The hottest team in hockey will finally host the team that hasn't turned down the heat all season.
With an NHL best 12-1-1 record since Jan. 14, the Flyers (28-24-7, 63 points) will continue their frenzied push for a playoff spot as they take on the Tampa Bay Lightning (45-11-4, 94 points) for the final time this season.
The Flyers will look to avoid their first season sweep against the Lightning since the 2013-14 season.
Let's take a look at Tuesday night's essentials:
• When: 7 p.m. ET with Flyers Pregame Live at 6:30 p.m.
• Where: Wells Fargo Center
• Broadcast: NBC Sports Philadelphia
• Live stream: NBCSportsPhiladelphia.com and the NBC Sports MyTeams app
• The Flyers recalled goaltender Brian Elliott from his conditioning loan with the Phantoms and have activated him from injured reserve to the active roster (see story). Elliott will back up Carter Hart for tonight's game against the Lightning.
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Hart will be the fourth different Flyers goaltender the Lightning have faced in their last four meetings with Michal Neuvirth, Calvin Pickard and Petr Mrazek as the others.
After a 2-4-1 start to his career, Hart is 11-2-0 with a 2.46 goals-against average and .930 save percentage over his last 13 appearances.
• Tonight's matchup is the 100th meeting between the Flyers and Lightning with the Flyers owning a 47-37-8-7 advantage.
In the first matchup at the Wells Fargo Center on Nov. 17, the Lightning became the sixth team in league history to cough up a four-goal lead in the third period before winning, 6-5, in overtime. Ironically, the Flyers matched that same dubious feat when they lost a 5-1 lead to the Red Wings on Saturday before Travis Konecny pulled through with the game-winner in overtime.
In the Dec. 27 rematch at Amalie Arena, the Flyers battled back from a three-goal deficit in the third period, tying the game before Tampa Bay won it again in the OT period.
• The speed of the Lightning has been blinding so far this season. Tampa Bay needed just 58 games to reach the 90-point plateau. Only eight teams in NHL history have topped 90 points prior to their 60th regular-season game.
It's a good test. If we find a way to squeak into the playoffs, it's a possible matchup for us. We're excited about this game. The games we've played against them have been fun to play. I don't see why tonight won't be fun.
- Claude Giroux
Would you believe the 1979-80 Flyers hold the record? Pat Quinn's team ripped off a 35-game unbeaten streak and started that season with a 39-4-13 mark for 91 points in its first 56 games.
• Tampa Bay is also the first team since the 1995-96 Pittsburgh Penguins to have three 70-point scorers before the 60-game mark of the season.
Remarkably, the NHL's leading scorer and Hart Trophy favorite Nikita Kucherov is on pace to finish with a whopping 135 points. Even if Kucherov finishes with 101 points, he will have increased his point total every season since entering the league in 2013-14.
Kucherov comes to Philadelphia on a five-game point streak with seven goals and 11 assists, an average of 3.6 points per game.
Projected lineup
Forwards
James van Riemsdyk-Claude Giroux-Travis Konecny
Oskar Lindblom-Sean Couturier-Jakub Voracek
Scott Laughton-Nolan Patrick-Wayne Simmonds
Michael Raffl-Phil Varone-Justin Bailey
Defensemen
Ivan Provorov-Travis Sanheim
Andrew MacDonald-Shayne Gostisbehere
Robert Hagg-Radko Gudas
Goalies
Carter Hart
Brian Elliott
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