By Kevin Durso, Sports Talk Philly editor 
The month of April is typically known for the final few days of the NHL's regular season. For many teams, that can mean either one last push for the playoffs or the final few games that are a mere formality.
Thursday marks the mid-point of April, and for the Flyers, they are certainly now in a spot where most of what's left on the 56-game schedule is nothing more than formality at this point. A 6-1 loss to Washington, their fifth by that score this season, on Tuesday to follow up the trade deadline has made the remaining 14 games on the schedule all about auditioning for next season.
That continues on Thursday night, as the Flyers head to Pittsburgh to face the Penguins, who recently acquired a familiar face at the deadline.
Game time is at 7 p.m.
Team Leaders
| Philadelphia Flyers | GP | G | A | P | Pittsburgh Penguins | GP | G | A | P |
| James van Riemsdyk | 42 | 13 | 21 | 34 | Sidney Crosby | 41 | 16 | 32 | 48 |
| Jake Voracek | 39 | 7 | 25 | 32 | Jake Guentzel | 42 | 20 | 25 | 45 |
| Claude Giroux | 40 | 11 | 20 | 31 | Kris Letang | 41 | 7 | 27 | 34 |
| Sean Couturier | 31 | 13 | 18 | 31 | Bryan Rust | 42 | 16 | 17 | 33 |
| Joel Farabee | 41 | 15 | 15 | 30 | Evgeni Malkin | 29 | 8 | 16 | 24 |
Carter Hart is expected to get back in goal for the Flyers on Thursday. Hart was having a solid start before the late-game collapse to Buffalo, allowing two goals in the final four minutes of the game in the loss. The results are not as important as the process for Hart, getting his head clear and showing the confidence that made him a must-watch in goal. He gets another chance at that on Thursday.
Tristan Jarry gets the start for Pittsburgh. Jarry has been on a roll of late. With the exception of a rough start against the Rangers on April 6 where he allowed four goals on 11 shots, Jarry has won five of his last six starts.
Projected Lineups
Flyers Scratches: Morgan Frost (injury), Nicolas Aube-Kubel (healthy), Sam Morin (healthy)
Penguins Scratches: Evgeni Malkin (injury), Kasperi Kapanen (injury), Mark Friedman (injury), Brandon Tanev (injury), Frederick Gaudreau (injury), Chad Ruhwedel (healthy), Sam Lafferty (healthy)
Lineup Notes
- Flyers: Wade Allison will make his NHL debut, playing alongside Nolan Patrick and Oskar Lindblom. Nicolas Aube-Kubel comes out of the lineup. There will also be a change on defense as Phil Myers comes in and Sam Morin comes out.
- Penguins: The Penguins are dealing with some injuries, notably to Evgeni Malkin and Kasperi Kapanen, but will welcome Jeff Carter to the lineup.
Game Notes
- Power Play: Flyers (T-19th), Penguins (10th)
- Penalty Kill: Flyers (30th), Penguins (24th)
- Recent History vs. Penguins
- Jan. 13, 2021 – Flyers 6, Penguins 3 (at PHI)
- Jan. 15, 2021 – Flyers 5, Penguins 2 (at PHI)
- March 2, 2021 – Penguins 5, Flyers 2 (at PIT)
- March 4, 2021 – Flyers 4, Penguins 3 (at PIT)
- March 6, 2021 – Penguins 4, Flyers 3 (at PIT)
- Flyers Leaders vs. Penguins
- Joel Farabee – 7 GP, 3 G, 5 A, 8 P
- Claude Giroux – 56 GP, 18 G, 39 A, 57 P
- Jake Voracek – 48 GP, 23 G, 24 A, 47 P
- Carter Hart – 6 GP, 3-2-0, 2.82 GAA, .913 SV%
- Milestone Watch
- Claude Giroux needs two power-play goals to pass Eric Lindros for 8th all-time in Flyers history.
- Claude Giroux needs four points to pass Brian Propp for 3rd all-time in Flyers history.
Where to Watch
TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic/97.3 ESPN
