Longtime Flyers fans can’t help but cringe at the thought of playing the Detroit Red Wings.
Sure, it’s been almost 12 years since the Flyers fell to Detroit in that notorious Stanley Cup Finals sweep. But to many, that series is still a sore spot; it remains the closest Philadelphia’s been to a Cup in more than two decades.
The two teams will meet tonight in Detroit for the first time since 2006, for a game that means a lot to both teams -- both in terms of this season’s standings and historically. The Flyers haven’t won in Detroit since 1988.
Chris Osgood, who was a member of that aforementioned Stanley Cup-winning Detroit team, is expected to get the start in net. Biron will likely start for the Flyers.
Philadelphia will be without defenseman Randy Jones, who suffered a hip injury in the team’s 4-1 loss to the New York Rangers Sunday. Jones could miss up to 10 days with the injury.
"In speaking with the trainers we are probably looking at a week to a week-and-a-half,” Jones told the Daily News Monday. “We are going to see how the treatment goes. When we get back to Philly, we will re-evaluate it. Hopefully, it will be sooner rather than later."
In his place, the Flyers will recall Danny Syvret from the Phantoms for the first time. Syvert, 23, has played in 26 NHL games over two seasons for the Edmonton Oilers. He has 11 goals and 37 assists in 65 games for the Phantoms this season.
Braydon Coburn will also be in the Flyers’ lineup. The team was concerned that Coburn, who received a match penalty in Sunday’s game for a high stick to the head of Rangers right winger Nik Antropov, would receive a suspension.
The NHL automatically reviews all match penalties, and often takes further disciplinary action against those who receive them. No action will be taken against Coburn, however.
The Philadelphia-Detroit match up is particularly interesting for fans because the home team -- whether it's been the Flyers or the Red Wings -- has won the last 14 games. The last road win was Detroit’s 4-2 win in Game 2 of the 1997 Stanley Cup Finals in Philadelphia.
But we don’t need to think about that right now.