(Kate Frese/Sports Talk Philly)
By Rob Riches, Sports Talk Philly contributor
There's no doubt that by this point, the Flyers are firmly entrenched in the make-or-break portion of their schedule. If they're looking to creep back into the playoffs, getting two points is incredibly crucial, and though they have points in each of their last four games, tonight takes on a whole new level of importance.
They head to Toronto to take on a team that stands directly in their path to the second wild card spot. Thanks to a season that has seen their young talents flourish, the Maple Leafs sit two points ahead of the Flyers, and one away from the New York Islanders from the final spot — giving them the chance to tie in the standings for the first time since Feb. 11. It will conclude the Flyers-Maple Leafs season series in quite grandiose fashion.
Puck drop is set for 7:30 p.m.
| Flyers Leaders | GP | G | A | P | Maple Leafs Leaders | GP | G | A | P |
| Jake Voracek | 65 | 17 | 36 | 53 | Auston Matthews | 65 | 31 | 24 | 55 |
| Claude Giroux | 65 | 13 | 33 | 46 | Mitch Marner | 60 | 15 | 37 | 52 |
| Wayne Simmonds | 65 | 27 | 17 | 44 | Nazem Kadri | 65 | 27 | 22 | 49 |
| Brayden Schenn | 62 | 19 | 23 | 42 | James van Riemsdyk | 65 | 20 | 29 | 49 |
| Valtteri Filppula | 56 | 8 | 27 | 35 | William Nylander | 624 | 17 | 29 | 46 |
| Player to Watch | |
| 3 Radko Gudas | 16 Mitch Marner |
| Last 5 Games: 1 G, 3 A, 4 P, +5 | Last 5 Games: 0 G, 4 A, 4 P, -3 |
| Goalie Matchup | |
| 30 Michal Neuvirth | 31 Frederik Andersen |
| 21-10-9, 2.90 GAA, .887 SV% | 25-14-13, 2.72 GAA, .916 SV% |
Despite a red-hot stretch from Steve Mason, the Flyers will opt to go with Michal Neuvirth between the pipes. He will make his first start since Feb. 25 — the Stadium Series matchup against Pittsburgh.
In a game that's as much a must-win for the Leafs as it is for the Flyers, they are expected to go with Frederik Andersen. His lifetime numbers against the Flyers are hard to beat, with a 5-0-0 record, 2.71 GAA and .917 save percentage in five career games.
Flyers Projected Lineup
Scratches: Dale Weise, Roman Lyubimov, Brandon Manning, Michael Raffl
| Left Wing | Center | Right Wing |
| 40 Jordan Weal | 28 Claude Giroux | 17 Wayne Simmonds |
| 10 Brayden Schenn | 51 Valtteri Filppula | 93 Jake Voracek |
| 25 Nick Cousins | 14 Sean Couturier | 24 Matt Read |
| 76 Chris VandeVelde | 78 Pierre-Edouard Bellemare | 11 Travis Konecny |
| Defense | ||
| 9 Ivan Provorov | 47 Andrew MacDonald | |
| 23 Brandon Manning | 53 Shayne Gostisbehere | |
| 3 Radko Gudas | 15 Michael Del Zotto | |
| Goalie | ||
| 30 Michal Neuvirth |
Game Notes
- Power Play: Flyers (12th, 11th on road), Panthers (3rd, 14th at home)
- Penalty Kill: Flyers (17th, 23rd on road), Panthers (9th, 18th on road)
- Recent History vs. Maple Leafs
- Jan. 26, 2017 - While Wayne Simmonds gave the Flyers an early 1-0 lead, William Nylander tied the game in the second period, and as regulation time continued to expire, overtime seemed inevitable. Roman Lyubimov, though, stepped in with the game-winner with 2:37 left on the clock. Michal Neuvirth made 27 saves on 28 shots, while Curtis McElhinney stopped 32 of 34 shots.
- Nov. 11, 2016 – The Orange and Black led 3-2 after the second period thanks to two Wayne Simmonds goals and a Travis Konecny tally, but they completely fell off the rails in the third stanza. Martin Marincin, Zach Hyman, Leo Komarov and Mitch Marner all scored in the final 20 minutes to give the Leafs a spirited home win. Steve Mason finished with just 17 saves on 23 shots, and the loss stood as one of the team's ugliest on the season.
- April 7, 2016 – Despite trailing 3-1 at the end of two periods, the Flyers rallied to force overtime, thanks to goals in the third from Andrew MacDonald and Wayne Simmonds. Jake Gardiner, however, delivered the game-winner in the overtime period, saddling the Flyers with the overtime loss.
- Milestone Watch
- Matt Read is three away from 100 career assists.
- Wayne Simmonds is two away from 200 career goals
Where to Watch
TV: CSN
Radio: 93.3 WMMR
