PREVIEW 8:30 AM EST
Sporting a 5-0-2 record to date in November, the Flyers (11-4-3) are in Manitoba today to take on the Winnipeg Jets (7-9-3) in a weekend matinee. The game starts at 3 PM EST and will be broadcast on CSN Philly.
The game marks the second of four meetings between the clubs this season. On Oct. 27, the teams played one of the wildest games in recent memory, with the Jets blowing a four-goal lead and then coming from behind in the third period to prevail, 9-8.
Since that time, the Flyers have gone 6-0-2 and Ilya Bryzgalov (who allowed four goals on 10 shots in relief of Sergei Bobrovsky in the first Jets game) has gone 5-0-1 and hasn't allowed more than two goals in any of his starts. The Jets, meanwhile, have tried to tighten things up defensively. Winnipeg comes into this game riding high off victories over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday and the Washington Capitals on Thursday.
Overall, the Flyers have generally fared well against the Atlanta/Winnipeg franchise, but the worm has turned in recent years. The Thrashers/Jets enter this game having won eight of the last nine games against Philly. Today's tilt marks the first time the Flyers have paid a visit to Winnipeg since a
4-1 loss to the original Jets on March 22, 1996.
The Flyers gritted out a 2-1 home win over Phoenix on Thursday. James van Riemsdyk scored the first goal on a 2-on-1 rush, while Matt Read scored the game winner in the final 20 seconds of regulation. The victory was costly to Philadelphia, as top line right winger Jaromir Jagr went down early with a groin pull. Jagr did not make the trip to Winnipeg.
One area where the Flyers have not fared well in November is on the power play. Even after the return of Chris Pronger to the lineup, they've largely come up blank on the man advantage. The club's power play success rate for the season has dropped to 17.4 percent. The Jets have not been much better (17.6 percent).
Conversely, the Flyers' penalty kill has been outstanding all month. The club has raised its season percentage to 87.2 percent. Winnipeg has been ordinary (80.4 percent) on the whole, but has improved of late.
Jagr is the only key injury for Philly at this point, along with rookies Braydon Schenn (broken foot, has resumed skating) and Erik Gustafsson (wrist surgery). Andreas Nodl (knee) has been cleared to play, and is available if Peter Laviolette chooses to dress him.
For Winnipeg, the injury list includes defensemen Ron Hainsey (upper body), Derek Meech (lower body), Tobias Enstrom (collarbone), and Randy Jones (ankle). Brett Festerling is questionable with an upper-body injury that kept him out of Thursday's game.
PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP (subject to change)
FLYERS
Hartnell - Giroux -
various
JVR - Briere - Simmonds
Read - Talbot - Voracek
Zolnierczyk - Couturier - Rinaldo/Nodl
Carle - Pronger
Timonen - Coburn
Lilja - Meszaros
Bryzgalov
[Bobrovsky]
JETS
Ladd - Antropov - Wellwood
Kane - Little - Burmistrov
Glass - Slater - Thorburn
Jaffray - Stapleton - Wheeler
Stuart - Byfuglien
Bogosian - Oduya
Kulda - Flood
Mason /Pavelec
*******
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