Preview
The Flyers (23-11-9) will look to bounce back from a subpar effort on Tuesday when they take on the Tampa Bay Lightning (13-20-10) tonight in the front end of a two night, two city swing through the Sunshine State.
On Tuesday, the Flyers lost in regulation for just the second time this season in a game in which they scored first. The other game was November 8 -- the Flyers' first meeting of the season with Tampa Bay. In that tilt, the Flyers dominated the opening period but could only light the lamp once. Tampa went on to steal the game, 2-1. That game marked the only time the Flyers (14-1-2 when leading after the first period) lost in regulation after going to the first intermission ahead.
The Flyers cannot afford to take another night off, despite Tampa's record. Both games with Bolts this season have been tight contests. Despite the ugly 7-1 pasting the Lightning received from San Jose in the final game of their recent road trip, the team posted a winning record on the five-game trip. What's more, the Flyers often struggle to win on the road in Tampa. Against the rest of the league, the Lightning haven't fared well at home of late, going 2-5-4 in its last 11 home games.
Tampa player to watch: Ex-Flyer Vaclav Prospal often steps up to bite his old club, no matter how well or poorly he's playing against everyone else. He's tallied goals in both meetings this season. Over the course of his career, he has 14 goals and 28 points in 35 games against Philly.
Flyers player to watch: Simon Gagne has struggled since coming back from a shoulder injury. But he was in a mini-slump offensively even before the injury. Not counting the Vancouver game in which he was injured in the opening 15 seconds of play, Gagne has no goals and two assists in his last six games. His last goal was in the Dec. 23 tilt against Ottawa.
Situational comparisons
5-on-5
Flyers 73 GF - 76 GA
Bolts 69 GF - 76 GA
4-on-4
Flyers 5 GF - 9 GA
Bolts 3 GF - 2 GA
Powerplay
Flyers 26.7% overall (2nd NHL), 14.1% road (25th NHL), 0 SGHA
Bolts 15.2% overall (24th NHL), 10.4% home (29th NHL), 4 SHGA
Penalty kill
Flyers 83.5% overall (8th NHL), 81.4% road (14th NHL), 13 SHG
Bolts 80.8% overall (T-19th NHL), 86% home (6th NHL), 2 SHG
1st period
Flyers 38 GF - 40 GA
Bolts 37 GF -38 GA
2nd period
Flyers 50 GF - 47 GA
Bolts 38 GF - 45 GA
3rd period
Flyers 47 GF - 32 GA
Bolts 27 GF - 42 GA
OT
Flyers 5 GF - 4 GA
Bolts 1 GF - 3 GA
Lineup
Gagne - Richards - Knuble
Hartnell - Carter - Lupul
Upshall - Metropolit - Giroux
Cote - Powe - Asham
Timonen - Väänänen
Coburn - Carle
Alberts - Jones
Biron
[Niittymäki]
Contact Bill at
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Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
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