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Unconventional lineup helps Flyers break losing streak

Berube won't say if lineup will stay for tonight's game

AFTER DROPPING four straight games in which his team never had a lead, Craig Berube went back to the drawing board and threw an unconventional version of an 18-skater lineup against divisional foe Columbus in Saturday night's 4-2 win.

With defenseman Michael Del Zotto returning to the lineup after missing Thursday's game with a lower-body injury, the second-year coach decided to employ seven defensemen and 11 forwards for the first time this season.

Sometimes weird works.

The team responded with arguably its best 60-minute effort of the season, outshooting the Blue Jackets, 41-24, in a game the Flyers never trailed.

But will Berube keep the seven-man defensive corps going forward, even tonight against the Islanders?

"We'll look at things. It's game to game," Berube said after Saturday's game. "We'll look at the Islanders' lineup, look at the way they play."

Berube said after Saturday's morning skate that having forwards who can handle playing a lot of minutes makes utilizing a lineup of seven defensemen a little bit easier.

It was the latest button-pushing from Berube in trying to turn around his slumping group. And he wasn't alone in trying to right the ship. After Wednesday's loss at the Rangers, general manager Ron Hextall came into the dressing room to express his displeasure.

The Flyers were failing to get production beyond of NHL-point leading Jakub Voracek and captain Claude Giroux. So Berube messed with his lines a little bit, putting winger Wayne Simmonds with Sean Couturier and Matt Read before Thursday's loss to Minnesota.

Simmonds was critical of his own play heading into the weekend. After starting the season with six goals in October, the 26-year-old assistant captain had tallied just one goal in November.

That changed Saturday when Simmonds had a puck bounce his way in the air on the power play. In one motion, he batted the puck to the ice and fired it past Blue Jackets goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, giving the Flyers a 3-1 advantage and Simmonds his first game-winning goal of the season.

"I think anytime your GM calls out every single player on the team, I think it's going to light a fire under your butt," Simmonds said. "I think we had a good response. We played two strong games in a row. We are going to Long Island, we are going to play a good hockey team on Long Island on Monday night and we've got to be prepared."

The Flyers (8-9-2) begin the most travel-heavy portion of their schedule starting with tonight's game in New York. They'll play seven of their next eight games on the road and 15 of their next 20 away from the Wells Fargo Center.

The Islanders are in the midst of one of the NHL's biggest turnarounds of the season. After finishing dead last in the Metropolitan Division last year, the Islanders - led by captain John Tavares' team-high 20 points - are 14-6 and tied atop the division with Pittsburgh, 4-1 losers to the Isles on Saturday night.

"They've been together for a while and as young guys and they have grown," Berube said. "They are more mature, more alert, and obviously Tavares is one of the best players in the league and he is surrounded by a lot of good players."

After tonight, the Flyers will take on the Red Wings in Detroit on Wednesday night before a crucial home-and-home set against the Rangers, who are currently two points ahead of the Flyers in the Metropolitan standings.

From there comes a trip out to California to take on the likes of the Sharks, Ducks and defending Stanley Cup champion Kings.

As the Flyers continue to jockey for playoff positioning in the Eastern Conference, the upcoming string of road games could be crucial in determining the fate of the season.

"I think last year we had a similar schedule," Voracek said. "You know when we were out West, it was a tough road trip and we were very successful. And I think that is why we made the playoffs. Because we were very good and picked up some points on the road. And hopefully we are going to do it this year as well."

Slap shots

Jake Voracek extended his league-leading point total to 29 with a pair of assists Saturday night. He has tallied a point in every game, excluding Flyers' shutouts. Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby and Dallas' Tyler Seguin trail Voracek with 26 points apiece . . . Claude Giroux won 23 faceoffs Saturday night. It was the first time a Flyers player won that many since 2005, when Michal Handzus won 23 against the Islanders . . . Brayden Schenn stayed hot, scoring the Flyers' first goal Saturday while again playing on the top line alongside Voracek and Giroux. Schenn has recorded a point in 10 of the last 12 games, a streak that includes six goals and six assists.