Flyers at Bruins
The Boston Bruins have found themselves with some company in the race for the second wild card in the Eastern Conference, but they can improve their standing while dealing a significant blow to the Philadelphia Flyers when the clubs meet at TD Garden on Saturday afternoon. Boston has won both meetings this season and five in a row overall against Philadelphia, which moved within four points of the Bruins after posting a 3-1 win over St. Louis on Thursday. The Flyers are seeking a rare road victory as they are just 3-8-3 in their last 14 games outside of the City of Brotherly Love.
Like Philadelphia, the Bruins are 2-0-1 in their last three overall following their 4-3 shootout loss to Calgary on Thursday. "(Saturday) is a huge game for Philadelphia and it should be a huge game for us," Boston coach Claude Julien said on Friday. "Those are teams that are obviously gunning for us, and if we want some separation, then we obviously need to win those kinds of games. I know we've got Detroit the next day, and then Ottawa at the beginning of next week."
TV: 1 p.m. ET, NHLN, RSN, TVA, CSN Philadelphia, NESN (Boston)
ABOUT THE FLYERS (28-25-12): Steve Mason has credited Jeff Reese with helping him regain his confidence in Philadelphia. On Friday, the Flyers announced that Reese left the organization after six years of service - much to Mason's chagrin. "Sometimes, things happen that are hard to understand in the game of hockey," Mason said. "Honestly, for me, it just happened out of the blue." Coach Craig Berube applauded Reese for being "a great goalie coach" but only said "we'll figure it out" when asked how the team would handle the position for the remainder of the season.
ABOUT THE BRUINS (31-22-10): Forward Reilly Smith signed a two-year, $6.85 million contract extension on Friday while defenseman Torey Krug agreed to a one-year deal worth $3.4 million. "These are players we always liked and have a bright future for us," general manager Peter Chiarelli said. Smith, who has recorded two goals and six assists in his last eight games, scored on the power play in Boston's 2-1 victory versus Philadelphia on Oct. 8 while Krug notched an assist in the team's 3-1 triumph over the Flyers on Jan. 10.
OVERTIME
1. Boston rookie RW David Pastrnak, who is riding a three-game point streak, scored the first two goals of his career in the team's latter meeting with Philadelphia.
2. Flyers RW Wayne Simmonds tallied versus the Blues and has 10 goals and six assists in his last 17 contests.
3. Bruins C Chris Kelly has scored in both encounters with Philadelphia this season.