5 THINGS: Blackhawks vs. Flyers

Philadelphia Flyers (7-6-2: 16pts) vs.Chicago Blackhawks (7-6-2: 16pts)
at Wells Fargo Center | Philadelphia, PA
TIME: 7:00 p.m. | TV: NBCSP | RADIO: 93.3 WMMR
presented by The Rothman Institute at Jefferson Hospital
QUICK STATS
Season Series: 0-1-0
All-Time Record: 137gp (60-47-30-0)
Leading Scorers:
PHI: 18-PTS, Couturier (9g-9a), Voracek (3g-15a)
CHI: 14-PTS, Kane (5g-9a)
1. GIMME A BREAK
Both teams come in with an identical 7-6-2 mark for 16 points and resume play after a break in their game schedule… The Flyers return after a four-day break in between games - their first four-day break since the start of training camp, while the Blackhawks enjoyed a three-day break in-between games… The Flyers enter a stretch where they play seven of their next 11 games at home, while the Blackhawks will play six of their next nine games on the road… The Flyers have earned points in the standings in four of their last five games (2-1-2) but are looking for their first home win since Oct. 21 … The Blackhawks come in with a 2-3-0 record in their last five, and in each game, they have recorded 35 shots or more on their opponent.

2. GOING FOR 14
This is the second and final meeting of the season after the Flyers suffered a 3-0 loss on Nov. 1… This marks the third Western Conference team the Flyers finish the season series against so far this season… The Flyers will also be looking to extend one of the NHL's longest home-winning streaks against another team - the Flyers have won 13 straight games over the Blackhawks with their last loss coming on Nov. 9, 1996, which was the first season at the Wells Fargo Center… During that streak, the Flyers have out-scored Chicago, 46 to 21.
3. CENTRAL STANDARD
The Flyers are in the midst of playing their fourth of seven straight games against Central Division opponents, while the Hawks kick off a string where they play five straight Metropolitan Division opponents… The Flyers own a 1-3-1 mark against the Central, while Chicago is a perfect 3-0-0 against the Metro… Both divisions have a logjam in the standings with only three points separating second place from seventh place in the Metro and three points separating second from sixth place in the Central.
4. BATTLE ON SPECIAL TEAMS
The last six games in which they have scored a goal on the power play, the Flyers have earned at least a point in the standings, going 4-0-2, and overall have a 5-1-2 mark when they have scored on the man advantage… The Blackhawks have been perfect on the penalty kill in their last three games and have killed off 10 straight time shorthanded - Overall, they are ranked sixth in the NHL at 84.5 percent.
5. PLAYERS TO WATCH:
FLYERS (D: #53 - Shayne Gostisbehere)
Gostisbehere returned to the lineup in the last game and added an assist to extend his point streak to three games… He has now recorded at least a point in seven of his last nine games that he has played… Despite missing three games to injury and having a four-day break in the schedule, he continues to lead all NHL d-men with 13 assists and is tied for fourth with 14 points… One more point in the next nine games and he will become the fastest defenseman in franchise history to reach his first 100 career points with the team.
BLACKHAWKS (G: #50 - Corey Crawford)
The expected starter for tonight's game stopped all 35 shots to post a shutout win over the Flyers nine days ago… Crawford was named the NHL's 1st Star of the Week on Monday after posting two shutouts and going 2-1-0 with a .979 save percentage and 0.68 GAA during the week… Crawford has made 12 of the Blackhawks 15 starts so far and is responsible for all seven of the team's wins this season.