Flyers look to keep rolling as they host Rangers
With the Flyers now riding a three-game winning streak, everything seemed to be off to a flying start out of the All-Star break with back-to-back wins, Thursday's coming by a decisive 6-3 score. But the Flyers lost their best defensive forward in Sean Couturier again, this time for four weeks, just in time for a brutal back-to-back weekend of games.
It starts with the New York Rangers, who currently hold the second spot in the Metropolitan Division and are ahead of the Flyers by seven points.
The Flyers have had good success against the Rangers this season, claiming the first two games and nearly taking the third as well if not for Henrik Lundqvist and the shootout.
The Flyers and Rangers are set to faceoff starting at 1 p.m. on Saturday from Wells Fargo Center.
| Flyers Leaders | GP | G | A | P | Canadiens Leaders | GP | G | A | P |
| Claude Giroux | 49 | 16 | 27 | 43 | Derick Brassard | 50 | 18 | 21 | 39 |
| Jake Voracek | 49 | 8 | 33 | 41 | Mats Zuccarello | 51 | 18 | 19 | 37 |
| Wayne Simmonds | 49 | 18 | 16 | 34 | Rick Nash | 45 | 12 | 21 | 33 |
| Brayden Schenn | 47 | 14 | 15 | 29 | J.T. Miller | 51 | 16 | 13 | 29 |
| Shayne Gostisbehere | 31 | 8 | 16 | 24 | Keith Yandle | 51 | 3 | 24 | 27 |
| Player to Watch | |
| 17 Wayne Simmonds | 10 J.T. Miller |
| Last 5 Games: 6 G, 3 A, 9 P, +3 | Last 5 Games: 6 G, 1 A, 7 P, +7 |
| Goalie Matchup | |
| 35 Steve Mason | 30 Henrik Lundqvist |
| 12-12-6, 2.71 GAA, .916 SV% | 24-14-4, 2.42 GAA, .920 SV% |
Steve Mason makes his third straight start as the Flyers go for their fourth straight win. Despite allowing 14 goals in his last five games, Mason has really been excellent, making at least 29 saves in each of the last five games and combining for 67 saves on 72 shots in the last two games.
The Flyers were able to solve Lundqvist in a shootout win in October, but Hank stole the show in the team's last meeting in January. Facing Lundqvist is always a challenge, but the Flyers did find a way to beat Pekka Rinne six times on Thursday. Anything goes on any day. The Flyers just need to hope it's not Lundqvist's day again.
Flyers Projected Lineup
Scratches: Jordan Weal, R.J. Umberger, Brandon Manning, Michal Neuvirth, Sean Couturier
| Left Wing | Center | Right Wing |
| 93 Jake Voracek | 28 Claude Giroux | 17 Wayne Simmonds |
| 89 Sam Gagner | 52 Nick Cousins | 10 Brayden Schenn |
| 76 Chris VandeVelde | 78 Pierre-Edouard Bellemare | 25 Ryan White |
| 12 Michael Raffl | 21 Scott Laughton | 24 Matt Read |
| Defense | ||
| 15 Michael Del Zotto | 53 Shayne Gostisbehere | |
| 55 Nick Schultz | 32 Mark Streit | |
| 82 Evgeny Medvedev | 3 Radko Gudas | |
| Goalie | ||
| 35 Steve Mason |
Couturier's injury forces him out of the lineup again and with Nick Cousins called up, expect most of the lineup to remain the same. R.J. Umberger and Jordan Weal are expected to be scratched again while Cousins simply slots into Couturier's second-line spot with Sam Gagner and Brayden Schenn.
Game Notes
- Power Play: Flyers (15th, 25th at home), Rangers (T-26th, 25th on road)
- Penalty Kill: Flyers (T-25th, 24th at home), Rangers (T-25th, 30th on road)
- Recent History vs. Rangers
- Jan. 16, 2016 - The Rangers took a 3-2 win in a shootout in Philadelphia. Brayden Schenn scored early for the Flyers before J.T. Miller tied things up late in the first. The Rangers went ahead on a goal by Chris Kreider in the second before the Flyer tied things up with a power play goal by Wayne Simmonds midway through the third. Mats Zuccarello scored the only goal of the shootout to seal the win. Steve Mason made 29 saves in the loss.
- Nov. 28, 2015 - The Flyers picked up a 3-0 win in New York. Wayne Simmonds scored midway through the second and Sean Couturier tallied early in the third. Simmonds would ice the game with an empty-netter late as Steve Mason made 24 saves in a shutout win.
- Oct. 24, 2015 - The Flyers claimed a 3-2 shootout win at home. Mark Streit opened the scoring midway through the first before J.T. Miller evened things up just over two minutes later. Scott Laughton gave the Flyers the lead early in the second before Derick Brassard tied things up less than two minutes later again. Sam Gagner and Claude Giroux scored for the Flyers in the shootout as Steve Mason made 37 saves in regulation and another two in the shootout.
- Flyers leaders vs. Rangers
- Claude Giroux - 39 games, 6 goals, 26 assists, 32 points
- Jake Voracek – 25 games, 9 goals, 9 assists, 18 points
- Wayne Simmonds – 26 games, 11 goals, 7 assists, 18 points
- Steve Mason - 13 games, 7-3-2, 2.16 GAA, .934 Sv%
- Milestone Watch
- Mark Streit: 5 points to reach 400 for career
- Jake Voracek: 7 goals to reach 100 as a Flyer
Where to Watch
TV: CSN
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic
Kevin Durso is managing editor for Flyerdelphia. Follow him on Twitter @Kevin_Durso.
