Five things to know about the Flyers today as they face the Jets
Five things to know today about the Flyers (33-30-8) as they begin a four-game road trip in Winnipeg (32-33-7) on Tuesday night:
Flyers center Sean Couturier (11 goals, 26 points) figures to get lots of time matched against Jets center Mark Scheifele (28 goals, 71 points), who was selected seventh overall in the 2011 draft, one slot ahead of Couturier.
The game matches two of the league's weaker penalty-killing units. The Jets are ranked 28th out of 30 teams with a 76.7 percent success rate, while the Flyers are ranked 23rd (79.2 percent). Winnipeg has been shorthanded 249 times, the most in the NHL.
The Flyers have won six straight (4-0-2) over the Jets, who have scored 51 goals in 14 games since Feb. 14. That goal total is tied for second in the NHL.
Radko Gudas (plus-4), Couturier (plus-3), Jordan Weal (plus-3), and Matt Read (plus-1) are the Flyers' only "plus" players.
The Flyers are seven points out of a playoff spot with 11 games left and have little margin for error. They need at least six points on their four-game road trip to have any hope.