A promising encounter between the Philadelphia Flyers and Carolina Hurricanes is bound take you on a roller-coaster ride. The Flyers head into this matchup looking to complete a four-game sweep of their Metropolitan Division rivals. The Hurricanes, meanwhile, will be aiming to bounce back from a 4-2 loss to Tampa Bay on Sunday. But ultimately, both clubs will be striving to keep their postseason hopes alive.
Who will reign supreme over the other? Let’s now take a closer look at this battle. And while you’re at it, click here for our preview of the New York Rangers vs. New Jersey Devils.
Philadelphia Flyers vs. Carolina Hurricanes Preview
Where: PNC Arena, Raleigh, North Carolina
When: Tuesday, February 23, 2016, 7:00 PM ET
Line: Philadelphia Flyers (-250) at Carolina Hurricanes (+210); total: 5.0– view all NHL lines
TV Broadcast: TCN, FSS
Betting on the Philadelphia Flyers (26-21-11)
Needless to say, all eyes will be on Philadelphia’s red hot rookie defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere. He walks into this game riding a 15-game point streak (five goals and 13 assists) and will look to help the Flyers sweep their four-game regular-season series with Carolina tonight.
That’s going to be easier said than done against the Hurricanes, who have won three of their last four games at home. Nevertheless, the Flyers will be hoping that Gostisbehere can continue working his magic against their division rivals.
Gostisbehere has torched Carolina with overtime goals during their last two meetings—both at Philadelphia. He also became the first rookie ever to record four overtime goals in a season, when he scored with 29 seconds remaining in the extra period of Saturday’s 5-4 win against the Maple Leafs.
Besides him, the Flyers will continue to lean on the trio of Wayne Simmonds, Brayden Schenn and Jakub Voracek to lead the offense especially if Claude Giroux (upper body) and Sean Couturier (ankle) are still unable to get back on the ice.
Simmonds has failed to find the net in the past two games, but still owns a team-best of 21 goals and 19 assists on the season. Schenn and Voracek, meanwhile, have combined for a total of 83 points (28 goals and 55 assists).
Expected to play between the pipes will be Steve Mason. He owns a 13-15-7 record with a 2.70 GAA and .915 SV% across 37 games (36 starts). Mason also turned aside 19-of-21 shots during their 3-2 win over the Hurricanes on November 14.
Philadelphia is 6-4 SU and 6-3-1 OU in its previous 10 road games.
As for the Hurricanes, they’ll be trying to right their ship once again after falling short to Tampa Bay, 4-2, on Sunday. And it’s safe to say that Jordan Staal will waste no time in leading their attack against Philadelphia later.
Staal, who holds a team-best 38 points (15 goals and 23 assists) this season, enters this bout riding a five-game point streak. In that stretch, he has a total of three goals to go along with three assists under his belt. But Staal has had his share of struggles against Philadelphia this season, as he’s been limited to just one assist across three encounters.
That being said, the pressure is on the pair of Victor Rask and Joakim Nordstrom to make their presence felt. Nordstrom, in particular, has scored in back-to-back contests and has accumulated 10 points in his previous 12 outings.
Meanwhile, minding the net for Carolina will be Cam Ward, who has had rough time against the Flyers throughout his career. Across 24 games (23 starts) in this matchup, he owns a 9-10-4 record along with a 2.80 GAA and .899 SV%.
Carolina is 6-4 SU and 4-2-4 OU in its last 10 games at home.
