UPDATE 3:30 PM
Sergei Bobrovsky will start in goal for the Flyers tonight.
PREVIEW 6:30 AM EST
Looking to extend their December winning streak to seven games and further improve their league-best road record, the Flyers (19-7-3) travel to Montreal tonight to take on the Canadiens (13-11-7). The game starts at 7:30 PM EST and will be broadcast locally on CSN Philly and nationally in the U.S. on NHL Network.
The game marks the third of four meetings between the teams this season. On Oct. 26 in Montreal, the Flyers got off to a good start in the first period but suffered a late period letdown that carried through the rest of the game. The Habs went on to blow out the Flyers, 5-1. In the annual Black Friday matinee (Nov. 25) in Philadelphia, Philly trailed early until Claude Giroux took over the game in the second period en route to a 3-1 win.
The Flyers cannot afford to let down their guard in Canada tonight. Tonight's match has "trap game" written all over it for the Flyers. Three reasons:
1) The game in Montreal is sandwiched in between an impressive road win in Washington and a much-anticipated home showdown with the defending Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins.
2) The Flyers undoubtedly are feeling very good about themselves right now, especially coming off a "statement game" in which the club showed it could win in impressive fashion without either Giroux (out indefinitely with a concussion) or Chris Pronger (also out indefinitely with a concussion). Coupled with the club's six-game winning streak, Philly may not have the same focus or intensity coming into tonight.
3) The Canadiens have been inconsistent all season but when they are on, they can give any team trouble -- as they demonstrated already this season against the Flyers at a time things weren't going well at all beforehand for the Habs. This time around, Montreal comes in having won its last two games. Although the Habs have won just 4 of their last 10 games (4-2-4), they have picked up at least one point in eight of the games.
In order to prolong their current winning streak, the Flyers will need to bring the same sort of team-wide commitment from the outset tonight that they showed against the Capitals on Tuesday.
Even without Giroux or Pronger, the Flyers have a potent attack. Scott Hartnell brings in a six-game goal scoring streak. Both Danny Briere and Jaromir Jagr have racked up 8 points in the six December games. Wayne Simmonds has scored goals in three straight games and has also added two assists in that span.
For the Canadiens, Erik Cole and Max Pacioretty have been the hottest offensive players of late. Cole has scored goals in three straight games. Pacioretty has 5 points in the last five, and has two goals and three points against the Flyers in the season series to date.
On Tuesday night, the Flyers only had one power play opportunity, which they did not convert into a goal. Nevertheless, the club has been scorching hot on the man advantage all month, and brings a 20.3 percent success ratio (ranked 5th in the league) into tonight's game. Montreal, however, has been the second-best penalty killing team in the NHL, checking in tonight at 89.4 percent.
The Habs' power play has been at the other end of the spectrum, entering tonight's game at a dismal 12.2 percent (28th in the NHL). The Flyers penalty kill has been one of the few area that has not been very strong this month, but the club also has greatly cut back recently on the number of penalties it has been taking. For the season, Philly's PK stands at a middling 82.6 percent (16th in the NHL).
PROJECTED LINEUPS (subject to change)
FLYERS
Hartnell - Couturier - Jagr
Read - Briere - Simmonds
JVR - Talbot -Voracek
Shelley - Zolnierczyk - Rinaldo
Timonen - Coburn
Carle - Bourdon/Mezaros
Bourdon/Marshall - Mezaros
Bryzgalov
[Bobrovsky]
CANADIENS
Cammalleri - Plekanec - Leblanc
Pacioretty - Desharnais - Cole
Blunden - Eller - Kostitsyn
Darche - Nokelainen - Weber
Gorges - Subban
Kaberle - Campoli
Gill - Diaz
Price
[Budaj]
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Today is the final day to enter enter our Flyers road game ticket contest in which you can win two free seats to see the Flyers take on the Dallas Stars at the American Airlines Center on Wed. December 21.
To enter the contest, simply send an email to
[email protected] with Flyers-Stars ticket contest in the subject line. The entry deadline is 4 PM EST today.
Please note that we cannot provide transportation or other accommodations if the contest winner is someone who has to travel for the game. The contest is for the tickets ONLY. Thus, If you enter the contest, please make sure you will be able to use the tickets or else we will have to draw an alternate winner.
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