Five things to watch when Flyers host Blackhawks

The Chicago Blackhawks' week of playing against teams that are trying to play the spoiler role continues at the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday.

After a 3-1 win against the Carolina Hurricanes on Monday, the Blackhawks' continued pursuit of a Central Division crown will be featured this week in the Wednesday Night Rivalry game (8 p.m. ET; NBCSN, TVA) from Wells Fargo Center.

Here are five things to watch between the Blackhawks and Flyers:

1. Blackhawks rolling without Kane

Chicago could have been in trouble when forward Patrick Kane fractured his clavicle in a game against the Florida Panthers on Feb. 24. But led by captain Jonathan Toews, the Blackhawks are 8-2-1 since Kane's injury.

Toews, one of the best two-way players in the game, scored his 500th NHL point Monday.

"The one thing about [Toews], people might look at his numbers offensively, but I think what he does without the puck and defensively … I think he always should be considered for the Selke [Trophy] every year," Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said.

2. Voracek in pursuit of scoring title

It's been a frustrating season for the Flyers, but one positive has been the play of forward Jakub Voracek. The 25-year-old is tied for third in the NHL with 73 points (21 goals, 52 assists) in 74 games.

But he wishes the Flyers were in the thick of the race for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

"We dug ourselves such a big hole at the beginning of the season when we didn't play well and we couldn't find a way to win the games when we were up," Voracek told NJ.com. "We got in such a big hole that we were catching up and catching up since basically November.

"It's really hard in the NHL to get back in the race. We were almost there, but it's really hard when for 3-4 months you're chasing, chasing, chasing. We just gotta learn from it and make sure next year we have a good start."

3. Timonen returns to Philadelphia

Chicago defenseman Kimmo Timonen makes his return to Philadelphia, where he played seven seasons before being acquired by the Blackhawks prior to the NHL Trade Deadline. Timonen didn't play a game for the Flyers this season because of blood clots and does not have a point through nine games with the Blackhawks.

"It's been a process," Timonen told the Chicago Sun-Times. "I knew it [would] take me two or three weeks to really get to know the guys and the system in practices. Games are a different story. … It's still a process, but we're going the right way. I'm not quite there yet."

"We miss him in the locker room," Flyers goalie Steve Mason said Tuesday, according to the Flyers Twitter account. "He's a class act and it'll be good to see him [Wednesday]."

4. Cousins impresses Flyers brass

Philadelphia general manager Ron Hextall likes what he's seen from center Nick Cousins since promoting him from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the American Hockey League on March 14. Cousins doesn't have a point in his first three games with the Flyers, but he should become more familiar with the NHL game down the stretch. Cousins had 55 points in 60 AHL games this season.

"You're looking and saying, OK, who has earned a call-up over the course of the year?" Hextall said Monday, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. "And I think the two guys who have been up recently have in Brandon Manning and Nick Cousins, who's up right now."

5. Quenneville goes for No. 751

The Blackhawks coach reached another milestone Monday, when he won his 750th game. Quenneville (750-432-106 and 77 ties) ranks third on the NHL list behind Scotty Bowman (1244 wins) and Al Arbour (782).

"It's been an honor to play for him all these years, to be part of a lot of those wins," Chicago forward Patrick Sharp said. "He's a fun coach to play for. He's got more intensity than the players do in practice, preseason games, regular-season games, playoff games. He's always into it and that filters down to our team."

Follow Brian Compton on Twitter: @BComptonNHL