Panthers at Flyers
THE STORY: The Southeast Division-leading Florida Panthers travel to Philadelphia on Tuesday for the fourth and final meeting with the Flyers this season. Philadelphia, which has taken the previous three contests, has outscored the Panthers 11-4 - including a 5-0 on March 8. The Flyers have won five straight home games and are 3-0-1 in their last four overall.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, FSN (Florida), CSN (Philadelphia)
ABOUT THE PANTHERS (35-23-13): The Panthers have won four in a row for the first time since the 2007-08 campaign. "We're starting to hit our stride," veteran forward John Madden said. "I've been on plenty of teams heading into the playoffs and it's really crucial to be playing good hockey going into the playoffs, not limping into the playoffs." Veteran G Jose Theodore is 4-0-1 in his last five games, surrendering just seven goals in that span.
ABOUT THE FLYERS (42-22-8): Philadelphia is set for the second contest of a season-long five-game homestand. The Flyers play seven of their remaining 10 games at Wells Fargo Center and have a chance to close the gap on Pittsburgh and the Atlantic-leading New York Rangers. Philadelphia is fifth in the East and trails the Penguins by just two points for fourth. Goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov is 8-0-1 in March with a 1.22 GAA and .960 save percentage. He had a 2.74 GAA and .899 save percentage prior to his recent hot streak.
OVERTIME:
1. The Flyers lead the NHL in goals scored (228) and goals per game (3.17).
2. Bryzgalov was named the NHL's First Star of the Week for the second consecutive week on Monday, making him the first player this season to do so.
3. The Flyers are the only team the Panthers have played more than once that they haven't defeated this season.