Photo Courtesy of Kate Frese
The Flyers' race for a playoff spot continues Tuesday, taking on a team that's long been out of contention in the Carolina Hurricanes for the third of five times this season.
With 63 points, the Flyers (26-23-11) still sit four points behind Boston for the East's final playoff spot, as both teams were idle on Monday. The Bruins will also be in action Tuesday night as they host Vancouver, so the Flyers could close the gap to two points if they and the Canucks emerge victorious in regulation.
The Flyers will take the ice after a weekend that saw them win two of their best games all season at Wells Fargo Center against quality teams in Nashville and Washington, respectively. With the Hurricanes firmly entrenched in the Connor McDavid/Jack Eichel sweepstakes — holding the East's second-worst record at 21-30-7 with 49 points — the phrase "trap game" almost becomes cliche in this instance.
Both teams have met twice this season, splitting both meetings. The Orange and Black decisively took the first matchup by a 5-1 margin on Dec. 13 — a game that saw Jakub Voracek, Wayne Simmonds, Claude Giroux and Scott Laughton record multi-point games, while Laughton scored his first NHL goal.
The Hurricanes rebounded for a 2-1 win on Jan. 2, holding the Flyers to just 24 shots on goal as Chris VandeVelde recorded his second tally of the season. Most notably, that game is remember most for a scary injury sustained by Giroux, after taking a cut to the leg from the skate of Justin Faulk.
The Flyers also learned Monday that they will be without the services of Ray Emery, who will be sidelined day-to-day with a lower-body injury. Subsequently, Rob Zepp and Anthony Stolarz will reprise the roles that they've played with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms this season, as 'Stolie' has been recalled to back Zepp up until Steve Mason can return from his knee injury — which is expected by the weekend.
In eight games, Zepp is 5-1-0 with a 2.63 GAA and .894 save percentage. The 'Canes are likely to counter with Cam Ward, whose record stands at 15-19-4 with a 2.39 GAA and .913 SP.
Leading the charge offensively for the Hurricanes is Faulk, with 10 goals and 36 points. Jeff Skinner also enters the game with four goals scored in his past six games, while Eric Staal has scored in both games against the Orange and Black.
In addition to their playoff push, the Flyers will look to continue their stretch of points in 12 of their last 13 games, during which they've gone 8-1-4.
Game Notes
- Power Play: Flyers (3rd, 10th on road), Hurricanes (19th, 11th at home)
- Penalty Kill: Flyers (29th, 21st on road), Hurricanes (1st, 3rd at home)
- Wayne Simmonds will look to continue his career-long point streak to nine games. As a Flyer, Simmonds has seven goals and 11 points in 12 games against the Hurricanes.
Flyers scratches: Steve Mason, Ray Emery, Luke Schenn, Vincent Lecavalier, Carlo Colaiacovo
Flyers Projected Lineup
Line 1: Michael Raffl-Claude Giroux-Wayne Simmonds
Line 2: R. J. Umberger-Brayden Schenn-Ryan White
Line 3: Matt Read-Sean Couturier-Jakub Voracek
Line 4:Chris VandeVelde–Pierre-Edouard Bellemare-Zac Rinaldo
D-Pair 1: Nick Schultz-Mark Streit
D-Pair 2: Michael Del Zotto -Braydon Coburn
D-Pair 3:Nicklas Grossmann-Andrew MacDonald
Goalie: Rob Zepp
Where to Watch
TV: NBCSN/CSN Philly
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic
