Photo Courtesy of Kate FreseBy Rob Riches, Sports Talk Philly contributor 
The Flyers' offense was stifled by a hot goaltender in their most recent matchup on Saturday, yet their offense remains one of the league's best. They head to South Florida to take on a middle-of-the-road Panthers team, kicking off a back-to-back set in the Sunshine State.
Lately, the Panthers have been hot, winning four of their last five games — three of which have required extra time to play. This will be the first of three meetings between the Flyers and Panthers this season, and the only at BB&T Center.
Puck drop is set for 7:30.
| Flyers Leaders | GP | G | A | P | Senators Leaders | GP | G | A | P |
| Jake Voracek | 19 | 7 | 10 | 17 | Jonathan Marchessault | 19 | 9 | 6 | 15 |
| Claude Giroux | 19 | 4 | 13 | 17 | Vincent Trocheck | 19 | 6 | 7 | 13 |
| Wayne Simmonds | 19 | 9 | 7 | 16 | Aleksander Barkov | 19 | 2 | 9 | 11 |
| Travis Konecny | 19 | 4 | 7 | 11 | Keith Yandle | 19 | 1 | 9 | 10 |
| Mark Streit | 19 | 4 | 7 | 10 | Colton Sceviour | 19 | 5 | 4 | 9 |
| Player to Watch | |
| 19 Jakub Voracek | 16 Aleksander Barkov |
| Last 5 Games: 1 G, 1 A, 2 P, -4 | Last 5 Games: 0 G, 4 A, 4 P, E |
After the Flyers' offense sputtered in their last game against Tampa Bay, Jakub Voracek will look to get the Flyers' offense going against the Panthers. Voracek has been held without a point in his past three games, so he'll be looking to get back on track.
Aleksander Barkov is quickly coming up as one of the league's exciting young players, and has established himself as a playmaker for the Panthers so far this season. The 21-year-old Finn has three points in his last two games, and displayed his mitts in a ridiculous shootout winner on Sunday against the Rangers.
| Goalie Matchup | |
| 35 Steve Mason | 1 Roberto Luongo |
| 4-6-3, 3.12 GAA, .886 SV% | 7-5-0, 2.24 GAA, .923 SV% |
Steve Mason's game has been steadily improving over the past few games, despite Saturday's hiccup against the Lightning. He'll look to slow down the Panthers' young guns.
Longtime netminder Roberto Luongo figures to start for the Panthers. In 22 career games against the Orange and Black, 'Bobby Lu' is 9-9-3 with a 2.81 GAA and .919 save percentage.
Flyers Projected Lineup
Scratches: Roman Lyubimov, Nick Schultz, Michael Del Zotto, Boyd Gordon, Michal Neuvirth
| Left Wing | Center | Right Wing |
| 10 Brayden Schenn | 28 Claude Giroux | 93 Jakub Voracek |
| 11 Travis Konecny | 14 Sean Couturier | 17 Wayne Simmonds |
| 12 Michael Raffl | 78 Pierre-Edouard Bellemare | 24 Matt Read |
| 76 Chris VandeVelde | 25 Nick Cousins | 22 Dale Weise |
| Defense | ||
| 15 Michael Del Zotto | 53 Shayne Gostisbehere | |
| 23 Brandon Manning | 3 Radko Gudas | |
| 9 Ivan Provorov | 32 Mark Streit | |
| Goalie | ||
| 35 Steve Mason |
Game Notes
Power Play: Flyers (3rd, 4th on road), Panthers (20th, 22nd at home)
Penalty Kill: Flyers (27th, 24th on road), Panthers (10th, 7th at home)
Recent History vs. Panthers
- March 12, 2016 - An up-and-down affair concluded with a 5-4 Panthers win in a shootout. While Michael Raffl put the Flyers ahead early in the third period, goals from Reilly Smith and Aleksander Barkov just 1:05 apart gave the Panthers the lead. Shayne Gostisbehere tied the game with 1:55 to play in regulation, and the ensuing 3-on-3 period wasn't enough for either team.
- Oct. 12, 2015 - After an absolute whooping at the hands of the Panthers just two days earlier, the Flyers shut them down entirely. Brayden Schenn's goal early in the first period was the only goal that stood all game. Michal Neuvirth posted a 31-save shutout, for his first win as a Flyer.
- Oct. 10, 2015 - In just the second game of the season, the Flyers had to call a players-only meeting, after a 7-1 drubbing at the hands of the Panthers. Reilly Smith and ageless wonder Jaromir Jagr each posted two goals, while Vincent Trocheck, Nick Bjugstad and Jussi Jokinen scored as well. Mark Streit posted the lone Flyers goal.
A Look Back in Flyers History - Oct. 5, 1996: The CoreStates Center opened with a matchup against the defending Eastern Conference champion Panthers, in a rematch of the previous spring's second round playoff series that saw the Panthers upset the Flyers in six games. Brad Smyth, ex-Flyer Scott Mellanby and Johan Garpenlov powered the Panthers to a 3-1 victory in the brand-new building, with Dainius Zubrus scoring the lone Flyers goal.
Where to Watch
TV: CSN
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic
