Nick Grossmann will return to the lineup on Monday against the Minnesota Wild. The Wild beat the Flyers, 2-0, on Dec. 2. (Photo Courtesy of ESPN.com)
In one final game before the Christmas break, the Philadelphia Flyers have one last chance to get above .500 before taking some time off.
The Minnesota Wild await as the Flyers play host for another difficult Western Conference game at Wells Fargo Center.
The Wild possess plenty of talent in each part of the game and are a relatively healthy team. The only injury is to goalie Josh Harding, who is currently dealing the effects of his battle with multiple sclerosis. Harding shut out the Flyers on Dec. 2.
Minnesota will have Niclas Backstrom in goal tonight. Backstrom is 2-7-2 with a 3.19 GAA.
The Wild get their scoring from the likes of Zach Parise, Mikko Koivu, Jason Pominville and Nino Niederreiter. Parise and Koivu are tied for the team lead with 27 points. Pominville leads the team with 17 goals. Niederreiter is fourth in points with 17.
Defensively, Minnesota is led by Ryan Suter. Suter, a 6' 1" power defenseman, has 21 points. He also serves as the top defenseman along with Jonas Brodin, Jared Spurgeon and Keith Ballard.
The Flyers continue to look for more out of their top line – Claude Giroux, Jake Voracek and Michael Raffl – while filling the void of other injured players. Vincent Lecavalier is in his second game since returning from injury. On defense, Nick Grossmann returns after a bout with the flu. Andrej Meszaros will be in for the injured Erik Gustafsson.
Steve Mason will start in goal. Mason is 13-9-4 with a 2.40 GAA.
Game Notes
- The Flyers lost to Minnesota, 2-0, on Dec. 2. Jason Pominville and Charlie Coyle scored a pair of goals early in the third.
- The Wild have the NHL's ninth best power play. The Flyers penalty kill ranks 14th.
- The Flyers are 18th in the NHL in power play opportunities. The Wild are 26th in penalty kill in the NHL.
- The Wild are currently on a two-game road losing streak. The Flyers have won eight straight home games.
- The Flyers are 3-6-1 against Western Conference teams this season.
Flyers scratches: Hal Gill, Jay Rosehill, Steve Downie
Flyers Projected Lineup
Line 1: Michael Raffl-Claude Giroux-Jake Voracek
Line 2: Scott Hartnell-Brayden Schenn-Wayne Simmonds
Line 3: Matt Read-Sean Couturier-Vincent Lecavalier
Line 4: Zac Rinaldo-Chris VandeVelde-Adam Hall
D-Pair 1: Kimmo Timonen-Braydon Coburn
D-Pair 2: Nick Grossmann-Mark Streit
D-Pair 3: Luke Schenn-Andrej Meszaros
Goalie: Steve Mason
Where to Watch
TV: CSN/NBCSN
Radio: 93.3 WMMR
Kevin Durso is the lead beat writer for Flyerdelphia. Follow him on twitter @KDursoPhilsNet.
