Game 17 Preview: Flyers Vs. Penguins
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – The Pittsburgh Penguins will be looking to extend their current winning streak to four games when they play host to cross-state rival Philadelphia tonight.
This has been a season of polar opposites for the two teams.
The Penguins enter tonight's game tied with the New Jersey Devils for the Atlantic Division lead and are just one point behind the Montreal Canadiens for the top spot in the Eastern Conference.
Meanwhile, Philadelphia has struggled while dealing with several injuries to key players. They currently find themselves in fourth place in the Atlantic Division, just two points ahead of the New York Islanders.
While they are currently sitting in 10th place in the Eastern Conference, they are only two points behind the New York Rangers and Tampa Bay Lightning for the final playoff spot.
This will be the second meeting of the year between the Penguins and Flyers. The last meeting was back on opening night, which the Penguins won 3-1.
Jakub Voracek currently leads the team with 15 points (three goals, 12 assists). Matt Read leads the team with seven goals.
Captain Claude Giroux has registered five goals and eight assists in 17 games.
In goal, Ilya Bryzgalov (7-7-1, 2.42 GAA, .911 save percentage) has struggled at times, but he shutout the Islanders 7-0 on Monday.
Against the Penguins, Bryzgalov is 4-2-1 with a 2.07 GAA and .930 save percentage.
For Pittsburgh, Sidney Crosby has elevated his game of late and has risen near the top of the league's scoring race.
His 24 points (seven goals, 17 assists) are just one back of Buffalo's Thomas Vanek.
In 40 games against the Flyers, Crosby has 27 goals and 39 assists, with nine goals and 16 assists on the power play.
James Neal leads the team with 11 goals, but his seven power play goals lead the league.
In goal, Marc-Andre Fleury (8-3-0, 2.34 GAA, .914 save percentage) has been spectacular lately. In the month of February, he has posted a 6-1 record with a 2.01 GAA.
Against the Flyers, Fleury is 22-13-1 with a 2.77 GAA and a .903 save percentage.
The puck is set to drop at 7:30 p.m. and you can watch it on the NBC Sports Network.
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