Photo Courtesy of Kate Frese
The Flyers and Columbus Blue Jackets are set meet again Tuesday for the second time in a three-game span — this time on Wells Fargo Center ice. Both teams will meet for the fifth and final time in the regular season, with the Blue Jackets' 3-1 record claiming the season series.
Naturally, the Flyers (24-22-10) will look to shake off the two-goal, third-period lead they blew against the Jackets on Friday night — especially cringe-worthy against a team that was, at that point, winless when trailing at the start of the third period. Their 2-1 win on Sunday against a mediocre Buffalo team was a step in the right direction — an ugly win, yet a win nonetheless.
Tuesday's game is also imperative for the Flyers' playoff surge, as they enter six points behind Boston for the East's final playoff spot. The Bruins are off on Tuesday, so a win would bring the Orange and Black to within four points of that second spot. Of note, Florida — two points ahead of the Flyers — is also in action against Toronto, so the Flyers have an opportunity to tie the Panthers in the standings.
The Flyers also have the opportunity to expand upon their nine-game point streak, during which they've gone 6-0-3 — their longest since March 2011. Wayne Simmonds and Matt Read also enter the game with four-game point streaks — with Simmonds scoring twice in Friday's game.
Ray Emery is expected to make his fourth-consecutive start for the Orange and Black, while the Jackets are expected to counter with fellow backup Curtis McElhinney. Emery is 10-9-3 with a 3.17 GAA and .893 save percentage, while McElhinney stands at 8-9-1 with a 2.84 GAA and .913 SP.
Zac Rinaldo is also eligible to return to the Flyers' lineup, following his eight-game suspension.
The line of Matt Calvert, Brandon Dubinsky and Cam Atkinson has been lethal for the Blue Jackets (24-27-3) as of late, as it has combined for 13 points over their last five games. Both Dubinsky and Atkinson scored in Friday's meeting en route to a two-point effort for Dubinsky, while Atkinson's goal tied the game with 4:40 to play in the third stanza.
Both teams also recalled players from their American League affiliates on Monday. The Flyers sent Anthony Stolarz back to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in favor of Rob Zepp, while the Jackets recalled Marko Dano — who has two points in eight games so far with the big club — from Springfield.
Game Notes
- Power Play: Flyers (3rd, 2nd at home), Blue Jackets (6th, 9th on road)
- Penalty Kill: Flyers (28th, 21st at home), Blue Jackets (20th, 12th on road)
Flyers scratches: Steve Mason, Zac Rinaldo, Carlo Colaiacovo, Andrew MacDonald
Flyers Projected Lineup
Line 1: Brayden Schenn-Claude Giroux-Jakub Voracek
Line 2: Matt Read-Sean Couturier-Wayne Simmonds
Line 3: Ryan White-Michael Raffl-R.J. Umberger
Line 4: Chris VandeVelde-Pierre-Edouard Bellemare-Vincent Lecavalier
D-Pair 1: Nick Schultz-Mark Streit
D-Pair 2: Michael Del Zotto -Luke Schenn
D-Pair 3:Nicklas Grossmann-Braydon Coburn
Goalie: Ray Emery
Where to Watch
TV: CSN Philly
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic
Rob Riches is a contributor to Flyerdelphia. Follow him on Twitter @Riches61
