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Flyers' Michal Neuvirth likely to start in goal in Chicago

    by Sam Carchidi
    Published 

CHICAGO - Based on the performances in the season's first two games, Michal Neuvirth is likely to be the Flyers' starting goalie Tuesday when the Flyers (1-0-1) face Chicago (1-2) at the United Center.

Neuvirth was superb in the Flyers' season-opening 4-2 win in Los Angeles on Friday, a game in which one of the Kings' goals deflected off a Flyer.

Steve Mason was so-so in Saturday's 4-3 overtime loss in Arizona.

Led by Neuvirth's brilliant goaltending, the Flyers scored a 3-2 win over Chicago last March 16, the last time they played here.

That victory put the Flyers in a playoff spot for the first time since Oct. 28, and gave them an 8-1-1 record in their last 10 games. They eventually clinched a playoff spot in their next-to-last game.

Oddly, the three players that scored for the Flyers in that win - Ryan White, Brayden Schenn and Radko Gudas - won't be on the ice for the Orange and Black on Tuesday.

White is now with Arizona, while Schenn and Gudas are suspended.

Schenn has one more game to serve, and Gudas has three.

When Schenn returns to the lineup Thursday for the home opener against Anaheim, left winger Michael Raffl will probably drop from the top line to the third line. Schenn, who scored a career-high 26 goals last season, will be on a line with Claude Giroux and Wayne Simmonds.

In the home opener, there is a chance Nick Cousins moves from left wing to center on the third line, and that Pierre-Edouard Bellemare drops from the third to fourth line. If that happened, Chris VandeVelde would probably be a healthy scratch.

During Monday's practice in Chicago, Cousins (two assists) dropped down to the fourth line, and Matt Read moved up to the third line. Read has a goal and is second on the Flyers with eight shots, one behind Shayne Gostisbehere.