Flyers-Bruins: Game 38 Preview

By Kevin Durso, Sports Talk Philly editor 

Finally, on Monday night, the Flyers got their first win against the Bruins this season. It took overtime to do it though, and that allowed the Bruins to essentially maintain pace with the Flyers in the standings, when every point is valuable.

The two teams meet again on Tuesday night, this time in Philadelphia, to complete the home-and-home and the second of three matchups this week that could ultimately determine the standings for good. For the Flyers, it's another must just to keep pace.

Game time is at 7 p.m.

Team Leaders

Philadelphia Flyers GP G A P Boston Bruins GP G A P
James van Riemsdyk 37 13 18 31 Brad Marchand 33 17 24 41
Claude Giroux 35 11 19 30 David Pastrnak 28 16 15 31
Jake Voracek 34 5 24 29 Patrice Bergeron 35 12 18 30
Sean Couturier 25 11 17 28 David Krejci 31 2 21 23
Joel Farabee 36 14 13 27 Charlie McAvoy 35 4 18 22

Players To Watch 4-6

Travis Konecny finally snapped a 12-game goalless drought on Monday. He's been playing with more energy lately and the offense may be coming around. It could be just in time for the Flyers if it continues throughout the week, but especially on Tuesday night.
 
Usually it's David Pastrnak or Brad Marchand providing the offense, but Patrice Bergeron had a goal in Monday's game and led the way with six shots on goal for Boston. He'll also be pretty determined for a better outing after falling down in overtime on the rush that led to the game-winning goal.
 
Goalie Matchup 4-6

Carter Hart showed signs of bouncing back with a solid performance in goal on Saturday and a more upbeat demeanor following the game. The Flyers are hopeful that continues on Tuesday, as they lean on Hart to keep the success going.

At the other end of the ice, the Bruins are using Jeremy Swayman. Just over a year ago, he was playing for the University of Maine. On Tuesday night, he will make his NHL debut. Swayman was off to a hot start in the AHL, with an 8-1 record and 1.89 GAA before getting the call up to the NHL with Tuukka Rask and Jaroslav Halak both out for Tuesday.

Projected Lineups

Flyers Line Combos 4-6

Flyers Scratches: Morgan Frost (injury), Robert Hagg (injured), Oskar Lindblom (healthy), Erik Gustafsson (healthy)

 
Opponent Line Combos 4-6

Bruins Scratches: Tuukka Rask (injury), Ondrej Kase (injury), Brandon Carlo (injury), Jaroslav Halak (COVID protocol), Anders Bjork (healthy), Jarred Tinordi (healthy), Zach Senyshyn (healthy), Steven Kampfer (healthy)

Lineup Notes

  • Flyers: There was no morning skate for the Flyers, so any lineup changes for Tuesday's game will be known closer to game time. There is a chance that Oskar Lindblom could re-enter the lineup after being a healthy scratch on Monday.
  • Bruins: In addition to the goalie change, the Bruins will get Kevan Miller back in the lineup and will also bring in Chris Wagner. Zach Senyshyn and Steven Kampfer come out of the lineup. 

Game Notes

  • Power Play: Flyers (19th), Bruins (T-9th)
  • Penalty Kill: Flyers (29th), Bruins (1st)
  • Recent History vs. Bruins
    • Jan. 21, 2021 – Bruins 5, Flyers 4 (F/SO) (at BOS)
    • Jan. 23, 2021 – Bruins 6, Flyers 1 (at BOS)
    • Feb. 3, 2021 – Bruins 4, Flyers 3 (F/OT) (at PHI)
    • Feb. 5, 2021 – Bruins 2, Flyers 1 (at PHI)
    • Feb. 21, 2021 – Bruins 7, Flyers 3 (at Lake Tahoe)
    • April 5, 2021 – Flyers 3, Bruins 2 (F/OT) (at BOS)
  • Flyers Leaders vs. Bruins
    • Jake Voracek – 36 GP, 7 G, 25 A, 32 P
    • James van Riemsdyk – 42 GP, 18 G, 16 A, 34 P
    • Claude Giroux – 44 GP, 10 G, 22 A, 32 P
    • Carter Hart – 9 GP, 4-3-2, 3.81 GAA, .879 SV%

Where to Watch
TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia
Radio: 93.3 WMMR

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