PREVIEW 6 AM EST
There are certain teams that always seem to give other ones trouble, regardless of their respective records for the season or their recent play in the games leading up to the meeting. The Florida Panthers (7-7-0) are one such team for the Flyers (10-4-2), who are coming off a blowout victory on the road against a Carolina Hurricanes club that they've now beaten 8 straight times.
While much of the media focus last season was on Mike Richards' controversial hit on David Booth, the team vs. team aspect showed yet again that Florida is a club against whom the Flyers need to improve their tempo and execution. Last year, Florida took 3 of 4 from the Flyers, averaging 4 goals per game in outscoring Philly by a 16-11 margin.
After enjoying a three-day break early last week, the Flyers embarked on a stretch of four games in six nights, including a 3-in-4 scenario that begins tonight. It was helpful that the club was able to spread around the ice time in Carolina, because they are going to need a lot of energy to navigate this next stretch of games. After tonight's game, the club plays Ottawa at the Wells Fargo Center on Monday and then immediately flies out to Montreal to take on the Canadiens. On paper, these are all winnable games but the Flyers will need to keep playing the kind of hockey that has carried them to a stellar 8-1-1 mark in the last 10 games.
First things first. Florida brings a two-game winning streak to Philly. The Panthers defeated Minnesota, 2-1 last night. (In much of October, the Flyers played their worst games against clubs that had played the night before while Philly was idle, but they have elevated their game as a whole since then). Whenever you play Florida, you have to be ready to be patient and to earn your goals against Tomas Vokoun or capable backup Scott Clemmensen. The Panthers have allowed just 2.43 goals per game this season. With the club having played last night and Vokoun having started, it's not known for sure as of this writing whether the Czech veteran will be starting tonight.
While there's no one on Florida whom anyone would call a gamebreaker, they spread the offense around. Booth (5 goals, 10 points) leads the way this season, following by emerging talent Michal Frolik (4 goals, 10 points) and defenseman Dennis Wideman (2 goals, 8 assists, 10 points).
After a rough start in early October, the Flyers' powerplay has risen above the 20% efficiency mark (20.3%) for the season. But Florida has been a very good penalty killing team this year, surviving 88.6% of its disadvantages. Vokoun has been their best penalty killer but they haven't been passive in their PK box. They challenge the passing lanes, knowing their goalie will often bail them out even if passes get completed and shots get through on net.
Meanwhile, it's hard to find things to criticize about the Flyers' recent play, but the PK has given up goals in four straight games, slipping out of the NHL's top 10 at 86.4% efficiency. Even so, the Flyers' have been so deadly this year in creating shorthanded scoring chances -- especially Claude Giroux and Mike Richards -- that other teams have to have counterattacks in the back of their minds. Florida has not been a good powerplay team anyway, lugging an anemic 10.9% efficiency mark to Philly.
Injury-wise, Florida will be without the services of Steve Bernier (possible broken cheekbone) tonight. In the closing seconds of the game last night, he caught a stick in the face from Minnesota defenseman Brent Burns. The Flyers will continue with the same lineup they've been using the last three games, meaning James van Riemsdyk will continue to sit out as a healthy scratch.
Projected starting lineups (subject to change)
FLYERS
Nodl - Richards - Zherdev
Hartnell - Briere - Leino
Powe - Giroux - Carter
Shelley - Betts - Carcillo
Pronger - Carle
Coburn - Timonen
Meszaros - O'Donnell
Bobrovsky
[Boucher]
PANTHERS
Matthias - Weiss - Frolik
Booth - Santorelli - Olesz
Stillman - Reasoner - Dvorak
Hordichuk - Reinprecht - Higgins
McCabe - Kulikov
Allen - Wideman
Ellerby - Weaver
Vokoun/Clemmensen
****
The Phantoms finally halted their losing streak at 10 games last night, with a comeback 4-3 win in overtime against the Norfolk Admirals at the Glens Falls Civic Center. A late-game powerplay goal by veteran addition Denis Hamel sent the game to the extra frame, and then Hamel tallied again on another powerplay to sent the team off a winner for the first time in nearly a calendar month. Eric Wellwood and Ben Holmstrom had the other two goals for the Phantoms at even strength, while Marc-Andre Bourdon was a plus-two and Erik Gustafsson helped set up Hamel's game-winner in OT. Johan Backlund stopped 21 of 24 shots for the win.
According to Tim McManus, injured Flyers player Ian Laperriere attended the game last night. His presence may have lent some moral support and inspiration to a team desperately in need of both. During the game, he sat next to Derian Hatcher and Kjell Samuelsson (who is still with the organization but is no longer an assistant coach on the bench).
Also according to McManus, the starting lineup for the Phantoms was as follows:
Hamel - Moore - Legein
Rowe - Wellwood -Laliberte
Rinaldo - Holmstrom - M. Testwuide
Clackson - Kalinski - Klotz
Jancevski - Gustafsson
Lehtivuori - Marshall
Bourdon - J. Testwuide
Backlund
[Stewart]
*****
Today's
Daily Drop at Versus.com looks at the Tampa Bay Lightning coming up short in a pair of measuring-stick road games against Washington and Pittsburgh. Steven Stamkos did his part, scoring in both games. But the club, which is playing without Vincent LeCavalier and Simon Gagne, was no match for either the Capitals or Penguins.
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
Join the Discussion:
»