(Kate Frese/Sports Talk Philly)
By Bill Minchin, Sports Talk Philly writer
The Philadelphia Flyers (25-19-6) return from the All Star break with a showdown in Carolina against the division rival Hurricanes (21-20-7). The Flyers are riding a three game winning streak heading into tonight's game. Opening face off is set for 7:00pm.
This is the third of five meetings between the clubs and the second and final meeting in Raleigh. So far this season the Flyers are 2-0-0 against the Canes.
| Flyers Leaders | GP | G | A | P | Hurricanes Leaders | GP | G | A | P |
| Jake Voracek | 50 | 14 | 30 | 44 | Jeff Skinner | 47 | 17 | 18 | 35 |
| Claude Giroux | 50 | 11 | 29 | 40 | Victor Rask | 48 | 13 | 19 | 32 |
| Wayne Simmonds | 50 | 21 | 17 | 38 | Sebastian Aho | 48 | 12 | 14 | 26 |
| Brayden Schenn | 47 | 15 | 18 | 33 | Teuvo Teravainen | 47 | 10 | 14 | 24 |
| Travis Konecny | 49 | 7 | 15 | 22 | Jordan Staal | 41 | 10 | 14 | 24 |
| Player to Watch | |
| 17 Wayne Simmonds | 53 Jeff Skinner |
| Last 5 Games: 3 G, 1 A, 4 P, -1 | Last 5 Games: 0 G, 0 A, 0 P, -3 |
Wayne Simmonds wis coming off his first All Star game and with it game MVP honors. Simmonds netted three goals for the Metropolitan division in his All Star debut. Simmonds is a streaky scorer. With three goals in the five games leading up to the break and three more in the game, the hope is he will continue on the current scoring streak.
| Goalie Matchup | |
| 35 Steve Mason |
30 Cam Ward |
| 16-15-6, 2.84 GAA, .902 SV% | 18-16-6, 2.61 GAA, .906 SV% |
Steve Mason will get the call for the Flyers tonight. Mason was stellar in his previous two starts leading up to the break including a 30 plus save shutout of the New York Rangers in his last start. He will need to continue that type of play down the stretch if the Flyers hope to hold onto their playoff spot.
Cam Ward will get the start for Carolina. Ward is no longer the goalie he once was. Ward first saw action back in 2004 and has been with the Hurricanes his entire 12 year career. Ward does still have the ability to be a solid netminder and can steal games when needed. The Flyers will need to bring their best if they hope to get the victory.
Flyers Projected Lineup
Scratches: Dale Weise, Micheal Del Zotto, Nick Schultz
| Left Wing | Center | Right Wing |
| 12 Michael Raffl | 28 Claude Giroux | 93 Jakub Voracek |
| 11 Travis Konecny | 10 Brayden Schenn | 17 Wayne Simmonds |
| 25 Nick Cousins | 14 Sean Couturier | 24 Matt Read |
| 76 Chris VandeVelde | 78 Pierre-Edouard Bellemare | 13 Roman Lyubimov |
| Defense | ||
| 9 Ivan Provorov | 47 Andrew MacDonald | |
| 32 Mark Streit | 3 Radko Gudas | |
| 23 Brandon Manning | 53 Shayne Gostisbehere | |
| Goalie | ||
| 35 Steve Mason |
Game Notes
- Power Play: Flyers (9th, 8th on the road), Hurricanes (23rd, 28th at home)
- Penalty Kill: Flyers (17th, 24th on the road), Hurricanes (1st, 2nd at home)
- Brayden Schenn needs one more goal for 100 in his NHL career.
- Recent History vs. Carolina
- 10/22/16: After a scoreless first period the Flyers fell behind 2-0 just 3:07 into the second before they came roaring back. Brandon Manning got the Flyers on the board followed by Jakub Voracek, Matt Read and Shayne Gostisbehere before Lee Stempniak made it 4-3 after two periods. Third period goals by Wayne Simmonds and the second of the game from Voracek ended the night giving the Flyers a 6-3 victory in Philadelphia. Steve Mason made 27 saves for the win.
- 10/30/16: The Flyers defense would lead the way in the second meeting between the clubs. Gostisbehere, Radko Gudas and Brandon Manning would all score in a 4-3 victory in Carolina. Claude Giroux had the other tally for the Flyers. Michal Neuvirth made 26 saves in the win.
Where to Watch
TV: CSN
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic
