MONTREAL - The Canadiens and Flyers – who face off at 7 p.m. tonight in Philadelphia - are both hoping to turn the page on embarrassing losses, as the Habs were shellacked 6-0 by the L.A. Kings Tuesday and the Flyers were thumped 7-2 by the Blackhawks last night.
The Canadiens’ loss came after an impressive 9-0-1 run, which included a five game winning streak. The Flyers, however, have gone a mediocre 4-5-1 in their last 10 games and sit 13th in the Eastern Conference, six points out of a playoff spot.
The Habs are reuniting the EGG line of Lars Eller, Brendan Gallagher and Alex Galchenyuk for the game. The line scored a pair of goals to help propel the team to a 4-1 over the Flyers on October 5, just the second game of the season.
The Flyers were the league’s worst team through the first 12 games and head coach Peter Laviolette was let go after only three games. But the team returned to some level of respectability with a 8-3-1 run, thanks partially to the solid play of goaltender Steve Mason, while Ray Emery was also solid between the pipes.
The Flyers' Claude Giroux is slowly returning to form after suffering a freak hand injury while playing golf during the summer. He leads the Flyers with five goals and 16 assists but those totals are far below his career average, which saw him average over a point per game in his last two seasons.
Vincent Lecavalier, who is out for about one month with a fracture in his lower back, remains tied with Matt Read for the lead in goals with nine, after signing a five year $22.5 million contract in the off-season.
The Flyers have had their recent woes on defence, giving up 16 markers in their last three games, all losses. Emery was pulled after giving up six goals on 18 shots last night against the Blackhawks.
Carey Price, who is expected to start in Philadelhpia, gave up four goals in 18 shots Tuesday, perhaps his only poor showing of the season. Steve Mason gets the nod for hte Flyers.
The Canadiens', aside from their loss to the Kings, have been solid in defence and are tied with Pittsburgh for second place in goals against in the Eastern Conference, as both teams have ceded 71 over 32 games, while the Flyers have allowed 85 goals in 31 games, good for eighth in the conference.
The Flyers, however, have the third weakest offence in the league, having scored a mere 70 goals in 31 games. The Rangers have scored the same number but have played one more game, while the Buffalo Sabres trail far behind all others with just 53 goals scored in 31 games.
The Canadiens have lit the lamp 85 times in 32 games, making theirs the seventh-most productive offence in the Eastern Conference.
The Flyers might well rely on Jakub Voracek for their offence, as he has notched 11 points in his last nine games against Montreal. For the Habs, Max Pacioretty has 10 points in his last seven games against the Flyers.
Daniel Briere, who was one of many Habs’ criticized for his defensive coverage in Tuesday’s loss to the Kings, will be making his first trip back to Philadelphia, where he played six seasons before being bought out by the team last summer.
Rene Bourque will miss the game with an upper-body injury, while Max Pacioretty and Josh Gorges are both expected to play after missing practice Wednesday for a therapy day.
Both George Parros and Douglas Murray are expected to suit up for the Habs after sitting out Tuesday after the Kings. The Flyers tough guys include Zac Rinaldo and Jay Rosehill.
Philadelphia has been issued 23 major penalties, the second-most in the league, behind only the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Canadiens come in third with 21 major penalties.
