QUICK STATS
Season Series: 0-1-0
All-Time Record: 290gp (156-94-30-10)
Leading Scorer:
PHI - Travis Konecny (17g-25a) & Sean Couturier (13g-29a): 42-pts
PIT - Evgeny Malkin: 50-pts (15g-35a)
1. HOME AND EVENTUALLY HOME
Tonight kicks off a home-and-home series between the two clubs, but its one that is separated by nine days due to the NHL's Bye/All-Star break... The Flyers are 2-1-0 in the game before heading into the bye week, winning the last two such occasions, while the Pens are also 2-1-0, but won the first two seasons and dropped last season's game, 7-3 to Vegas... It's the second of four meetings and first in Philly this season after the Flyers suffered a 7-1 loss on Oct. 29 at Pittsburgh... The Flyers have won two of the last three meetings against the Pens and have earned at least a point in 7 of the last 11 meetings, going 5-4-2.
2. SAVE TONIGHT
The Flyers head into tonight winning three of their last four, and four of the last six games... They finish off another three-game homestand tonight and, currently at 1-1-0, the Flyers have recorded four or more points in each of their previous three-game homestands so far this season... Pittsburgh enters tonight one of three teams in the NHL with 30 or more wins... They have won two straight, six of their last seven, and have earned at least a point in 18 of their last 22 games, going 17-4-1 since Dec. 4, which leads all teams in the NHL.
3. METRO MAHEM
The Flyers are 8-2-3 (.730) against Metropolitan Division opponents, which leads all Eastern Conference teams and is second in the NHL (EDM: 9-2-0, .818), and are unbeaten in regulation on home ice against their own division, going 4-0-2... The Pens on the other hand are 5-2-3 against the Metro, but have a 1-2-2 record on the road, which also includes going winless in four straight (0-2-2) against the Metro.
4. THIS, THAT & THE OTHER
THIS: The Flyers have scored on the power play in three of their last four, going 4-for-11 (36.3%), while the Pens have scored on the man advantage in three of their last five, going 6-for-17 (35.2%)... THAT: Giroux is one goal shy of 250 for his career, and would be the 10th Flyer to do so, and four points shy of 800 in the NHL, just the fourth Flyer to accomplish that as well... THE OTHER: Joel Farabee has goals in two straight games, while Bryan Rust also has a pair of goals, and three points, heading into tonight.
5. PLAYERS TO WATCH
FLYERS (LW: #25 - James van Riemsdyk)
van Riemsdyk has the hot hand lately with five points in his last four games, including a three-point night on Saturday vs. Kings with a goal and an assist... He has 8 of 13 goals and 17 of 28 points (8g-9a) as well as a +7 rating playing on home ice... Against the Pens, he has 22 points (11g-11a) in 37 games.
PENGUINS (C: #87 - Sidney Crosby)
Crosby returned to the ice on Jan. 14 after missing 28 games from core muscle surgery... He has points in all four games since his return, averaging two points per-game with eight points (3g-5a)... He has 25 points (8g-17a) in 21 games this season, which includes three points (1g-2a) in the first and only meeting with the Flyers this season.
