Wild at Flyers
Two superstars will be missing when the Philadelphia Flyers open their season-high six-game homestand against the Minnesota Wild on Thursday. Philadelphia captain Claude Giroux (team-leading 49 points) will sit out his third straight contest with an upper-body injury while the same ailment kept Minnesota star Zach Parise (club high-tying 18 goals) from traveling with the team on its two-game road trip.
The clubs need all the firepower they can get as both reside on the wrong side of the playoff picture in their respective conferences. The Flyers fell for the seventh time in 10 outings (3-4-3) with a 3-1 setback to Carolina on Tuesday while the Wild saw their four-game winning streak under interim coach John Torchetti come to a halt with a 4-1 loss to the New York Islanders. Chris Porter tallied for Minnesota, becoming the 14th different player to do so in five games under Torchetti. Porter spent parts of training camp with the Flyers and played collegiately at North Dakota under Philadelphia coach Dave Hakstol.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, TVA, FSN Tennessee (Nashville), CSN Philadelphia
ABOUT THE WILD (27-23-10): Parise isn't the only Minnesota player sidelined as fellow forward Jason Zucker was placed on injured reserve on Wednesday after receiving a concussion following an elbow to the face from Chicago defenseman Michal Rozsival. Jordan Schroeder was recalled from Iowa of the American Hockey League to replace Zucker, who must miss at least the next two games. Schroeder, who has one goal in 13 contests with the Wild this season, has recorded 35 points in 30 games with Iowa.
ABOUT THE FLYERS (26-22-11): Scott Laughton has fared well since shuffling over to left wing, snapping a 22-game goal drought in a 3-1 setback versus Carolina on Tuesday for his fourth point (one goal, three assists) in three contests. "Three games in a row he's been a good player. He's made an impact each night," Hakstol told Philly.com. "He's generated opportunities with some of his speed, his tenacity. He looks like a confident player out there." Brayden Schenn hasn't been too shabby in his own right, scoring four goals and setting up three others in his last seven games and notching two assists in Philadelphia's 4-3 overtime win over Minnesota on Jan. 7.
OVERTIME
1. Minnesota captain Mikko Koivu is expected to play in his 742nd career game on Thursday, one shy of matching the franchise record of current Philadelphia D Nick Schultz.
2. Flyers rookie D Shayne Gostisbehere, who saw his 15-game point streak come to a halt on Tuesday, was held off the scoresheet in the previous meeting with the Wild.
3. Minnesota D Marco Scandella has notched an assist in each of his last two games and tallied in the teams' initial encounter this season.