There is hardly anything comfortable about the Flyers place in the standings. At 75 points and in third in the Metropolitan Division, just five points separate the Flyers from the division lead, but just three separate them from being out of the playoff picture completely. Still, they have put themselves in a position to eventually solidify their place in the race if they keep on the current path.

Their next matchup comes on Saturday afternoon, when they face the Winnipeg Jets, as they look for a third straight win and another chance to continue their climb in the standings. It is an especially important game as it marks the last before Monday's trade deadline, so the result could influence the Flyers in one way or another as the deadline approaches.

Game time is 1 p.m.

Team Leaders

Philadelphia FlyersGPGAPWinnipeg JetsGPGAP
Sean Couturier61183654Mark Scheifele62263965
Travis Konecny58213354Kyle Connor62303363
Claude Giroux61173047Patrik Laine60253358
Jake Voracek61123345Blake Wheeler62203555
James van Riemsdyk 61182038Nikolaj Ehlers62222749
Player to Watch
9 Ivan Provorov55 Mark Scheifele
Last 5 Games: 1 G, 2 A, 3 P, -4Last 5 Games: 3 G, 3 A, 6 P, -5
Ivan Provorov has put up solid numbers offensive, but it will be about defensive play and silencing the Jets potent offense that will be key to this game. He will have quite the task against several scorers for Winnipeg.
Mark Scheifele went three straight games without a point and 12 without a goal, then posted a four-point game and a hat trick on Thursday. Scheifele had a three-point game against the Flyers back on Dec. 15.
Projected Goalie Matchup
79 Carter Hart37 Connor Hellebuyck
36 GP, 18-12-3, 2.54 GAA, .908 SV%50 GP, 26-18-5, 2.71 GAA, .919 SV%

Carter Hart was solid in Tuesday's win at home over Columbus, making 28 saves on 29 shots for his third win since returning last Monday. Hart entered in relief against the Jets earlier this season, allowing one goal on seven shots. He stopped 31 of 32 shots in a win against the Jets in their trip to Philadelphia last season.

Connor Hellebuyck also got the night off on Thursday after picking up a win on Tuesday, stopping 31 of 34 shots against Los Angeles. Hellebuyck made 29 saves against the Flyers in a win on Dec. 15.

Flyers Projected Lineup

Injuries: Nolan Patrick (migrane disorder, out indefinitely), Oskar Lindblom (Ewing's sarcoma, out for season)

Scratches: Shayne Gostisbehere, Mark Friedman

Left WingCenterRight Wing
28 Claude Giroux14 Sean Couturier93 Jake Voracek
49 Joel Farabee13 Kevin Hayes11 Travis Konecny
25 James van Riemsdyk21 Scott Laughton18 Tyler Pitlick
12 Michael Raffl82 Connor Bunnaman62 Nicolas Aube-Kubel
Defense
9 Ivan Provorov15 Matt Niskanen
6 Travis Sanheim5 Phil Myers
8 Robert Hagg61 Justin Braun
Goalie
79 Carter Hart37 Brian Elliott

Lineup Notes

Justin Braun makes his return to the lineup after missing Thursday's game with the flu. Mark Friedman will sit as the healthy scratch.

Jets Projected Lineup

Injuries: Mark Letestu, Bryan Little, Mathieu Perreault, Luca Sbisa, Adam Lowry

Scratches: Cody Eakin, Andrei Chibisov, Anthony Bitetto, Dustin Byfuglien, Sami Niku

Left WingCenterRight Wing
27 Nikolaj Ehlers55 Mark Scheifele26 Blake Wheeler
81 Kyle Connor9 Andrew Copp29 Patrik Laine
58 Jansen Harkins28 Jack Roslovic82 Mason Appleton
57 Gabriel Bourque21 Nick Shore38 Logan Shaw
Defense
44 Josh Morrissey3 Tucker Poolman
7 Dmitry Kulikov4 Neal Pionk
88 Nathan Beaulieu12 Dylan DeMelo
Goalie
37 Connor Hellebuyck30 Laurent Brossoit

Game Notes

  • Power Play: Flyers (15th), Jets (T-16th)
  • Penalty Kill: Flyers (T-9th), Jets (26th)
  • Recent History vs. Jets
    • Dec. 9, 2018 - Jets 7, Flyers 1 (at WPG)
    • Jan. 28, 2019 - Flyers 3, Jets 1 (at PHI)
    • Dec. 15, 2019 - Jets 7, Flyers 3 (at WPG)
  • Flyers Leaders vs. Jets
    • Claude Giroux - 30 GP, 8 G, 19 A, 27 P
    • Jake Voracek - 24 GP, 6 G, 13 A, 19 P
    • James van Riemsdyk - 27 GP, 6 G, 14 A, 20 P
    • Carter Hart - 2 GP, 1-0-0, 1.50 GAA, .949 SV%
  • Milestone Watch
    • Scott Laughton needs three points to reach 100 for his career.
    • Travis Konecny needs three assists to reach 100 for his career.

Where to Watch
TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic/97.3 ESPN

Kevin Durso is Flyers insider for 97.3 ESPN and Flyers editor for SportsTalkPhilly.com. Follow him on Twitter @Kevin_Durso.

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