(Kate Frese/SB Nation)
By Kevin Durso, Sports Talk Philly editor
It all comes down to this. The Flyers face the New York Rangers in the final game of the regular season needing just one point to clinch a playoff spot.
There are a lot of playoff implications to Saturday's games on the NHL slate, but the Flyers will take center stage with the first game of the day, knowing the task at hand. For the third straight game, they will have to rise to the occasion against a team that will not be reaching the postseason.
Game time is set for 3 p.m.
Team Leaders
Philadelphia Flyers | GP | G | A | P | New York Rangers | GP | G | A | P |
Claude Giroux | 81 | 31 | 68 | 99 | Mats Zuccarello | 79 | 16 | 37 | 53 |
Jake Voracek | 81 | 20 | 64 | 84 | Mika Zibanejad | 71 | 27 | 20 | 47 |
Sean Couturier | 81 | 31 | 43 | 74 | Kevin Hayes | 75 | 25 | 19 | 44 |
Shayne Gostisbehere | 77 | 13 | 51 | 64 | Pavel Buchnevich | 73 | 14 | 29 | 43 |
Travis Konecny | 80 | 24 | 23 | 47 | Chris Kreider | 57 | 16 | 21 | 37 |
Player to Watch | |
28 Claude Giroux | 13 Kevin Hayes |
Last 5 Games: 5 G, 3 A, 8 P, +6 | Last 5 Games: 4 G, 1 A, 5 P, E |
Goalie Matchup | |
37 Brian Elliott | 30 Henrik Lundqvist |
22-11-7, 2.73 GAA, .908 SV% | 26-25-7, 2.95 GAA, .915 SV% |
The Flyers go back to Brian Elliott in goal for Saturday's regular season finale. Elliott had a shaky start on Thursday, making 19 saves and allowed three goals, but got the win again for his 22nd of the season. Dave Hakstol said after the game that Elliott was the guy and the team's No. 1 netminder, so it is no surprise to see him get another start, even with so much on the line.
The Rangers turn to veteran Henrik Lundqvist. It's been a trying year for Lundqvist, who has either been on his game or a disaster between the pipes. Lundqvist has tremendous career numbers against the Flyers — a 35-15-4 record and a 2.46 GAA in 56 games — but the Orange and Black were also able to score seven goals on King Henrik on Feb. 18.
Flyers Projected Lineup
Injuries: Michal Neuvirth
Scratches: Dale Weise, Jordan Weal, Taylor Leier, Robert Hagg, Johnny Oduya
Left Wing | Center | Right Wing |
28 Claude Giroux | 14 Sean Couturier | 12 Michael Raffl |
54 Oskar Lindblom | 19 Nolan Patrick | 93 Jake Voracek |
11 Travis Konecny | 51 Valtteri Filppula | 17 Wayne Simmonds |
21 Scott Laughton | 15 Jori Lehtera | 24 Matt Read |
Defense | ||
9 Ivan Provorov | 53 Shayne Gostisbehere | |
6 Travis Sanheim | 47 Andrew MacDonald | |
23 Brandon Manning | 3 Radko Gudas | |
Goalie | ||
37 Brian Elliott |
Lineup Notes
The Flyers lineup will remain the same as Thursday's game for the final game of the regular season on Saturday.
Rangers Projected Lineup
Injuries: Anthony DeAngelo, Kevin Shattenkirk, Steve Kampfer, Cody McLeod
Scratches: David Desharnais, Jesper Fast, Peter Holland, Paul Carey
Left Wing | Center | Right Wing |
20 Chris Kreider | 93 Mika Zibanejad | 72 Filip Chytil |
26 Jimmy Vesey | 50 Lias Andersson | 36 Mats Zuccarello |
23 Ryan Spooner | 13 Kevin Hayes | 38 Steven Fogarty |
39 Matt Beleskey | 50 Lias Andersson | 89 Pavel Buchnevich |
Defense | ||
18 Marc Staal | 44 Nick Pionk | |
76 Brady Skjei | 25 Ryan Sproul | |
58 John Gilmour | 46 Rob O'Gara | |
Goalie | ||
30 Henrik Lundqvist |
Game Notes
- Power Play: Flyers (T-17th, 24th at home), Rangers (12th, T-12th on road)
- Penalty Kill: Flyers (29th, 29th at home), Rangers (T-8th, 11th on road)
- Recent History vs. Rangers
- Jan. 16, 2018 – Rangers 5, Flyers 1 (at NYR)
- Feb. 18, 2018 – Flyers 7, Rangers 4 (at NYR)
- March 22, 2018 – Flyers 4, Rangers 3 (at PHI)
- Flyers Leaders vs. Rangers
- Claude Giroux – 48 GP, 7 G, 35 A, 42 P
- Jake Voracek – 34 GP, 13 G, 13 A, 26 P
- Travis Konecny – 7 GP, 3 G, 2 A, 5 P
- Brian Elliott – 11 GP, 2-8-1, 3.27 GAA
- Milestone Watch
- Claude Giroux needs one assists to pass Bill Barber for third all-time in Flyers history.
- Jake Voracek needs three assists to reach 400 in the NHL.
Where to Watch
TV: NBC
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic