PREVIEW 9:30 AM EST
Coming off a bizarre but psychologically important 4-3 shootout victory in Tampa Bay, the Flyers (37-14-5) will take to the ice for the third time in four nights tonight as they complete their two-game trip to the Sunshine State with a meeting against the pesky Florida Panthers (24-24-7).
Philadelphia has already learned the hard way once this season that the Cats can maul an opponent that is unprepared to match or exceed their work ethic. In the last game before the Flyers' Christmas break, the Philly players took an early holiday and Panthers humiliated them with a 5-0 shutout. Several weeks earlier, however, the Flyers handled the Panthers by a 5-2 count. Tonight's game marks the third of four meetings between the teams this season. They will meet again in Florida on March 15.
Last night's win in Tampa wasn't exactly the complete effort the Flyers wanted, but it was good enough to come away with a feeling that they could beat a club against whom they were winless in three previous tries this season. It was an especially big game for James van Riemsdyk, who recorded a Gordie Howe hat trick in what can be deemed a statement game by the second-season player. However, the Flyers cannot afford to keep giving back multiple-goal leads, and they are going to have to do a much better job defensively against Tampa if the clubs meet up in the playoffs.
Florida is just 3-4-3 in its last 10 games and is sputtering in its efforts to compete for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. They figure to be sellers as the Feb. 28 trade deadline approaches. However, the club is coming off a well-deserved 3-2 win against San Jose Sharks team on Sunday. The Sharks entered the game feeling a bit overconfident and simply got outworked for much of the game. One would hope from a Flyers standpoint that the club already knows that the Panthers won't simply roll over for them.
PROJECTED LINEUPS (subject to change)
FLYERS
JVR - Richards - Versteeg
Hartnell - Briere - Leino
Nodl - Giroux - Carter
Carcillo - Betts - Powe
Pronger - Carle
Coburn - Timonen
Meszaros - O'Donnell
Bobrovsky/Boucher
PANTHERS
Stillman - Weiss - Skille
Booth - Dvorak - Santorelli
Higgins - Reasoner - Olesz
Hordichuk - Timmins - Bernier
Garrison - Weaver
Allen - Wideman
Ellerby - Callahan
Vokoun
[Clemmensen]
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Today's
Daily Drop at Versus.com looks at James van Riemsdyk's performance last night and the lofty (and, at times, unfair) expectations and trade rumors that have followed him ever since the Flyers made him the second overall pick of the 2007 Entry Draft.
This week's
Across the Pond at NHL.com looks at the emergence of 2006 Flyers draft pick Jakub Kovar (4th round, 109th overall) in the Czech Extraliga this season. Replacing the retired Roman Turek, Kovar has started all 49 games in goal for Ceske Budejovice this season and hopes to start every game in the 52-game regular season. He has played all but 22 minutes of his team's games this season.
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
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