Blue Jackets at Flyers
Sergei Bobrovsky will make his long-awaited return to Philadelphia on Thursday as his Columbus Blue Jackets look to remain in control of their playoff destiny with a showdown against the host Flyers. Bobrovsky, who was acquired from the Flyers in June 2012, sat out the previous meeting in Philadelphia with a groin injury. Columbus sure could have used him, as the Blue Jackets went on to squander a 3-0 third-period lead in a 5-4 loss.
The Blue Jackets are hanging by a thread in the race for the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, leading the free-falling Toronto Maple Leafs by a single point but with two games in hand. The Flyers are by no means comfortable themselves, sitting third in the Metropolitan Division but just four points clear of Columbus. The Blue Jackets haven't had any luck in Philadelphia to date, going 0-5-1 in six all-time encounters at Wells Fargo Center.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, FSN Ohio (Columbus), CSN (Philadelphia)
ABOUT THE BLUE JACKETS (38-30-7): Columbus may have one of its most talented young players back in the fold a little sooner than expected. Defenseman Ryan Murray was expected to miss four-to-six weeks after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery on March 7 but may return as soon as this weekend, according to coach Todd Richards. "When I'm out there skating, I can't even really tell (it was injured)," Murray told the Columbus Dispatch. "It doesn't hurt. It doesn't feel awkward anymore."
ABOUT THE FLYERS (39-27-9): One thing Philadelphia has going in its favor is an impressive showing against some of the league's top teams. The Flyers enter the season's final two-week stretch with a 4-0-2 mark against the St. Louis Blues, Pittsburgh Penguins, Chicago Blackhawks and Boston Bruins since March 15. "It's been a tough stretch of games against teams that have been dominant all year," forward Scott Hartnell told the Philadelphia Inquirer, "and I think it puts us right there with the elite teams in the league."
OVERTIME
1. The clubs have split their previous eight meetings, with the home team prevailing each time.
2. Flyers C Claude Giroux has recorded two goals and three assists in three games against the Blue Jackets this season.
3. Bobrovsky went 42-23-10 in 83 career regular-season games with Philadelphia.