Devils at Flyers
Rookie defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere will vie for a franchise record on Saturday afternoon when the Philadelphia Flyers play the finale of their three-game homestand against the New Jersey Devils. Gostisbehere had an assist in Thursday's 5-1 rout of Buffalo to extend his point streak, which matched Mikael Renberg (1993-94) for the longest by a rookie in Flyers history and equaled Barry Beck (1977-78) of the then-Colorado Rockies for the longest such stretch by a rookie defenseman in NHL history.
Gostisbehere's assist helped ignite a four-goal second period for the Flyers, who improved to 4-2-1 in their last seven games to remain on the outer fringes of the postseason discussion. "It's huge for us, just everyone pulling on the same side of the rope, just having an explosion like that," the 22-year-old Gostisbehere told reporters. Like Philadelphia, New Jersey also snapped a three-game losing skid with a 2-1 victory over Edmonton on Tuesday. Reid Boucher continued to step up in Mike Cammalleri's absence, scoring a power-play goal and setting up another versus the Oilers.
TV: 1 p.m. ET, MSG-Plus (New Jersey), CSN Philadelphia, NHL.TV
ABOUT THE DEVILS (27-21-7): Scintillating special teams play has been paving the way for New Jersey, which is 6-for-15 on the power play and a perfect 19-for-19 on the penalty kill in the last five games. "I think special teams has been key for us all year long whether it's been PP or PK and right now both seem to be playing pretty well," coach John Hynes told NorthJersey.com. Kyle Palmieri, who leads the Devils with seven power-play goals, has recorded two tallies and four assists in four meetings with the Flyers this season.
ABOUT THE FLYERS (24-20-9): Michal Neuvirth (lower body) could see his first action since Jan. 27 on Saturday, as he has posted a 5-2-4 career mark with a 2.03 goals-against average in his career versus New Jersey while Steve Mason has dropped all seven decisions against the Devils with a 3.70 GAA. Conversely, Mason owns a 7-3-3 record with a 2.13 goals-against average versus Sunday's opponent - the New York Rangers - while Neuvirth is just 1-5-0 with a 4.60 GAA. Coach Dave Hakstol complimented Mason's play during his six-game stretch, but told reporters that the netminder would receive a day off during one of the weekend contests.
OVERTIME
1. New Jersey G Cory Schneider has yielded more than two goals in just two of his last 16 outings.
2. Philadelphia RW Wayne Simmonds scored his eighth goal in as many contests on Thursday.
3. The road team has won eight of the last 11 encounters.