Flyers close another back-to-back in Columbus
Back on the road, the Flyers avenged a weekend that wasn't in their favor with a win that pushed them back into the thick of the playoff race.
Now one point back of the final playoff spot, the Flyers have a chance to take over that spot, but have to avoid a down effort against a team well out of the playoff conversation.
The Columbus Blue Jackets have given the Flyers fits in years past, particularly in this very situation, and that is the challenge the Flyers face on Tuesday night.
The opening faceoff is set for 7 p.m.
| Flyers Leaders | GP | G | A | P | Blue Jackets Leaders | GP | G | A | P |
| Claude Giroux | 68 | 19 | 41 | 60 | Cam Atkinson | 71 | 25 | 21 | 46 |
| Wayne Simmonds | 71 | 25 | 25 | 50 | Scott Hartnell | 70 | 21 | 23 | 44 |
| Brayden Schenn | 69 | 24 | 25 | 49 | Boone Jenner | 72 | 25 | 17 | 42 |
| Jakub Voracek | 62 | 10 | 39 | 49 | Brandon Dubinsky | 65 | 14 | 28 | 42 |
| Shayne Gostisbehere | 53 | 16 | 23 | 39 | Brandon Saad | 68 | 24 | 17 | 41 |
| Player to Watch | |
| 12 Michael Raffl | 38 Boone Jenner |
| Last 5 Games: 3 G, 3 A, 6 P, +3 | Last 5 Games: 1 G, 2 A, 3 P, -3 |
| Goalie Matchup | |
| 35 Steve Mason | 72 Sergei Bobrovsky |
| 18-16-8, 2.58 GAA, .916 SV% | 12-16-1, 2.74 GAA, .908 SV% |
The Flyers cancelled their morning skate following Monday night's win in Brooklyn, which seems to indicate that Steve Mason will be back between the pipes. Mason made 23 saves in the win on Monday and stopped all 19 shots against his former team on March 5.
Sergei Bobrovsky got a win in his last start against the Devils, but was riding a three-game losing streak before that. He has allowed three goals in each of his last four starts. Bobrovsky already has a win against the Flyers this season and is 4-1-0 with a 1.80 GAA in five career starts against his former team.
Flyers Projected Lineup
Scratches: Chris VandeVelde, Evgeny Medvedev, R.J. Umberger, Jordan Weal, Michael Del Zotto
| Left Wing | Center | Right Wing |
| 10 Brayden Schenn | 28 Claude Giroux | 17 Wayne Simmonds |
| 12 Michael Raffl | 14 Sean Couturier | 89 Sam Gagner |
| 93 Jake Voracek | 52 Nick Cousins | 24 Matt Read |
| 21 Scott Laughton | 78 Pierre-Edouard Bellemare | 25 Ryan White |
| Defense | ||
| 47 Andrew MacDonald | 53 Shayne Gostisbehere | |
| 55 Nick Schultz | 32 Mark Streit | |
| 23 Brandon Manning | 3 Radko Gudas | |
| Goalie | ||
| 35 Steve Mason |
The Flyers will use the same lineup as Monday night's win against the Islanders.
Game Notes
- Power Play: Flyers (17th, 10th on road), Blue Jackets (T-18th, 26th at home)
- Penalty Kill: Flyers (T-21st, 15th on road), Blue Jackets (17th, 13th at home)
- Recent History vs. Blue Jackets
- March 5, 2016 – The Flyers rolled to a 6-0 win over the Blue Jackets at Wells Fargo Center. The Flyers took a 2-0 lead in the first on goals by Michael Raffl and Radko Gudas. Sam Gagner and Claude Giroux scored 10 seconds apart late in the second to extend the lead to 4-0. Nick Cousins and Gudas scored in the third to cap off the win. Steve Mason made 19 saves for his 30th career shutout.
- Dec. 19, 2015 – The Flyers fell to the Blue Jackets, 3-2, in a shootout in Columbus. Brandon Saad opened the scoring at the six-minute mark of the first and that lead carried until late in the second when Ryan Murray made it a 2-0 game. The Flyers rallied in the third for goals from Scott Laughton and Jake Voracek, but fell in the sixth round of the shootout on a goal by Brandon Dubinsky. Steve Mason made 35 saves on 37 shots and stopped four of six shootout attempts.
- Dec. 5, 2015 – The Blue Jackets claimed a 4-1 victory in Philadelphia. Nick Foligno and Jack Johnson struck for first period goals to give Columbus a 2-0 lead. Michael Raffl closed the gap to one early in the second, but the Flyers would fall behind further on another goal by Foligno and one from Scott Hartnell. Steve Mason made 30 saves in the loss.
- Flyers leaders vs. Blue Jackets
- Jakub Voracek – 12 games, 4 goals, 10 assists, 14 points
- Radko Gudas – 6 games, 2 goals, 4 assists, 6 points
- Sam Gagner – 27 games, 11 goals, 15 assists, 26 points
- Steve Mason – 8 games, 3-3-2, 2.62 GAA, .909 Sv%
- Milestone Watch
- Brayden Schenn needs 1 assist to reach 100 as a Flyer.
- Jake Voracek needs 5 goals to reach 100 as a Flyer.
- Sean Couturier needs 4 assists to reach 100 in his career.
- Claude Giroux needs 5 points to pass Reggie Leach for 12th all-time in Flyers history.
Where to Watch
TV: CSN
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic
Kevin Durso is managing editor for Flyerdelphia. Follow him on Twitter @Kevin_Durso.
