports Talk Philly. Follow him on Twitter @Riches61
