The Philadelphia Flyers were unable to hold a late lead and ultimately succumbed in a shootout during their last contest. Coach Peter Laviolette's club will look to rebound on Saturday afternoon when it concludes its four-game homestand versus the Carolina Hurricanes. Matt Read netted his team-leading fourth goal of the season against Florida on Thursday, but Philadelphia suffered a hard-luck 3-2 shootout loss.
Ilya Bryzgalov, who made 22 saves versus the Panthers, turned aside 39 shots in the Flyers' 5-3 victory over the Hurricanes last Saturday. Philadelphia traditionally has had its way with Carolina, posting a 23-4-4 mark dating back to Nov. 28, 2003. The Hurricanes have rebounded after a sluggish start, improving to 5-2-0 in their last seven games with a 3-2 overtime victory over Ottawa on Thursday.
TV: 1 p.m. ET, FSCR (Carolina), CSP (Philadelphia)
ABOUT THE HURRICANES (5-4-0): Captain Eric Staal extended his point streak to seven games with an assist versus the Senators on Friday. Staal, who has seven goals and four assists in the stretch, tallied as Carolina opened its six-game road trip with a thud versus the Flyers. Cam Ward will look to build off his 45-save performance against Ottawa in an effort to overcome his struggles versus Philadelphia. Ward, who came on in relief last Saturday, owns a 5-10-2 career mark with a 3.11 goals-against average and .892 save percentage versus the Flyers.
ABOUT THE FLYERS (4-6-1): After converting on five of its first 40 opportunities with the man advantage, Philadelphia scored three power-play goals in its first meeting with Carolina. Defenseman Kimmo Timonen, who set up a pair of those tallies with the man advantage, signed a one-year contract extension on Thursday. The team did not reveal terms of the deal, but multiple media outlets reported that the contract is worth $6 million.
OVERTIME
1. Claude Giroux collected a goal and an assist in the teams' earlier meeting. The Flyers' captain has 14 points (five goals, nine assists) in 13 contests versus Carolina.
2. Carolina has scored a power-play goal in its last three games. Prior to this recent surge, the Hurricanes were 3-for-30 with the man advantage.
3. Philadelphia, which is 2-0-1 on its current homestand, will open a six-game road trip in Toronto on Monday.