Bruins at Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers received some much-needed rest after a successful road trip and look to work toward clinching a playoff spot when they host the red-hot Boston Bruins on Sunday afternoon. The Flyers have responded to a rough start to March with a 4-0-3 stretch that included a 1-0-2 trek and are in a three-way battle for second and third place in the Metropolitan Division with four games left.
“Every point matters right now, especially the last 10 games of the season, when you need to make a push,” Philadelphia goaltender Petr Mrazek told reporters after a 2-1 win at Colorado on Wednesday in the team’s last contest. The Flyers’ magic number to clinch a postseason spot is five, but they entered Saturday two points out of second place in the division, while Boston leads second-place Tampa Bay by one point in the Atlantic with a game in hand. The Bruins are 5-0-3 over their last eight games after posting a convincing 5-1 home victory over Florida on Saturday but have not had more than one day between contests since early March. Boston can reach 50 wins for the first time since 2013-14 and the second in nine campaigns by completing a sweep of the season series against Philadelphia.
TV: 12:30 p.m. ET, NBC, TVA
ABOUT THE BRUINS (49-17-11): Rookie Jake DeBrusk registered two goals and an assist in his return to the lineup Saturday after missing seven games with an upper-body injury, although Boston may have lost two more players. Defenseman Brandon Carlo was taken off the ice on a stretcher with a lower-body ailment while Riley Nash took a puck to the head in Saturday’s contest. The team still is without Rick Nash and defensemen Charlie McAvoy and Zdeno Chara due to injuries, but all three have been skating.
ABOUT THE FLYERS (39-25-14): Captain Claude Giroux continues to make a case for himself in the Hart Trophy race as he has recorded a career high-tying 93 points, including 10 (one goal, nine assists) during his six-game streak. Jakub Voracek has registered 80 points despite going three games without one while Shayne Gostisbehere leads a very productive defense corps with a career-best 60 that includes five assists in his last three contests. “I think we’ve made a concerted effort for our D to jump up in the rush, and obviously it’s paying off,” forward Wayne Simmonds told the Philadelphia Inquirer.
OVERTIME
1. The Bruins are 5-0-1 in their last six meetings with the Flyers, including two victories this season by 3-0 and 3-2 scores.
2. Philadelphia G Michal Neuvirth left Wednesday’s game with a lower-body injury in his first appearance in over a month and is questionable.
3. Boston LW Brad Marchand has collected nine of his team-best 84 points over his last five games despite being blanked on Saturday.