Game 16 Preview: Flyers kick off homestand against Minnesota

By Rob Riches, Sports Talk Philly contributor 

Right off the heels of Friday's third-period meltdown against Toronto, the Flyers have a quick opportunity to bounce back, as they welcome the Minnesota Wild to Wells Fargo Center and open a four-game stretch on home ice.
 
In their first season under Bruce Boudreau, the Wild have jumped out to a 7-4-1 record, while possessing one of the Western Conference's best goal differentials (+13) and winning four of their last six games — most recently, a 4-2 decision over Pittsburgh on Thursday. 
 
Puck drop is set for 7 p.m.
 

 
Flyers Leaders GP G A P Wild Leaders GP G A P
Claude Giroux 15 4 12 16 Eric Staal 12 5 6 11
Jake Voracek 15 6 9

15

Ryan Suter 12 3 8 11
Wayne Simmonds 15 8 6 14 Charlie Coyle 12 4 5 9
Travis Konecny 15 4 6 10 Nino Niederreiter 12 3 4 7
Mark Streit 15 3 7 10 Jason Zucker 12 2 5 7
 
Player to Watch
17 Wayne Simmonds 12 Eric Staal
Last 5 Games: 2 G, 1 A, 3 P, -1 Last 5 Games: 2 G, 4 A, 6 P, +5
  

Wayne Simmonds certainly did his part in last night's game, scoring two of the Flyers' three goals — including his first-career shorthanded tally. His eight goals are among the league's leaders — tied with the likes of Artem Anisimov, Marian Hossa and Steven Stamkos.

 

It almost feels wrong seeing Eric Staal in a uniform that's not Carolina's — but the Hurricanes made the deal to trade their franchise cornerstone at last year's deadline to further their youth movement, and the cagey vet inked a three-year deal in the offseason to join a veteran-laden Wild team. In 48 career games against the Orange and Black, the 32-year-old center has recorded 17 goals and 37 points.

 
Goalie Matchup
30 Michal Neuvirth 40 Devan Dubnyk
4-2-0, 3.56 GAA, .859 SV% 6-3-1 1.51 GAA, .951 SV%

Michal Neuvirth will get the nod for the Flyers, and will look to alleviate their goaltending woes. In his most-recent start last week against Montreal, he allowed five goals on 17 shots.

Devan Dubnyk will look to continue his red-hot start for the Wild. The former Masterton Trophy winner is third in the league in save percentage, and second in GAA. He recently turned aside 39 of 41 shots in Thursday's win over the Penguins.

Flyers Projected Lineup

Scratches:  Andrew MacDonald, Nick Schultz, Boyd Gordon, Chris VandeVelde

Left Wing Center Right Wing
10 Brayden Schenn 28 Claude Giroux 17 Wayne Simmonds
11 Travis Konecny 14 Sean Couturier 93 Jake Voracek
12 Michael Raffl 25 Nick Cousins 22 Dale Weise
24 Matt Read 78 Pierre-Edouard Bellemare 13 Roman Lyubimov
Defense    
53 Shayne Gostisbehere 15 Michael Del Zotto  
9 Ivan Provorov 32 Mark Streit  
3 Radko Gudas 23 Brandon Manning  
Goalie    
35 Steve Mason    

Game Notes

  • Power Play: Flyers (2nd, 4th at home), Wild (19th, 29th on road)
  • Penalty Kill: Flyers (26th, 22nd at home), Wild (5th, 12th on road)

  • Recent History vs. Wild:
                Feb. 26, 2016 — The Flyers held on for a 3-2 win against the Wild, in a game that featured Michal Neuvirth's miracle sprawling save on Charlie Coyle in the dying seconds of regulation. Sam Gagner, Mark Streit and Pierre-Edouard Bellemare all scored for the Flyers, while Thomas Vanek and Mikael Granlund scored for the Wild. Neuvirth's save was just one of 24 for him.

                Jan. 7, 2016 — Michael Del Zotto scored twice for the Flyers, while Sean Couturier and Ryan White also lit the lamp in a 4-3 win. Marco Scandella, Jason Zucker and Zach Parise each tallied for the Wild. Steve Mason stopped 31 pucks for the Flyers, while Devan Dubnyk made 32 saves.

  • A Look Back in Flyers History — The Flyers' first-ever game against the Minnesota Wild was the Wild's third game as a franchise, and both teams skated to a 3-3 tie. Peter White (!) potted two goals for the Flyers, while Eric Desjardins also scored and Brian Boucher recorded 19 saves. Darby Hendrickson, Marian Gaborik and one-time Flyer Wes Walz all scored for the Wild.

Where to Watch
TV: CSN
Radio: 93.3 WMMR

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