FLYERS VS. BLUE JACKETS GAME PREVIEW (12:15 A.M. EST)
Looking for a more complete all-around performance than they have produced most of this month, the Philadelphia Flyers (25-20-6) are on the road on Thursday to take on the red-hot Columbus Blue Jackets (25-20-4). Game time at Nationwide Arena is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. EST. The match will be televised locally on CSN Philadelphia.
This is the third of four meetings between the teams this season and the final one in Columbus. On Dec. 19 and 21, the clubs split a home-and-home set.
In the first game in Philadelphia, the Flyers waged arguably the most dramatic of their nine third-period comeback wins this season. A five-goal outburst in the third period lifted the Flyers to a 5-4 win, capped by Claude Giroux (four points) scoring the tying goal with 3:46 left in regulation and then potting the winning goal on a spectacular backhanded shot with 1:38 remaining in regulation.
Two nights later in Columbus, the Flyers came back to the tie the game in the second period after trailing 2-0. This time, the Blue Jackets forged ahead for good and went on to win by a 6-3 count. Ryan Johansen and ex-Flyer R.J. Umberger had two goals apiece for Columbus.
After tonight's game, the Flyers return to action on Saturday. The defending Eastern Conference champion Boston Bruins will come to Philly for a 1 p.m. matinee. Due to the rescheduled game against Carolina that was held on Wednesday, the Flyers will end up playing three games within a span of roughly 92 hours.
FLYERS OUTLOOK
The Flyers have a 5-4-2 record thus far in January. The club has scored three or more regulation goals in eight of the 11 games (5-1-2 record). Of greater concern is the fact that Philly has simultaneously allowed three or more regulation goals in eight games (3-3-2 record), including each of the last seven matches.
The Flyers are coming off a 3-2 home loss to Carolina. As has become their custom since Thanksgiving, Philly rallied back from a 2-0 deficit to tie the game. A Giroux goal in the final minute of the second period and a Scott Hartnell power play goal three minutes into the final stanza equalized the game.
However, the team finished the game by getting significantly outplayed over the final 15 minutes, just as they had been thoroughly outplayed in the first six minutes of the first period and the early stages of the middle frame. Philly hung by a thread, mostly due to some strong goaltending by Steve Mason (27 saves) but finally Jiri Tlusty potted the rebound of a point shot through traffic and put the Canes ahead to stay with 6:10 left in regulation.
Earlier in the game, Alex Semin put Carolina ahead, 1-0, midway through the first period. Semin generated speed through the neutral zone and then used Andrej Meszaros as a screen as he sniped a goal from the right circle on a picturesque shot that beat Mason over the glove in the top left corner of the net.
In the first six minutes of the opening period, the Flyers were outshot by a 5-0 margin. Thereafter, Philly held Carolina to just three more shots over the final 14 minutes of the period. Unfortunately for Philadelphia, one of them was Semin's goal.
The Flyers had all of two good shifts in the first period; both by the Brayden Schenn line. On one shift in particular, they had one shift where they hemmed Carolina deep in their own end, got a cycle going and generated a good scoring chance at the end. That was about it for a period where Philly managed a pathetic three shots (plus four missed shot attempts and four Carolina blocks).
At 13:38 of the second period, Nathan Gerbe scored a breakaway goal as he successfully pulled off a spectacular but risky between-the-legs shot moving to his right. One the sequence, a Sean Couturier pass intended for Luke Schenn at the point skittered through the defenseman's legs. Speedy mite-like forward Gerbe flew past Schenn, gathered the puck and went off on a breakaway.
Giroux's goal in the final 36.4 seconds of the middle stanza gave the club life heading into the third period. A careless offensive zone high-sticking penalty by Riley Nash early in the final stanza gave Philly a power play chance, which quickly resulted in Hartnell scoring on the rebound of a Simmonds shot just 13 seconds into the man advantage.
Rather than the rapid two-goal comeback lifting the Flyers to generate a sustained push to win the game, it was Carolina that responded well in the shifts to come. For much of the remainder of the game, it felt as if the only way the game would even get to overtime -- much less the Flyers winning -- was if Mason singlehandedly got Philly to that point.
On Tlusty's winning goal, Braydon Coburn broke a stick and Jakub Voracek gave his stick to Coburn. With Carolina keeping the Flyers pinned in their own end, Voracek had no chance to get back to the bench for a new stick, and Sekera weaved a shot through traffic. Mason was unable to see the puck, made the initial stop but left out a rebound that an open Tlusty quickly stashed in the net.
Playing through a hand injury sustained as a result of a Cal Clutterbuck slash in Monday's game on Long Island, Voracek had some difficulties handling the puck at times and did not attempt a shot in the match. He did have an assist on Giroux's goal, playing the puck near the crease moments before Giroux backhanded a shot in off goaltender Anton Khudobin (22 saves).
Hartnell and Simmonds each extended their scoring streaks to five games. Hartnell has seven points (two goals and five assists) in that span. Simmonds has eight points (two goals and six assists). Additionally, dating back to Dec. 17, Simmonds has produced at least one point in 15 of 18 games, generating 23 points (12 goals, 11 assists).
All in all, the Flyers' performance against Carolina was lackluster. The Flyers' feet weren't moving and the attention to detail was lacking at times.
The Flyers couldn't cope with the Hurricanes' speed both in carrying the puck up ice and in getting their forecheck going. Philly had trouble on breakouts, especially early in the first period and for much of the third. Philly's own forecheck was sporadic and the passing was bad. The line changes were slow and sloppy. The puck support was inconsistent, and the decision-making with the puck (particularly by Couturier in this game) was sometimes questionable.
On the Flyers' injury front, Zac Rinaldo (high ankle sprain) is slated to remain out of the lineup until after the Olympic break.
BLUE JACKETS OUTLOOK
Columbus rides a seven-game winning streak into Thursday's game. Overall, the club is 8-1-0 thus far in January.
Former Flyers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky has been outstanding of late, demonstrating the form that helped him to win the Vezina Trophy last season. Bobrovsky has won each of his last eight starts, with a 1.77 goals against average, .941 save percentage and one shutout in that span. Bobrovsky was injured at the time the two clubs met in the December home-and-home. This will be his first career game against the Flyers.
In their most recent game, Columbus captured a 5-3 home win over the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday night. Two goals by Umberger (his 12th and 13th of the season) and Johansen's 19th goal of the campaign forged a 3-2 lead for the Blue Jackets before Nathan Horton extended the lead to two goals in the final minute of the second period. Artem Anisimov's 13th goal of the season briefly gave the Jackets a three-goal cushion late in the third period. LA got that one back against Bobrovsky (26 saves) but got no closer.
Horton, who often gave the Flyers fits during his stint with the Boston Bruins, is another key Columbus player who was out of the lineup when the clubs met previously. Making his season debut on Jan. 2 after recovering from offseason shoulder surgery, Horton has three goals (two on the power play) and six points to date.
In the front end of the December home-and-home, the Flyers managed to snap a lengthy point streak for Johansen in the game in game in Philadelphia. He struck back the next night. For the season, the player leads the club with 37 points. Johansen had been held
pointless in six of seven games after the Christmas break but has come on again of late with points in four of the last five games (three goals, two assists).
During the New York Rangers career of Brandon Dubinsky, the player frequently got under the skin of the Flyers. While his career statistical totals against the Flyers aren't eye-catching (five goals, 13 points in 34 games to go along with 69 penalty minutes), Dubinsky had a knack for scoring at critical junctures.
On the Columbus injury front, Marian Gaborik remains sidelined with the broken collarbone he suffered against the Flyers in Dec. Additionally, Blake Comeau (sprained knee) and Jared Boll (bone bruise in his left foot) are on injured reserve.
KEY STAT COMPARISONS (NHL OVERALL RANKING)
Non-shootout goals per game: Flyers 2.67 (17th), Blue Jackets 2.84 (8th)
Non-shootout goals against per game: Flyers 2.78 (18th), Blue Jackets 2.80 (19th)
Even strength Goals For/Against Ratio: Flyers 0.93 (19th), Blue Jackets 1.06 (11th)
Power play efficiency: Flyers 18.5% (18th), Blue Jackets 19.2% (13th)
Penalty killing efficiency: Flyers 84.2% (6th), Blue Jackets 80.2% (19th)
Faceoff percentage: Flyers 49.4% (19th), Blue Jackets 51.0% (13th)
PROJECTED LINEUPS (Subject to change)
FLYERS
12 Michael Raffl - 28 Claude Giroux - 93 Jakub Voracek
19 Scott Hartnell - 10 Brayden Schenn - 17 Wayne Simmonds
24 Matt Read - 14 Sean Couturier - 40 Vincent Lecavalier
9 Steve Downie - 76 Chris VandeVelde - 18 Adam Hall
44 Kimmo Timonen - 5 Braydon Coburn
8 Nicklas Grossmann - 32 Mark Streit
41 Andrej Meszaros - 22 Luke Schenn
29 Ray Emery
[35 Steve Mason]
Potential Scratches: Jay Rosehill (healthy), Hal Gill (healthy), Erik Gustafsson (healthy), Zac Rinaldo (high ankle sprain), Chris Pronger (LTIR, post-concussion syndrome).
BLUE JACKETS
71 Nick Foligno - 19 Ryan Johansen - 18 R.J. Umberger
38 Boone Jenner - 42 Artem Anisimov - 8 Nathan Horton
11 Matt Calvert - 17 Brandon Dubinsky - 13 Cam Atkinson
24 Derek MacKenzie - 55 Mark Letestu - 26 Corey Tropp
7 Jack Johnson - 51 Fedor Tyutin
27 Ryan Murray -21 James Wisniewski
6 Nikita Nikitin - 58 David Savard
72 Sergei Bobrovsky
[31 Curtis McIlhinney]
Scratches: Dalton Proust (healthy), Cody Bass (healthy), Marian Gaborik (IR, broken clavicle), Jared Boll (IR, foot), Blake Comeau (IR, sprained knee).
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