Florida trip concludes as Flyers meet Panthers
Photo: Kate Frese/Flyerdelphia
The Flyers first Florida trip, which opened the season in October, was a total disaster, ending with an embarrassing 7-1 loss at the hands of the Panthers.
Two nights later, in the Flyers home opener, a 1-0 win was the first of now 32 wins on the season after Friday night's 3-1 win in Tampa.
The Flyers cap off another Florida trip in Sunrise by facing the Panthers for the final time this season, looking to keep things rolling after winning six of their last seven games.
Faceoff from Sunrise is set for 7 p.m.
| Flyers Leaders | GP | G | A | P | Panthers Leaders | GP | G | A | P |
| Claude Giroux | 63 | 18 | 39 | 57 | Jaromir Jagr | 64 | 23 | 28 | 51 |
| Jakub Voracek | 60 | 10 | 38 | 48 | Jussi Jokinen | 67 | 13 | 36 | 49 |
| Wayne Simmonds | 66 | 24 | 23 | 47 | Vincent Trocheck | 67 | 20 | 25 | 45 |
| Brayden Schenn | 64 | 23 | 23 | 46 | Jonathan Huberdeau | 61 | 12 | 32 | 44 |
| Shayne Gostisbehere | 48 | 14 | 23 | 37 | Aleksander Barkov | 51 | 20 | 22 | 42 |
| Player to Watch | |
| 53 Shayne Gostisbehere | 68 Jaromir Jagr |
| Last 5 Games: 2 G, 1 A, 3 P, -1 | Last 5 Games: 3 G, 2 A, 5 P, +1 |
| Goalie Matchup | |
| 35 Steve Mason | 1 Roberto Luongo |
| 16-15-7, 2.56 GAA, .916 SV% | 28-16-6, 2.32 GAA, .923 SV% |
With the news that Michal Neuvirth is out with a stomach virus, Steve Mason makes another start in goal. Mason allowed four goals on eight shots to the Panthers in his second start of the season, so this should be a game where he is looking for a better performance. Mason is making his fourth straight start and has allowed a total of three goals in the last three games.
Statistically, Roberto Luongo is having his best season since 2010-11 when he helped the Vancouver Canucks reach the Stanley Cup Final. However, he sits 10th in save percentage and outside the Top-15 in GAA in the NHL, somewhat unusual for the perennial All-Star. Luongo has also had two excellent games against the Flyers, allowing two goals on a combined 72 shots in one win and one loss.
Flyers Projected Lineup
Scratches: Evgeny Medvedev, R.J. Umberger, Jordan Weal, Jake Voracek, Michael Del Zotto
| Left Wing | Center | Right Wing |
| 10 Brayden Schenn | 28 Claude Giroux | 17 Wayne Simmonds |
| 12 Michael Raffl | 14 Sean Couturier | 89 Sam Gagner |
| 21 Scott Laughton | 52 Nick Cousins | 24 Matt Read |
| 76 Chris VandeVelde | 78 Pierre-Edouard Bellemare | 25 Ryan White |
| Defense | ||
| 47 Andrew MacDonald | 53 Shayne Gostisbehere | |
| 55 Nick Schultz | 32 Mark Streit | |
| 23 Brandon Manning | 3 Radko Gudas | |
| Goalie | ||
| 35 Steve Mason |
No lineup changes again for the Flyers, who will roll out the same lines as the previous three games.
Game Notes
- Power Play: Flyers (14th, 10th on road), Panthers (27th, T-13th at home)
- Penalty Kill: Flyers (21st, 18th on road), Panthers (T-12th, 22nd at home)
- Recent History vs. Panthers
- Oct. 10, 2015 – It was a disastrous start for the Flyers in what would be a 7-1 loss in Florida to the Panthers. Florida struck for four goals on eight shots in the first 6:46 of the game, with goals coming from Vincent Trocheck, Nick Bjugstad, Reilly Smith and Jussi Jokinen. Jaromir Jagr scored twice and Smith capped off the scoring with a goal in the third. Mark Streit scored the only goal for the Flyers. Steve Mason allowed four goals on eight shots before being pulled for Michal Neuvirth, who made 19 saves on 22 shots.
- Oct. 12, 2015 – The Flyers had a short memory, coming back two nights after the 7-1 debacle for a 1-0 win over Florida in this season's home opener. Brayden Schenn scored at 5:57 for the game's only goal as Michal Neuvirth stopped 31 shots.
- Flyers leaders vs. Panthers
- Claude Giroux – 27 games, 6 goals, 10 assists, 16 points
- Matt Read - 14 games, 6 goals, 2 assists, 8 points
- Brayden Schenn - 14 games, 4 goals, 3 assists, 7 points
- Steve Mason - 11 games, 7-3-1, 1.86 GAA, .942 Sv%
- Milestone Watch
- Scott Laughton plays in his 100th NHL game tonight
- Brayden Schenn needs 1 assist to reach 100 in the NHL and 2 assists to reach 100 as a Flyer
Where to Watch
TV: CSN
Radio: 93.3 WMMR
Kevin Durso is managing editor for Flyerdelphia. Follow him on Twitter @Kevin_Durso.
