Game 30 Preview: Flyers host Tampa looking for third straight win

Sean Couturier skates with the puck. Photo Courtesy of Kate Frese.

The Philadelphia Flyers (11-13-5) will look to win their third straight game as they welcome the Tampa Bay Lightning (19-10-3) to the Wells Fargo Center tonight. This is the seocnd of three meetings and first of two in Philadelphia. Game time is 7:00.

Tampa won the first meeting this season 4-3 at home back in October. This is a matchup that has given the Flyers fits in recent years. Tampa has won the last five meetings in regulation and seven of the last eight overall.

For the first time all season the Flyers have recieved consistent secondary scoring. Dating back to the California trip, Wayne Simmonds, Sean Couturier, Matt Read and Brayden Schenn have all picked up their offensive games. This trend must continue if Philadelphia is going to see sustained success going forward.

Rookie Scott Laughton picked up his first goal of the season Saturday in the team's 5-1 win over Carolina. Laughton has not looked out of place at all since being called up from Lehigh Valley. Like all rookies, he has made mistakes but works very hard to atone for them.

Steve Mason picked up the win on Saturday and figures to get the start tonight. Mason is 6-9-4 on the season with a .918 save percentage and a 2.60 goals against average. The Flyers goalie has not been the problem. In fact, Mason is one of the main reasons the team has been in games they had no buisness being in.

Tampa is coming off a 4-2 loss in Pittsburgh last night. The loss may have come at steeper price as starting goalie Ben Bishop left the game after the first period. The status for Bishop is up in the air and his status for tonight is uncertain. 

Bishop has been oustanding this season. He is 16-6-2 with a .913 save percentage and a 2.35 goals against average. If Bishop cannot go it will be Evgeni Nabakov between the pipes. The longtime Sharks goalie is 3-4-1 on the season.

Steven Stamkos leads the charge for the Lightning. His 34 points and 17 goals lead Tampa in both categories. Tyler Johnson paces the team in assists with 22. 

Tampa Bay has been one of the best teams in both the Eastern Conference and the NHL so far this season although they have struggled some of late. The Lightning have lost three of the last four games in regulation and now find themselves tied with Detroit in the Atlantic Division.

Game Notes

• Power Play: Flyers (3rd, 1st at home), Lightning (9th, 16th on road) 
  
• Penalty Kill: Flyers (29th, 20th at home), Lightning (16th, 23rd on road) 
• This is the second of three meetings between the teams this season. Tampa won 4-3 on October 30th. The season series will conclude on January 12th in Philly.

Flyers scratches: Vincent Lecavalier, Carlo Colaiacovo, Michael Del Zotto

Flyers Projected Lineup

Line 1: Michael Raffl-Claude Giroux-Jake Voracek
Line 2: Brayden Schenn-Scott Laughton-Wayne Simmonds
Line 3: R.J. Umberger-Sean Couturier-Matt Read
Line 4:Zac Rinaldo–Pierre-Edouard Bellemare-Chris VandeVelde

D-Pair 1: Nick Grossmann-Mark Streit
D-Pair 2: Braydon Coburn-Nick Schultz
D-Pair 3:Andrew MacDonald-Luke Schenn  

Goalie: Steve Mason

Where to Watch
TV: CSN Philly
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic

Bill Minchin is a contruibuting writer for Flyerdelphia. Follow Bill on Twitter @wtfd103074