GAME: Florida Panthers (6-8-3) at Philadelphia Flyers (10-3-1).
TIME: Saturday, 7 p.m. EST.
It's been nearly three weeks since the Florida Panthers last won a game. A road game against one of the league's best teams in that span may extend that streak a little longer.
Florida looks to end a seven-game winless slide Saturday night when they meet the red-hot Philadelphia Flyers.
The Panthers have gone 0-4-3 since a 4-3 road win Oct. 25 against the Pittsburgh Penguins and have been outscored 22-13 in that span.
The latest loss came Friday in a 1-0 setback Friday to the Carolina Hurricanes. Goaltender Roberto Luongo finished with 34 saves.
In his first 10 appearances, Luongo was 6-4-0 with a 2.32 goals-against average, a .933 save percentage and consecutive shutouts. In six games since, he is 0-3-3, owns a 3.09 GAA, .911 save percentage and no shutouts.
He is 2-4-1-1 with a 3.40 GAA and .911 save percentage in his career versus the Flyers.
This is Florida's longest winless skid since and 0-1-5-2 slide from Nov. 11-24, 2002. The franchise record is a 15-game skid (0-14-1) from Feb. 1-March 23, 1998.
Meanwhile, Philadelphia has won five in a row overall and eight straight at the Wachovia Center.
The line of Simon Gagne, Peter Forsberg and Mike Knuble has carried the Flyers for much of the season, the team has also gotten contributions from others.
Center Patrick Sharp had two goals in the Flyers' 3-2 victory Thursday over the New York Islanders.
Sharp, who has eight goals in 56 career games, helped Philadelphia rally from an early 2-0 deficit by scoring the Flyers' first goal. He added the eventual game-winner early in the third period.
"I just try to go out and play hard," said Sharp, who helped lead the Philadelphia Phantoms to the Calder Cup championship in the AHL during last season's lockout. "I'm not looking to necessarily go out and score two goals, but when you do the little things right, things go your way."
Gagne failed to score for just the fourth time in 14 games. Fourteen of his league-best 16 goals have come at home.
Forsberg has tallied 18 of his 28 assists this season on home ice and enters this game tied with Daniel Alfredsson of the Ottawa Senators for the league lead
STANDINGS (through Nov. 11): Panthers - 15 points, 3rd place, 10 PB, Southeast Division. Flyers - 21 points, 2nd place, 2 PB, Atlantic Division.
TEAM LEADERS: Panthers - Nathan Horton, 7 goals; Olli Jokinen and Mike Van Ryn, 9 assists; Jokinen, 13 points; Branislav Mezei, 37 PIM. Flyers - Gagne, 16 goals; Forsberg, 24 assists and 28 points; Donald Brashear, 24 PIM.
SPECIAL TEAMS (through Nov. 11): Panthers - Power play: 12.9 percent (14 for 108), 27th in NHL. Penalty killing: 80.0 percent (84 for 105), 24th. Flyers - Power play: 20.0 percent (21 for 105), 8th (tied). Penalty killing: 75.0 percent (72 for 96), 30th.
GOALTENDERS: Panthers - Luongo (6-7-3, 2 SO, 2.75 GAA); Jamie McLennan (0-1-0, 0, 1.61). Flyers - Robert Esche (7-2-1, 0, 2.89); Antero Niittymaki (3-1-0, 0, 3.95).
SEASON SERIES: Flyers, 1-0.
LAST MEETING: Oct. 27; Flyers, 5-4, OT. At Philadelphia, Forsberg scored his first goal of the season with 49 seconds left in regulation, and Joni Pitkanen delivered the game-winner 1:13 into the extra period as the Flyers rallied for the victory.
ROAD/HOME RECORDS: Panthers - 2-6-2 on the road; Flyers - 8-1-0 at home.
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||
