NHL Preview: Philadelphia Flyers at Florida Panthers

 

Flyers at Panthers, 7:30 p.m., CSN

BB&T Center, Sunrise, Fla.

Coming off of an impressive victory over the New York Rangers on Thursday night, the Philadelphia Flyers escape the cold and head to sunny Florida to take on the Florida Panthers. There are a handful of significant storylines surrounding this game, as both teams look to grab their second win of the year.

Flyers: 1-3-0 (5th in Atlantic Division)

Panthers: 1-3-0 (4th in Southeast Division)

Injuries

– Danny Briere is still working on returning from a hairline fracture in his wrist. His status is currently 50/50 for Saturday’s game.

– Defenseman Andrej Meszaros exited Thursday’s game early after suffering an injury to his left shoulder. He will be sidelined for about one month.

– Scott Hartnell had successful surgery on a broken foot on Friday, keeping him inactive for 4-6 weeks.

– After missing the last two games due to bruising, Kurtis Foster will be in the lineup tonight.

– Stephen Weiss was a last-minute scratch for Thursday night’s game with a lower body injury. He is listed as day-to-day.

– The Panthers haven’t had Kris Versteeg (groin) healthy so far this season. However, he was seen skating this week and is considered questionable.

Flyers Notes

– He’s baaaack! With the injury bug flying all over the Flyers locker room, the team signed familiar face Mike Knuble to a one-year deal on Thursday night. He will be active for this game and will wear number 9.

– Brayden Schenn will return to the lineup after serving a one-game suspension for his hit on Anton Volchenkov.

– Goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov is 4-1-0-1 with a 1.47 GAA in six career starts against the Panthers. He will look to continue his strong play thus far.

Panthers Notes

– Florida has dropped three straight contests after winning their opening game. Defenseman Ed Jovanovski believes the team is in “desperation mode.”

– There is a good chance that rookie Jonathan Huberdeau will be on the first line tonight, giving him a chance to show the world what he can do against some of the better players in the league.