5 things to know today about the Flyers as they face Tampa
Five things to know about the Flyers (8-7-3) as they host Tampa Bay (11-6-1) Saturday at 1 p.m.
1. The Flyers are trying to end a homestand with points in all four games. They are on a 2-0-1 run. Overall, they are 5-3-2 at home, 3-4-1 on the road.
2. Tampa's lineup includes former Flyers defenseman Braydon Coburn, who has four assists and a plus-2 rating. He will try to help the Lightning, who are without injured D-man Anton Stralman, extend their winning streak to four.
3. The Lightning will play at least the next four months without superstar Steven Stamkos, who underwent knee surgery Thursday. "This happened to us before and the guys found a way," Lightning coach Jon Cooper told reporters about playing without the high-scoring Stamkos. "We have to look at this as a challenge."
4. Steve Mason (3.13 GAA, .889 save percentage) will try to build off an impressive 30-save win over Winnipeg. He will have to pay close attention to Lightning winger Nikita Kucherov (22 points, plus-10).
5. The players on the Flyers' top line _ Brayden Schenn, Claude Giroux, and Wayne Simmonds _ have combined for 44 points but are minus-19.