Photo Courtesy of Kate Frese
Between a spirited win over a big Eastern Conference club and a trade that sent not one, but two Paul Holmgren Specials to Los Angeles, this week has shaped up to be a significant (and fun) one for Flyers hockey.
| Flyers Leaders | GP | G | A | P | Wild Leaders | GP | G | A | P |
| Claude Giroux | 38 | 12 | 17 | 29 | Mikko Koivu | 39 | 10 | 22 | 32 |
| Jake Voracek | 38 | 4 | 21 | 25 | Ryan Suter | 39 | 5 | 22 | 27 |
| Wayne Simmonds | 38 | 10 | 12 | 21 | Tomas Vanek | 39 | 12 | 14 | 26 |
| Brayden Schenn | 36 | 9 | 10 | 19 | Zach Parise | 30 | 14 | 11 | 25 |
| Sean Couturier | 32 | 7 | 10 | 17 | Mikael Granlund | 39 | 4 | 20 | 24 |
| Player to Watch | |
| 14 Sean Couturier | 11 Zach Parise |
| Last 5 Games: 2 G, 3 A, 5 P, +3 | Last 5 Games: 3 G, 2 A, 5 P, +3 |
| Goalie Matchup | |
| 35 Steve Mason | 40 Devan Dubnyk |
| 7-10-5, 2.85 GAA, .910 SV% | 17-11-3, 2.28 GAA, .921 SV% |
Steve Mason is set to make his first start in eight days. He has faced the Wild just once in his Flyers career, making 26 saves on 27 shots in a 4-1 win on Dec. 23, 2013.
Devan Dubnyk, whose career renaissance in Minnesota was one of the NHL's more feel-good stories of last year, returns to the net for the Wild. In four career games against the Flyers, he is 2-2-0 with a 2.27 GAA and .929 save percentage. He has not faced the Flyers since Dec. 29, 2014, when he was a member of the Arizona Coyotes.
Flyers Projected Lineup:
Scratches: Brandon Manning, Jordan Weal
| Left Wing | Center | Right Wing |
| 93 Jake Voracek | 28 Claude Giroux | 17 Wayne Simmonds |
| 12 Michael Raffl | 14 Sean Couturier | 10 Brayden Schenn |
| 76 Chris VandeVelde | 78 Pierre-Edouard Bellemare | 25 Ryan White |
| 24 Matt Read | 21 Scott Laughton | 20 R.J. Umberger |
| Defense | ||
| 15 Michael Del Zotto | 3 Radko Gudas | |
| 55 Nick Schultz | 32 Mark Streit | |
| 53 Shayne Gostisbehere | 82 Evgeny Medvedev | |
| Goalie | ||
| 35 Steve Mason |
Newly-acquired Jordan Weal had not yet arrived with the Flyers prior to Wednesday's morning skate, and will be a healthy scratch. Thus, his Flyers debut will be postponed. With Luke Schenn now out of the mix as well, Evgeny Medvedev (partnered with Shayne Gostsibehere) will make his return to the lineup.
Game Notes:
- Power Play: Flyers (26th, 14th on road), Wild (21st, 4th at home)
- Penalty Kill: Flyers (25th, 19th on road), Wild (22nd, 25th at home)
- Recent History vs. Wild:
- Nov. 20, 2014 – While Claude Giroux tied the game at 2 with 3:30 to play, it was not enough, as Jason Zucker put the Flyers away with 45.4 seconds on the clock. Nino Niederreiter, Mark Streit and Marco Scandella also scored. Darcy Kuemper earned the win with 37 saves, while Ray Emery stopped 26 pucks.
- Dec. 23, 2014 - Sean Couturier, Claude Giroux, Wayne Simmonds, Vinny Lecavalier and Michael Raffl all scored in a 5-2 win, while Scandella and Charlie Coyle recorded the lone Wild markers. Emery (22 saves) and Kuemper (25) reprised their roles between the pipes.
- Milestone Watch
- Jake Voracek: 3 points to reach 400 for career
- Mark Streit: 7 points to reach 400 for career
Where to Watch
TV: TCN
Radio: 93.3 WMMR
Rob Riches is a contributor to Flyerdelphia and Sports Talk Philly. Follow him on Twitter @Riches61
