Photo Courtesy of Kate Frese
The Flyers continue their brief Canadian road swing, as they head to British Columbia to take on the Vancouver Canucks for the second time this season for some St. Patrick's Day pucks.
Both teams previously met at Wells Fargo Center on Jan. 15 — a 4-0 win for the Canucks. Ryan Miller turned away 30 shots, while Ray Emery was pulled for Rob Zepp after allowing three goals on 12 shots. Nick Bonino, Henrik Sedin, Radim Vrbata and Jannik Hansen each scored for the Canucks, while Daniel Sedin recorded two assists. Vrbata and Hansen's tallies came within a 22-second span early in the second period, effectively ending the game just 1:43 into the second stanza.
It's been a while since the Flyers (29-27-15) last took the ice at Rogers Arena, as both teams last met in Vancouver on Dec. 30, 2013 — a 4-3 shootout win for the Orange and Black. They haven't lost in Vancouver since Dec. 28, 2010 — just a two-game streak, though.
The game will also be the NHL debut for Nick Cousins, who was just recalled from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms over the weekend. The American League's reigning Player of the Week, Cousins is expected to replace Matt Read – who will be out of the lineup as he and his wife Erin became first-time parents on Monday — on the second line alongside Sean Couturier and Wayne Simmonds, and will wear sweater number 52.
Michael Del Zotto is also with the team, as he continues to progress from an upper-body injury. His status for tonight remains unknown as of press time, but is likely to return Thursday when the Flyers visit Calgary.
Steve Mason is likely to start in goal for the Flyers, following Emery's 27-save performance on Sunday. The Canucks are likely to counter with Eddie Lack, as Miller continues to be sidelined with a sprained knee sustained in February. Lack's record stands at 11-9-3, with a 2.43 GAA and .920 save percentage.
Leading the way for the Canucks (39-25-4) offensively is, naturally, the Sedin twins — Henrik with 60 points, and Daniel with 58. Vrbata leads the team in goals, with 25.
The Canucks also enter the game in second place in the Pacific Division, though a loss (coupled with a Calgary win) would relegate them to a wild-card spot. A Flyers win could bring them to seven points outside of the East's final spot, but Boston's matchup with Buffalo isn't doing them any favors.
Game Notes
- Power Play: Flyers (3rd, 12th on road), Canucks (21st, 16th at home)
- Penalty Kill: Flyers (29th, 29th on road), Canucks (2nd, 7th at home)
- The Flyers' all-time record in Vancouver stands at 32-11-12-o
Flyers scratches: R.J Umberger, Brandon Manning, Radko Gudas, Michael Del Zotto, Matt Read
Flyers Projected Lineup
Line 1: Brayden Schenn-Claude Giroux-Wayne Simmonds
Line 2: Nick Cousins-Sean Couturier-Wayne Simmonds
Line 3: Ryan White-Michael Raffl-Zac Rinaldo
Line 4:Chris VandeVelde-Pierre-Edouard Bellemare-Vincent Lecavalier
D-Pair 1: Nick Schultz-Mark Streit
D-Pair 2: Carlo Colaiacovo-Luke Schenn
D-Pair 3:Nicklas Grossmann-Andrew MacDonald
Goalie: Steve Mason
Where to Watch
TV: CSN Philly
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic
Rob Riches is a contributing writer for Flyerdelphia. Follow him on Twitter @Riches61
