Game 43 Preview: Zepp gets second start against TB

The Flyers will look to close out their four-game homestand on Monday with an even record, but it's a tall order, as the Tampa Bay Lightning come to Wells Fargo Center for the second time this season. This will be the third and final regular season between the Flyers and Lightning.

Both teams last met just under a month ago, as the Lightning won 3-1 on Dec. 16. Steven Stamkos, Tyler Johnson and Valtteri Filppula each scored for the Bolts in that game. In their first meeting on Oct. 30 in Tampa Bay, the Lightning won 4-3, with Vladislav Namestnikov, Jason Garrison and Stamkos (twice) providing the offense. Wayne Simmonds scored once in both games, while Jakub Voracek and Michael Raffl have scored in the first game.

The Flyers will be without the services of Steve Mason beginning tonight, as he's expected to miss up to two weeks with a lower-body injury suffered in Saturday's loss against Boston. Rob Zepp has been called up from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, and will start between the pipes tonight.

It's been a while since the Flyers beat the Lightning, with their last win coming nearly tw0 calendar years ago on Feb. 5, 2013. Since the 2010-11 season, the Orange and Black are 3-12-11 against the Lightning.

Offensively, the Bolts are led by the sopohomore Johnson, with 17 goals and 45 points. Stamkos is their leading goal-scorer, with 22 (and 40 points to boot). Nikita Kucherov isn't a force to be reckoned with as well, due to his 17 goals and 41 points.

The Lightning will start Evgeni Nabokov in the cage tonight, playing just his second game since Dec. 19. As the backup to Ben Bishop, Nabokov's record stands at 3-5-2 with a 2.82 GAA and .892 SP. Zepp's start will be his second for the Flyers this season. His last start came Dec. 21, in an emotional 4-3 overtime win over Winnipeg — during which he became the oldest goaltender (at 33-years-old) to win his debut in 88 years.

The Flyers (16-19-7, 39 points) are in dire need of points, in order to secure a berth in the Stanley Cup playoffs. With a 27-12-4 record and 58 points, the Bolts are sitting pretty at first place in the Eastern Conference, as well as third place in the league.

Monday's game will also feature five of the NHL's top-15 points leaders — Voracek (50), Claude Giroux (46), Johnson (45), Kucherov (41) and Stamkos (40).