Bruins at Flyers
The upstart Philadelphia Flyers remain in the thick of the early postseason conversation due in large part to their sizzling play at home of late. Philadelphia vies for its sixth straight victory at Wells Fargo Center and fourth in a row overall on Wednesday when it continues its three-game homestand against the Boston Bruins.
Sean Couturier has fueled the surge with three goals and two assists in his last three games, including one of each in the Flyers' 4-0 rout of the New York Islanders on Saturday afternoon. The 23-year-old doesn't have fond memories of Philadelphia's previous meeting with Boston, as former Flyer Zac Rinaldo's high hit resulted in a concussion for Couturier. The Bruins, who suffered a 5-4 overtime loss in that contest on Oct. 21, haven't fared much better of late as they've dropped two in a row and seven of their last nine (2-6-1). Jimmy Hayes scored his team's lone goal in a 2-1 setback to the New York Rangers on Monday and also tallied in the first meeting with Philadelphia.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, NBCSN, TVA
ABOUT THE BRUINS (21-15-5): Rinaldo will return to the city where he played the first four years of his NHL career - and he likely won't receive a hero's welcome. "Different feeling, obviously," the fourth-liner told the team's website following Tuesday's practice. "Yeah, it's a totally different feeling, now that I'm on a different team." Hayes was elevated from the third line to the first in Tuesday's practice, joining Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand as Boston attempts to ignite an offense that has mustered just nine goals in the last five games (1-3-1).
ABOUT THE FLYERS (18-15-7): Captain Claude Giroux is doing his best to remain positive after recording just two points (one goal, one assist) in his last 10 games. "When you're in a slump, the biggest enemy for you is getting frustrated," said Giroux, who was presented with a pie in the face by his teammates to honor his 28th birthday on Tuesday. Giroux celebrated quite a bit in his last meeting with Boston, scoring in overtime to complete his lone two-goal performance of the season.
OVERTIME
1. Philadelphia D Nick Schultz will play in his 1,000th NHL game on Wednesday.
2. Boston is 12-4-3 on the road this season.
3. Flyers rookie D Shayne Gostisbehere has been ruled out of his second straight contest with a lower-body injury.