Game Thread Flyers-Hurricanes Preview

[FlyersFan4Life]

The Philadelphia Flyers dominate the Carolina Hurricanes, and Scott Hartnell, Jaromir Jagr and Claude Giroux have already made sure that's continued into 2011-12.

They'll get a pair of opportunities to extend that success over the next two Mondays.

The high-scoring trio will be looking to shake out of a brief offensive funk when the Flyers visit the Hurricanes on Monday night.

Philadelphia (9-4-3) is 15-1-2 in its last 18 meetings with Carolina (6-8-3), including a 7-1-0 record in Raleigh. The Flyers' dominance in the series continued with a 5-1 home victory Oct. 29, as Giroux scored a goal and assisted on three others, while Hartnell had three points to go with Jagr's two goals.

Flyers coach Peter Laviolette improved to 6-1-0 in reunions with the Hurricanes, the team he led to the 2006 Stanley Cup. These clubs will meet again next Monday in Philadelphia.

Giroux has two goals and six assists in his last five games against Carolina, and he hopes the series can help snap him out of a short slump. The Flyers' leader with nine goals and 19 points has none in the last two games.

Jagr's six goals and 15 points are second to Giroux, but he doesn't have a point in the last two, either. The veteran right wing had six goals and five assists during a seven-game scoring streak before the drought.

Hartnell has just one of his 13 points in his last four games, but the left wing has 11 goals and 12 assists in 22 career games against Carolina.

Despite a lack of contributions from its offensive leaders, Philadelphia still beat Florida 3-2 on Sunday after opening this three-game trip with Wednesday's 2-1 overtime defeat to Tampa Bay.

"I thought our guys really competed well, skated well," Laviolette said Sunday. "I thought our guys responded well and played a hard-fought game."

Philadelphia is 5-1-1 on the road, and Ilya Bryzgalov may get another chance to play a role in that success. He made 31 saves Sunday to improve to 4-1-1 with a 1.99 goals-against average away from home.

Bryzgalov had 24 stops against the Hurricanes last month.

Carolina is looking to build on its best offensive performance of the season after beating Eastern Conference-leading Pittsburgh 5-3 on Saturday to end a four-game losing streak.

Jeff Skinner had a big part in the offensive outburst, contributing a goal and two assists after failing to get a point in the previous two contests.

Last season's Calder Trophy winner leads the Hurricanes with seven goals and 10 assists. He's netted three goals and set up four others in the past four home games.

Skinner, however, has just one goal and one assist in five career meetings with the Flyers.

Eric Staal had a goal and an assist Saturday, snapping a 10-game goal drought that included seven without a point. The Carolina captain still posted a minus-1 rating for the game and is last in the NHL at minus-17.

"He's worked extremely hard," goaltender Cam Ward said. "It's just a matter of time. He's too good."

Staal has no goals, three assists and a minus-3 rating in his past seven home games against Philadelphia.

[phlfly]

Wow it's extended report. Did you write for life?

Pronger needs to skate a little more faster, I guess Skinner will work against him. Bob or Bryz? I guess it's Bob.(Bryz is not going back to back)

[FlyersFan4Life]

Wow it's extended report. Did you write for life?

Pronger needs to skate a little more faster, I guess Skinner will work against him. Bob or Bryz? I guess it's Bob.(Bryz is not going back to back)

no that reports is from flyers website. i would like to see brezzy in net i want to see him get on a nice roll. and from reading on csnphilly.com i think they will go with breezy

The Flyers are 15-1-2 in their last 18 meetings with the Hurricanes, including a 7-1 record in their last eight games at Raleigh. Peter Laviolette is 6-1 against Carolina since leaving the team with which he won a Stanley Cup.

The Flyers are looking to improve on their impressive 5-1-1 road record. Bryzgalov is 4-1-1 with a 1.99 GAA away from home.

Staal, the Carolina captain, is last in the NHL with a minus-17 rating.

Injuries

Flyers: Erik Gustafsson (wrist) is day-to-day. Andreas Nodl (lower-body injury) is too. Brayden Schenn (broken foot) remains out.

Hurricanes: Former Flyers defenseman Joni Pitkanen (lower body) is day-to-day.

[brelic]

Wow, Staal is -17???? Ouch! That's just brutal, especially on a team that is only 6-8-1.

I wouldn't mind seeing Bob getting some work tonight.

Here's Meltzer's take on the game tonight (http://www.hockeybuz...icanes/45/39695):

Based on the lines below, I wouldn't mind seeing Voracek and Simmonds swapped:

JVR/Briere/Voracek

Read/Talbot/Simmonds

Gives the 3rd line a little more sandpaper, and the 2nd line a little more skill. As much as it is nice to have a power forward on the 2nd line with smallish Briere, I think he and JVR kinda duplicate that role even though JVR doesn't quite play like one yet.

PREVIEW 8:00 AM EST

After the final game of their southern road trip, the Flyers (9-4-3) will look to bring 5 of 6 possible points back to Philadelphia. First, they must defeat the Carolina Hurricanes (6-8-3). Tonight's game starts at 7 PM and will be broadcast locally on CSN Philly.

This is the second of four meetings between the clubs this season. On Oct. 29, the Flyers conquered Carolina at the Wells Fargo Center by a 5-1 score. Most of the damage was done by the Flyers top line of Claude Giroux (1G, 3A), Jaromir Jagr (2G) and Scott Hartnell (1 G, 2 A), while Max Talbot scored a backbreaking shorthanded goal early in the third period. Jussi Jokinen scored the lone Carolina goal, coming on a fluke sequence where Hartnell accidentally slid into Ilya Bryzgalov and took the Philadelphia netminder out of the play. Jokinen scored into a wide open net.

The Flyers enter this game coming off a 3-2 win in Florida last night. Danny Briere, Braydon Coburn and Matt Read (penalty shot) provided the goals. Stellar penalty killing was Philadelphia's greatest asset in the game, while Bryzgalov was solid in net. Carolina had not been playing well lately, but enter this game coming off a 5-3 win on Saturday over the Eastern Conference leading Penguins.

Max Talbot lost part of a tooth and suffered a split lip as the result of a high stick last night. He is expected to play tonight. Ex-Flyer Joni Pitkanen (foot injury) will miss tonight's game and could be out all week.

Overall, the Flyers are 16-1-3 in their last 20 games against Carolina. After tonight, the teams rematch again in Philadelphia next Monday.

PROJECTED LINEUPS (subject to change)

FLYERS

Hartnell - Giroux - Jagr

JVR - Briere - Simmonds

Voracek - Talbot - Read

Zolnierczyk - Couturier - Rinaldo

Carle - Pronger

Coburn - Timonen

Lilja - Meszaros

Bobrovsky/Bryzgalov

HURRICANES

Staal - Sutter - LaRose

Skinner - Jokinen - Ruutu

Panikarovsky - Brent - Dwyer

Tlusty - Dalpe - Boychuk

Harrison - Gleason

Joslin - Kaberle

Allen - McBain

Ward

[boucher]

Edited November 14, 2011 by brelic

[Digityman]

1st Period - Start strong, end the period slow and get a late goal scored against.

2nd Period - Start strong, end the period slow and *almost* get a late goal scored against.

3rd Period - stay tuned.