Flyers expected to face Lightning's backup goalie
It appears the Flyers will catch a break Tuesday and face 39-year-old Evgeni Nabokov, Tampa Bay's struggling backup goalie.
Lightning starter Ben Bishop was injured in Monday's 4-2 loss in Pittsburgh; he was replaced by Nabokov at the start of the second period.
"He pulled himself out tonight," Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper told reporters after the game. "It'd be hard to go in less than 24 hours."
Nabokov is just 3-4-1 with a 2.99 goals-against average and .893 save percentage.
The 6-fooot-7 Bishop, who suffered an undisclosed lower-body injury, is 16-6-2 with a 2.35 GAA and .913 save percentage.
The Flyers (27 points) have a five-game points streak (3-0-2), but Columbus and Carolina are the only Eastern Conference teams with fewer overall points than the Orange and Black.
Steve Mason is expected to get the start for the Flyers. Despite his 6-9-4 record, Mason has a 2.60 GAA and .918 save percentage.
The Flyers are 2-0 on the four-game homestand, which ends Thursday against Florida.
Numbers Dept.The Flyers had the league's third-best power play (24 percent success rate) heading into Monday, while Tampa was ninth at 21.7 percent. Tampa's penalty kill was 15th (81.4 percent) while the Flyers' was 29th (74 percent) out of 30 teams
Follow Sam Carchidi on Twitter @BroadStBull.