Flyers at Lightning
The Philadelphia Flyers and host Tampa Bay Lighting will meet on Thursday with plenty on the line despite already clinching spots in the postseason. The Flyers have won two straight and are even in points with Columbus for third place in the Metropolitan Division - two points behind the second-place New York Rangers. The Lightning will be without injured No. 1 goalie Ben Bishop as they try to make up a two-point deficit on second-place Montreal in the Atlantic Division.
Bishop is out for the rest of the regular season after suffering an upper-body injury in the 3-0 victory over Toronto on Tuesday and will hand the reins to Anders Lindback, who has six wins this season – two against the Flyers. Tampa Bay has won six of the last seven meetings with Philadelphia - including five straight at home. The Flyers are 15-6-3 since Feb. 1 with strong contributions from goalie Steve Mason and captain Claude Giroux.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET; CSN Philadelphia, Sun Sports (Tampa Bay)
ABOUT THE FLYERS (41-29-9): Giroux snapped a mini-slump with two goals in the 5-2 victory at Florida on Tuesday and boasts 31 points along with a plus-9 rating over the last 24 games. Mason is 13-4-2 with two shutouts since Feb. 1 to help the Flyers revive their season and his next game will be the 300th of his career. Former Tampa Bay captain Vincent Lecavalier reached 20 goals for the 13th time in 14 seasons Tuesday - only missing in the shortened 2012-13 campaign - and has posted two points in three of his last six games.
ABOUT THE LIGHTNING (43-27-9): Ondrej Palat continues to make a strong case for the Calder Trophy after scoring twice Tuesday to tie Valtteri Filppula for the team lead among active players with 57 points. Palat, a seventh-round draft pick in 2011, is five points behind Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon for the lead among rookies and owns a plus-30 rating – tied for eighth in the league through Tuesday. Tampa Bay recalled goalie Kristers Gudlevskis to support Lindback, who made 25 saves Tuesday for his first win since Jan. 11 against the Flyers.
OVERTIME
1. Tampa Bay's Victor Hedman has 53 points, tied for third-most by a defenseman in franchise history during a single season with Dan Boyle (twice).
2. Philadelphia RW Wayne Simmonds has 14 power-play goals, ranking third in the league through Tuesday’s games.
3. Tampa Bay D Sami Salo also left Tuesday’s contest with an upper-body injury and is expected to sit out Thursday's tilt.