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Lightning-Flyers Preview

Jan 9, 2010 - 5:22 AM By MATT BECKER STATS Senior Writer

Tampa Bay (16-16-10) at Philadelphia (21-19-3), 7:00 p.m. EDT

An impressive win over the defending Stanley Cup champions has the Philadelphia Flyers brimming with confidence. Perhaps getting their No. 1 goaltender back from an injury that's sidelined him for more than a month will also provide a boost.

The suddenly red-hot Flyers, who could have Ray Emery back, look to win for the seventh time in nine games Saturday night when they host a Tampa Bay Lightning team coming off a bizarre suspended game.

Following a 6-2 victory over Toronto on Wednesday, Philadelphia (21-19-3) came out with another solid performance in Thursday's 7-4 win at Pittsburgh. Rookie James van Riemsdyk and Jeff Carter each scored twice for the Flyers, who notched a season high in goals.

"Coming in here and stealing two points was huge," right wing Arron Asham said. "It's a stepping stone for us and we've been playing some great hockey the last couple of weeks. We want to keep it going."

Philadelphia is 6-1-1 since Dec. 23, thanks to a suddenly potent offense.

The Flyers have amassed 35 goals in their last eight games after combining for 30 in their previous 17, when they went just 3-13-1. Captain Mike Richards is leading the resurgence with six goals, while Danny Briere has five.

With the offense heating up, the Flyers' defense is about to get closer to full strength.

Emery returned to practice for Philadelphia after being out since Dec. 5 with a torn muscle in the abdominal wall. The injury required surgery and was originally expected to keep him out for six weeks.

"I've felt good for a few days now," said Emery, who is 11-8-1 with a 2.83 goals-against average and one shutout in 21 games. "You want to come back as fast as you can, but you also want to make sure that you don't rush it and that you're ready when you get back. I think I've done both of those."

Flyers coach Peter Laviolette has yet to name a starter for this contest, and he might want to give Emery a bit more time to recover considering how well his replacement has been playing.

Michael Leighton, who stopped 35 shots against the Penguins, has made eight consecutive starts, going 6-0-1 with a 2.20 GAA and one shutout. His first start in this stretch came at Tampa Bay on Dec. 23, when he made 31 saves in a 5-2 victory.

Emery turned away 26 shots in his only start of the season against the Lightning - a 6-2 win on Nov. 2 - and is 6-3-1 with a 2.18 GAA with one shutout in 10 career games against them.

The Flyers have won three straight over the Lightning, outscoring them 17-5. Richards has recorded two goals and an assist in each of those contests.

Tampa Bay (16-16-10) arrives in Philadelphia after Friday's game at New Jersey was suspended because of a lighting problem.

The Lightning, who had won five of seven prior to Friday, led 3-0 with 9:12 left in the second period when the lights dimmed in the Devils' end and could not be fixed. The teams waited 1 hour, 52 minutes before it was announced the game will resume at the point where play was stopped.

No makeup date has been set.

"Yeah, you're frustrated cause you're up 3-0," Lightning coach Rick Tocchet said. "There is no advantage for anybody. It's more a thorn in everyone's side. The best thing is to get this done as soon as possible."

Mike Smith entered Friday's game having made seven consecutive starts in goal, going 4-2-1 with a 2.57 GAA, but he hasn't had much luck against Philadelphia lately. Smith has been in net for each game of the losing streak, posting a 6.46 GAA in those outings.