For five seasons, Alain Vigneault served as the head coach of the New York Rangers and helped guide them to a Stanley Cup Final appearance and multiple playoff runs. Monday is sure to be a bittersweet day for the Flyers new bench boss.

Vigneault faces his most recent former team for the first as the Flyers and Rangers face off in the final game before the holiday break.

Game time is at 7 p.m.

Team Leaders

Philadelphia FlyersGPGAPNew York RangersGPGAP
Travis Konecny33112132Artemi Panarin35202545
Sean Couturier3691928Ryan Strome3572330
Jake Voracek3681826Mika Zibanejad22121426
Claude Giroux36111324Tony DeAngelo3571825
Ivan Provorov 3681422Chris Kreider35101121
Player to Watch
13 Kevin Hayes10 Artemi Panarin
Last 5 Games: 1 G, 4 A, 5 P, ELast 5 Games: 5 G, 3 A, 8 P, +3
It's also a reunion for Kevin Hayes, who plays his former team for the first time as a member of the Flyers. Hayes snapped an eight-game goalless drought with his power-play tally in Ottawa, but had six assists in that time. There may be some extra motivation from Hayes for this game.
This is the first time the Flyers will see Artemi Panarin in a Rangers uniform and he is heating up just in time for the meeting. Panarin recently had a hat trick and four-point game against San Jose on Dec. 12, part of a five-game goal scoring streak. Panarin has points in seven straight games and has been the leader of the Rangers offense all season.
Projected Goalie Matchup
79 Carter Hart30 Henrik Lundqvist
24 GP, 12-7-3, 2.33 GAA, .912 SV%20 GP, 8-7-3, 3.02 GAA, .913 SV%

It should be no surprise to see Carter Hart making another start on home ice. Hart picked up a pair of wins last week in the Flyers two home games, making 56 saves on 58 shots.

Henrik Lundqvist gets the start in back-to-back games after making 19 saves on 20 shots in a win over the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday. It was Lundqvist's first win since Nov. 27, snapping a four-game losing streak. This will be Lundqvist's 60th career start against the Flyers. He has a 35-17-5 record with a 2.50 GAA and .917 save percentage.

Flyers Projected Lineup

Injuries: Scott Laughton (groin, day-to-day), Michael Raffl (broken finger, out 4 weeks from Dec. 3), Nolan Patrick (migrane disorder, out indefinitely), Oskar Lindblom (Ewing's sarcoma, out for season)

Scratches: Robert Hagg (healthy), Chris Stewart (healthy)

Left WingCenterRight Wing
28 Claude Giroux14 Sean Couturier11 Travis Konecny
25 James van Riemsdyk13 Kevin Hayes62 Nicolas Aube-Kubel
49 Joel Farabee48 Morgan Frost93 Jake Voracek
10 Andy Andreoff24 Mikhail Vorobyev18 Tyler Pitlick
Defense
9 Ivan Provorov15 Matt Niskanen
6 Travis Sanheim61 Justin Braun
53 Shayne Gostisbehere5 Phil Myers
Goalie
79 Carter Hart37 Brian Elliott

Lineup Notes

Joel Farabee will make his return to the lineup following a three-game suspension. Chris Stewart will come out of the lineup as a result. After missing Saturday's game with the flu, Matt Niskanen is also expected back in the lineup. Ivan Provorov is dealing with the flu, missed the morning skate and is considered a game-time decision, but noted to Vigneault that there was "no way" he doesn't play tonight.

Rangers Projected Lineup

Injuries: Kaapo Kakko

Scratches: Philip Di Giuseppe, Libor Hajek 

Left WingCenterRight Wing
20 Chris Kreider93 Mika Zibanejad17 Jesper Fast
10 Artemi Panarin16 Ryan Strome89 Pavel Buchnevich
48 Brendan Lemieux72 Filip Chytil21 Brett Howden
38 Michael Haley14 Greg McKegg42 Brendan Smith
Defense
76 Brady Skjei8 Jacob Trouba
18 Marc Staal77 Tony DeAngelo
55 Ryan Lindgren23 Adam Fox
Goalie
40 Alexandar Georgiev30 Henrik Lundqvist

Game Notes

  • Power Play: Flyers (15th), Rangers (17th)
  • Penalty Kill: Flyers (T-9th), Rangers (T-22nd)
  • Recent History vs. Rangers
    • Nov. 23, 2018 - Flyers 4, Rangers 0 (at PHI)
    • Dec. 23, 2018 - Flyers 3, Rangers 2 (F/SO) (at NYR)
    • Jan. 29, 2019 - Flyers 1, Rangers 0 (at NYR)
    • March 31, 2019 - Rangers 3, Flyers 0 (at PHI)
  • Flyers Leaders vs. Rangers
    • Claude Giroux - 53 GP, 10 G, 38 A, 48 P
    • Jake Voracek - 39 GP, 13 G, 16 A, 29 P
    • Travis Konecny - 12 GP, 4 G, 4 A, 8 P
    • Carter Hart - 1 GP, 0-1-0, 3.00 GAA, .880 SV%
  • Milestone Watch
    • Shayne Gostisbehere needs two points to reach 200 for his career.

Where to Watch
TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia
Radio: 93.3 WMMR

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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