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Flyers-Jets Preview
Philadelphia Flyers at Winnipeg Jets
- The Flyers dropped a 5-2 decision in Toronto last night and have now lost four consecutive road games by a combined score of 15-6. Philadelphia had a season-high 46 shots on goal in last night's setback.
- Winnipeg beat Ottawa, 1-0, on Saturday, recording its first shutout since March 1 last season -- a stretch of 27 games. The Jets have won three of their last four home contests.
- Including a 9-8 win on October 27, Winnipeg was 3-0-1 vs. Philadelphia last season. Dating to the beginning of 2009-10, the Thrashers/Jets are 10-1-1 against the Flyers -- best of any Eastern Conference club.
- Kimmo Timonen had a helper last night and now has one assist in three straight games overall for the Flyers. Including a career-high tying four assists vs. the Jets on October 27, 2011, Timonen has nine points (2g, 7a) in his last eight games against the Thrashers/Jets.
- Tobias Enstrom had his 8-game point streak snapped on Saturday, but is still tied with Kevin Shattenkirk for the league-lead among blueliners with 13 points this season. Winnipeg's defensemen have combined for 34 points in 2012-13 -- most of any team in the NHL.
- Philadelphia is 1-2-0 in the second of back-to-back games this season.
By TAYLOR BECHTOLD
(AP) -- Ondrej Pavelec is expected to remain the Winnipeg Jets' No. 1 goaltender for now, but backup Al Montoya may have earned himself more time with his latest effort.
The Philadelphia Flyers' top goalie has continued to struggle on the road, one of the issues that has plagued the team during their season-long problems away from home.
The Jets will try to win for the fourth time in five home games Tuesday night when they take on the Flyers, losers of six of seven on the road.
With Pavelec out with the flu, Montoya made his second start and came up with 33 saves in a 1-0 win over Ottawa on Saturday. It was a performance Winnipeg (5-5-1) needed after losing four of its previous five contests.
"I felt good and I felt comfortable out there," Montoya said. "I felt like I did everything to prepare for this game."
Montoya picked up his third career shutout and may get more starts with Pavelec slumping. While he's expected to start Tuesday, Pavelec has lost four of his last five starts with a 4.26 goals-against average.
Pavelec is 5-1-1 in seven career starts against Philadelphia despite a 3.62 GAA.
The Jets haven't given either goalie much support recently, scoring three goals in their last two games despite a combined 62 shots. Andrew Ladd and Blake Wheeler pace the team with four goals apiece, and Ladd has seven goals in his last nine games against the Flyers.
Winnipeg leads the NHL in scoring by defensemen with 34 points behind Tobias Enstrom's 13.
The Jets could be poised for a big night offensively against a Philadelphia team that ranks near the bottom of the league in goals allowed with 38.
The Flyers (5-7-1) opened a six-game trip Monday with a 5-2 loss to Toronto, their fourth straight road defeat. Philadelphia has been outscored 15-6 and converted 1 of 18 power-play chances during that skid.
The Flyers haven't had much success against the Jets either, losing 10 of 12. However, they snapped a four-game skid in the series with a 5-4 overtime win at Winnipeg on Feb. 21, getting 55 shots.
Ilya Bryzgalov was pulled in the second period against the Maple Leafs after allowing four goals on 14 shots and was replaced by Brian Boucher, who finished with nine saves.
"We shot ourselves in the foot and it seemed to unravel a little bit," coach Peter Laviolette said. " ... and we couldn't get back on track."
While Bryzgalov has been outstanding at home, going 4-1-1 with a 1.97 GAA, he's gone 1-5-0 with a 3.16 GAA in six road starts.
He is 3-0-1 with a 2.18 GAA in four career starts against the Jets, though he gave up four goals on 26 shots Feb. 21, his only road game versus Winnipeg.
Wayne Simmonds, who ended a four-game goal drought by scoring against the Leafs, had a goal and an assist in the teams' last meeting.
Updated February 12, 2013
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