PREVIEW 8:00 AM EST
Looking to extend their December winning streak to eight games, the Flyers (20-7-3) return to the Wells Fargo Center to take on the Boston Bruins (20-9-1). The game starts at 1 PM EST and will be broadcast locally on CSN Philly and nationally on NHL Network.
Today's game marks the second of four meetings between the teams this season. On opening night of the 2011-12 season, the Flyers traveled to Boston and emerged with a 2-1 victory on the strength of goals by Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek as well as 22 saves from Ilya Bryzgalov in his Flyers debut. Brad Marchand scored the lone Bruins goal.
The Bruins, who have the best goal differential (+41) in the NHL this season, would be a formidable opponent even if the Flyers had Claude Giroux (concussion) and Chris Pronger (concussion) in the lineup. The club's combination of size and speed presented matchup problems in the playoffs last year. Boston enters this game on a three-game winning streak and has won seven of its last 10 games.
On Wednesday, the Bruins downed the Ottawa Senators, 5-2. Tim Thomas made 47 saves and Daniel Paille scored a pair of goals, while Rich Peverley had a goal and an assist and Chris Kelly and Patrice Bergeron tallied single goals.
Until the Flyers' last game, in which the club killed 8 of 9 penalties successfully in a 4-3 win over the Canadiens, Philly had not taken more than four penalties in any game during their winning streak. A repeat would not be advisable against Boston, although the Bruins power play has connected at an ordinary 17.6 percent rate.
On Thursday, Montreal's second-ranked penalty kill cooled off the Flyers' previously red hot power play, which now stands at 19.4 percent for the season. Boston is another very good penalty killing team, surviving 83 percent of its manpower disadvantages.
Wayne Simmonds brings a four-game goal scoring streak in today's tilt, while Voracek has points in four of his last five games. Scott Hartnell's six-game goal scoring streak was snapped in Montreal but came extremely close twice to tallying goals.
Apart from Giroux and Pronger, the Flyers are still without Brayden Schenn (concussion), Erik Gustafsson (LTIR, wrist surgery) and Andreas Lilja (LTIR, on rehab assignment while healing a high ankle sprain). For Boston, Zdeno Chara (knee) and Gregory Campbell (left foot) are listed as day-to-day. Campbell is doubtful for today, but Chara practiced yesterday.
Today's game is the Flyers' final home game until the Winter Classic.
PROJECTED LINEUPS (subject to change)
FLYERS
Hartnell - Couturier - Jagr
Read - Briere - Simmonds
JVR - Talbot - Voracek
Shelley - Zolnierczyk - Rinaldo
Timonen - Coburn
Carle - Bourdon/Meszaros
Marshall/Bourdon - Meszaros
Bryzgalov
[Bobrovsky]
BRUINS
Lucic - Krejci - Horton
Marchand - Bergeron - Seguin
Pouliot - Kelly - Peverley
Paille - Hamill - Thornton
Chara - Boychuk
Seidenberg- Corvo
Ference - McQuaid
Thomas
[Rask]
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Today's game marks the 1,300th regular season match of Jaromir Jagr's NHL career. After today, he'll be two games away from entering the all-time top 50 list. Alexei Kovalev is currently 50th with 1,302 games played.
Jagr's next goal will move him past Brendan Shanahan for sole possession of 11th place on the NHL's all-time goal-scoring list. He is 12 goals away from catching Luc Robitaille and entering the top 10 list.
Jagr, who is 9th on the NHL's all-time point list and 11th on the all-time assist list, currently has 1,625 career points and 969 assists. He is 16 points away from catching Joe Sakic for the 8th spot on the points list.
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