Flyers

Flyers vs. Lightning: Game 64 Preview

Kevin Durso Sports Editor

Published07 Mar 2023

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Tampa Bay Lightning center Brayden Point (21) skates with the puck as Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Travis Sanheim (6) defends during the third period at Amalie Arena. — *Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports*

The final 19 games for the Flyers are simply a formality at this point. The trade deadline is over and the focus shifts to the offseason, whether any changes will be made, and what happens to the roster from there.

Until then, the remaining games on the Flyers schedule primarily follow a trend. They will face an abundance of teams in the thick of the playoff race with their sights set on a Stanley Cup run. The next four games and six of the next eight come against teams currently in a playoff spot.

That starts on Tuesday night with the three-time reigning Eastern Conference champion Tampa Bay Lightning, who are currently on a five-game losing streak and have lost eight of their last 10 games.

Game time is 7 p.m.

Team Leaders

Philadelphia Flyers	GP	G	A	P	Tampa Bay Lightning	GP	G	A	P
Travis Konecny	52	27	27	54	Nikita Kucherov	63	23	65	88
Kevin Hayes	62	17	32	49	Brayden Point	63	39	34	73
Scott Laughton	59	15	21	36	Steven Stamkos	63	27	38	65
Tony DeAngelo	58	10	24	34	Brandon Hagel	63	22	27	49
Owen Tippett	58	18	15	33	Alex Killorn	63	17	29	46

Joel Farabee did not score in Sunday’s win over Detroit, but was around the net with multiple scoring chances and just can’t seem to buy a goal right now. Farabee has gone without a goal since Jan. 9, a span of 22 games, and has just three assists in that time.

Brayden Point had a four-game goal-scoring streak snapped in Tampa’s loss to Carolina on Sunday. The forward is one goal shy of reaching the 40-goal mark for the second time in his career and two goals away from tying a career high.

Carter Hart gets the start for the Flyers. Hart made 25 saves on 26 shots in Sunday’s win against Detroit, snapping a personal six-game losing streak. Hart has faced Tampa twice this season. He made 36 saves in a win on Oct. 18 and stopped 23 of 27 shots in a loss on Dec. 1.

Andrei Vasilevskiy is expected to start for the Lightning. Vasilevskiy allowed six goals on 38 shots in a loss to Carolina on Sunday. Vasilevskiy is on a personal three-game losing streak and has allowed five goals or more in three of his last six starts.

Projected Lineups

Flyers Scratches: Sean Couturier (injury), Travis Konecny (injury), Kieffer Bellows (healthy)

Lightning Scratches: Victor Hedman (injury), Pierre-Edouard Bellemare (healthy), Darren Raddysh (healthy)

Lineup Notes

Flyers: No changes to the Flyers lineup. They will continue to use 11 forwards and seven defensemen.
Lightning: Victor Hedman is out after suffering an injury on Sunday. He’s listed as day-to-day. Erik Cernak will be back in the lineup after missing two games.

Game Notes

Power Play: Flyers (32nd), Lightning (2nd)
Penalty Kill: Flyers (24th), Lightning (14th)
Recent History vs. Lightning
- Dec. 1, 2022 – Lightning 4, Flyers 1 (at PHI)
- Oct. 18, 2022 – Flyers 3, Lightning 2 (at TB)
Flyers Leaders vs. Lightning
- James van Riemsdyk: 40 GP, 17 G, 13 A, 30 P
- Kevin Hayes: 18 GP, 5 G, 6 A, 11 P
- Ivan Provorov: 16 GP, 4 G, 5 A, 9 P
- Carter Hart: 8 GP, 1-6-1, 3.93 GAA, .874 SV%
Milestone Watch
- Travis Sanheim needs one assist to reach 100 for his career.
- Justin Braun needs two points to reach 200 for his career.
- James van Riemsdyk needs three goals to reach 300 for his career.