Music: {allcanada} FLYERS (11-14-6) at MAPLE LEAFS (19-10-3)

Friday, December 19, 2014

{allcanada} FLYERS (11-14-6) at MAPLE LEAFS (19-10-3)

Christmas - Michael Bublé / Elf (2003) / Scrooged

Saturday, December 20, 2014

7:00 PM ET

FLYERS (11-14-6) at MAPLE LEAFS (19-10-3)

TV: CBC, CSN-PH

Season series: The Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Philadelphia Flyers twice in three games last season. In their only game in Toronto, Joffrey Lupul scored in overtime to give the Maple Leafs a 4-3 win on March 8. The Flyers, however, won the last time the teams played; Claude Giroux had one goal and two assists in a 4-2 victory at Philadelphia on March 28.

Flyers team scope: The Flyers traveled to Toronto to start an eight-game road trip without goaltender Steve Mason, who sustained an upper-body injury during practice Friday. Mason will not play against the Maple Leafs on Saturday or the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday; the Flyers said they will provide an update on his condition Monday. According to the Philadelphia Daily News, Mason fell face-first to the ice during a drill and had to be attended to by the training staff. Mason eventually was rolled onto his back and needed help to leave the ice. The Flyers will use Ray Emery against Toronto. He will be backed up by 33-year-old Rob Zepp, who has never played in the NHL and is back in North America after spending the past nine seasons in Europe. The Flyers called up Zepp from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the American Hockey League on an emergency basis Friday.

Maple Leafs team scope: One day after their six-game winning streak was snapped in a 4-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday, the Maple Leafs watched video and saw their problems started early in the game. Toronto was outshot 16-9 and trailed 2-0 after one period. "We have to learn from it," captain Dion Phaneuf said, according to the Maple Leafs website. "We can't start the way that we started in that game or the game previous (outshot by the Anaheim Ducks 17-11 in the first period of a 6-2 win Tuesday]. We're giving up too many shots in the first period. We're receiving the game too much. That's on us as players to be more prepared to start games." Coach Randy Carlyle said forward Leo Komarov skated on his own Friday. Komarov hasn't played since sustaining a concussion Nov. 29. "Obviously it's the first step back into the process that any player returning has to be testing himself both in the gym and on the ice," Carlyle said, according to the team website. "Other than he's in the testing mode."

Team Stats