Flyers at Oilers
10 p.m. on Comcast SportsNet
The Flyers (29-29-15) will close out their four-game trek through Canada when they take on the Edmonton Oilers (19-39-13) at Rexall Place Saturday night.
Here are five things you need to know for the tilt:
1. Clearing the air
Let’s make something perfectly clear: The Flyers have not lost games because of Steve Mason this season. The 26-year-old has been the Flyers’ most consistent player on a nightly basis and arguably the most valuable player on a mind-numbingly flawed team.
Mason has bit his tongue on numerous occasions this season. Given how little goal support he’s received, it’s remarkable that he continues to take the heat for the Flyers’ poor play. He’s a consummate professional and an even better teammate.
And what did that get him? Thrown under the bus by his own head coach. Craig Berube yanked Mason from Thursday’s loss to Calgary after he was badly screened by Nick Schultz on the Flames’ second goal. After the game, Berube had some harsh — and completely unwarranted — criticism for his No. 1 goalie, saying Mason should have stopped both goals he surrendered.
“As a professional, you’ve got to take things with a grain of salt sometimes and just continue to work hard,” Mason told reporters Friday after clearing the air with Berube in a private meeting. “Today’s a new day. There’s a lot worse things that could happen to me other than being pulled in a hockey game.”
NHL
Mason should be the least of Berube’s worries. Why go out of your way to alienate the one player who was the sole reason your team even had a sniff at a playoff spot just a few weeks ago? Especially when his teammates have provided two or fewer goals for him in 17 of his 19 appearances on the road this season. There’s plenty of blame to go around, but what Berube did to Mason on Thursday was just flat-out disrespectful.
2. Welcome back
New dad Matt Read is expected to be back in the Flyers’ lineup against Edmonton.
The 28-year-old, who has seven goals and 20 assists this season, missed the last two games after flying to Minnesota for the birth of his first child, a baby girl named Roen Brittan Read.
With Read back in the fold, Berube said he plans to go back to four full offensive lines and three defensive pairs after dressing 11 forwards and seven defensemen against the Flames. Berube wouldn’t say who will be scratched, however.
3. Injuries
Forward R.J. Umberger (hip/abdomen) and defenseman Radko Gudas (knee) are out for the rest of the season.
Oilers star Taylor Hall could return to the lineup against the Flyers. Hall, who practiced with his teammates on Friday, has played just one game since Jan. 20 because of a leg injury.
Fellow forwards Tyler Pitlick (lacerated spleen) and Iiro Pakarinen (knee) are out. Goalie Viktor Fasth and winger Matt Fraser are sidelined with concussions.
4. Keep an eye on …
Flyers: Wayne Simmonds, who is two goals shy of matching his career high of 29, is due for a breakout game. The 26-year-old is mired in a bit of a scoring slump — which Flyer isn’t? — but has remained aggressive and active in the offensive zone. In his last eight games, Simmonds has 15 shots on goal but just four points, three of which came in a 7-2 rout of the Detroit Red Wings on March 14. A matchup with the miserable Oilers is just what Simmonds, who is known to be a streaky scorer, needs to get back on track.
Oilers: Jordan Eberle has been magnificent as of late. The 24-year-old has potted four goals and assisted eight more during his current six-game point streak. He enters Saturday leading Edmonton in assists (37) and points (56) and is just one marker away from reaching the 20-goal plateau for the third time in his career. The 5-foot-11, 180-pounder is at his best when he’s buzzing around the net. He has a very accurate shot and is an underrated passer. He wears No. 14.
5. This and that
• The Flyers have won their last three meetings against the Oilers.
• Edmonton has tallied at least one power-play goal in each of its last six games.
• The Flyers have been outscored by a 26-10 margin during their current 0-5-3 road skid.
• Ryan Nugent-Hopkins has scored a goal in two consecutive games against the Flyers.
• Jakub Voracek, who scored twice against the Oilers earlier this season, has five points in his last three games against Edmonton.