It's no secret by this point that the second half of the Flyers' season will comprise of divisional and intra-conference play. and tonight's no exception. After taking down the Devils out of the bye for their fourth consecutive win, the Orange and Black look to stay on a roll, taking on the New York Rangers in Manhattan for the first time all year (yes, somehow, they haven't played the Rangers by this point).
Times have been tough lately for the Rangers. Not only have they lost seven of their last 10 games, they've dropped three in a row — including a rough 7-2 beatdown against the crosstown rival Islanders on Saturday, a game that saw potential Calder candidate Mathew Barzal produce five points.
The Flyers sit just one point back of the Rangers in the Metro Division, and two points would tie them with the aforementioned Islanders. It may be the first game between both rivals this season, but plenty is already at stake.
Puck drop is set for 7 p.m.
Team Leaders
Philadelphia Flyers | GP | G | A | P | New York Rangers | GP | G | A | P |
Claude Giroux | 43 | 14 | 40 | 54 | Mats Zuccarello | 43 | 8 | 24 | 32 |
Jake Voracek | 43 | 8 | 45 | 53 | J.T. Miller | 44 | 8 | 19 | 27 |
Sean Couturier | 43 | 25 | 20 | 45 | Pavel Buchnevich | 43 | 11 | 15 | 26 |
Shayne Gostisbehere | 39 | 9 | 23 | 32 | Mika Zibanejad | 35 | 14 | 11 | 25 |
Wayne Simmonds | 43 | 15 | 12 | 27 | Michael Grabner | 44 | 19 | 4 | 23 |
Player to Watch | |
14 Sean Couturier | 36 Mats Zuccarello |
Last 5 Games: 7 G, 2 A, 9 P, +3 | Last 5 Games: 0 G, 3 A, 3 P, -7 |
Goalie Matchup | |
37 Brian Elliott | 30 Henrik Lundqvist |
17-10-7, 2.75 GAA, .909 SV% | 19-11-4, 2.58 GAA, .923 SV% |
Though his career numbers against the Rangers aren't optimal, Brian Elliott returns between the pipes for the Flyers. He has just two wins in 10 games, with a 2.99 goals allowed average and a .894 SP. His last start saw him turn away 26 of 29 shots against the Devils.
Henrik Lundqvist will oppose him, making his second consecutive start. He turned away 42 of 46 shots in a 5-2 loss to Pittsburgh on Sunday, and stopped 16 of 18 shots in mop-up duty in Saturday's loss to the Islanders.
Flyers Projected Lineup
Scratches: Tyrell Goulbourne, Travis Sanheim, Dale Weise
Left Wing | Center | Right Wing |
28 Claude Giroux | 14 Sean Couturier | 11 Travis Konecny |
12 Michael Raffl | 51 Valtteri Filppula | 93 Jake Voracek |
40 Jordan Weal | 19 Nolan Patrick | 17 Wayne Simmonds |
20 Taylor Leier | 21 Scott Laughton | 15 Jori Lehtera |
Defense | ||
9 Ivan Provorov | 53 Shayne Gostisbehere | |
8 Robert Hagg | 47 Andrew MacDonald | |
23 Brandon Manning | 3 Radko Gudas | |
Goalie | ||
37 Brian Elliott |
Lineup Notes: Shayne Gostisbehere returns to the lineup after missing Saturday's game with the flu. Travis Sanheim will sit as a healthy scratch, along with Tyrell Goulbourne. Taylor Leier will return to the fourth line.
Rangers Projected Lineup
Injuries: Chris Kreider is out indefinitely after rib surgery because of a blood clot, while Kevin Hayes is out with a contusion.
Left Wing | Center | Right Wing |
61 Rick Nash | 93 Mika Zibanejad | 89 Pavel Buchnevich |
36 Mats Zuccarello | 10 J.T. Miller | 95 Vinni Lettieri |
26 Jimmy Vesey | 51 David Desharnais | 28 Paul Carey |
40 Michael Grabner | 12 Peter Holland | 41 Jesper Fast |
Defense | ||
27 Ryan McDonagh | 55 Nick Holden | |
76 Brady Skjei | 22 Kevin Shattenkirk | |
18 Marc Staal | 42 Brendan Smith | |
Goalie | ||
35 Cory Schneider |
Game Notes
- Power Play: Flyers (6th, 3rd on road), Devils (18th, 14th at home)
- Penalty Kill: Flyers (T-29th, 18th on road), Devils (3rd, 6th at home)
- Recent History vs. Devils
- April 2, 2017 – Rangers 4, Flyers 3 (at NYR)
- Jan. 25, 2017 – Flyers 2, Rangers 0 (at NYR)
- Jan. 4, 2017 – Rangers 5, Flyers 2 (at NYR)
- Milestone Watch
- Claude Giroux will play in his 700th NHL game tonight.
- Sean Couturier is five goals away from 100 in his career.
Where to Watch
TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic