Flyers at Bruins
The Boston Bruins can wrap up the top seed in the Eastern Conference on Saturday afternoon, when they vie for a regular-season sweep of the visiting Philadelphia Flyers. Although no cause for alarm, the Bruins followed a blistering 15-0-1 stretch by losing their second in a row with a 4-3 overtime setback to Original Six-rival Toronto on Thursday. A Boston win and a Pittsburgh loss in any fashion would secure the top spot for coach Claude Julien's club.
Although they share an 0-1-1 mark with the Bruins in their last two games, the Flyers have every right to be getting a bit nervous. They were shut out in both contests, and their 2-0 setback to former comrade Sergei Bobrovsky and Columbus on Thursday has aided in the Blue Jackets moving within two points of Philadelphia for third place in the Metropolitan Division. The Flyers are 1-3-2 in their last six and trail the second-place New York Rangers by four points - albeit with two games in hand.
TV: 1 p.m. ET, NHLN, CSN (Philadelphia), NESN (Boston)
ABOUT THE FLYERS (39-28-9): Captain Claude Giroux is mired in a three-game streak without a point - his longest such stretch since his five-game run to open the season. "Some games it's going to go in, some games it won't," Giroux said matter-of-factly of his team's offensive struggles. While Steve Mason was strong against his former team on Thursday, Ray Emery has been confirmed to start versus Boston.
ABOUT THE BRUINS (52-18-7): Patrice Bergeron recorded a goal and an assist against the Maple Leafs to extend his point streak to a career high-tying 10 games. A likely Selke Trophy finalist, Bergeron has scored nine goals and set up five others during that stretch. Bergeron tallied in Boston's 6-1 rout of Philadelphia on Jan. 25 and its 4-3 triumph on Sunday.
OVERTIME
1. Boston is a staggering 4-for-7 on the power play versus Philadelphia this season.
2. The Flyers have failed on all 11 of their opportunities with the man advantage in the last three games.
3. Bruins LW Brad Marchand scored and set up a goal versus Toronto and has notched an assist in each of the games against Philadelphia this season.