3-19-11 Flyers @ Stars

I am not sure if Kari Lehtonen or Andrew Raycroft will be in net for the Stars, but Lehtonen has started 23 of the Stars last 24 games. The Flyers are the last Eastern Conference team that the Stars will play this season, so this might be a perfect game to give him a rest before their last ten games of the season, but for statistics sake lets assume that Lehtonen will be in net.

Lehtonen has been streaky by the month since the the calendar flipped to 2011. In January he was 7-1-1, while only allowing more than two goals in one of those games. In February he allowed three or more goals in eight games, and turned in an abysmal 3-7-1 performance. So far this month he has found the middle ground, allowing three goals or more in five games while going 5-2-2. To further illustrate his hot/cold tendencies, Lehtonen is 2-2-0 over his last four starts, turning in two shutouts and allowing nine goals in the other two games.

Brad Richards will be playing in his sixth game after missing almost a month with a concussion. Despite missing 10 games, he still leads his team with 67 points, and is second in goals and assists with 25 and 42 respectively. In his five games back he has four points, including two assists in the Starts last game against the Blackhawks. Jamie Benn and Mike Ribeiro have been leading the way for the Stars in March. Benn has eight goals in five assists nine games, and Ribeiro has three goals and five assists in nine games.

The Flyers also have a trio of players averaging at least a  point per game in March,  Danny Briere, Claude Giroux, and Jeff Carter. Briere has three goals and five assists, Giroux has two goals and six assists, and Carter has four goals and two assists. Mike Richards has also had a decent month so far with seven assists.

The Flyers overall team defense has been struggling this month, and is is showing in their plus/minus ratings. Jeff Carter is the only player on the team with a positive rating, coming in at +2. Braydon Coburn is the worse on the team for this month, with a -4. Since the All-Star break, there are only four Flyers with a positive rating, and Sean O'Donnell is the worst with a -6.

I know that stats don't tell the entire story, but they can point you in the right direction. The Stars are averaging 3.33 goals per game in March and giving up 2.55 per game. The Flyers are averaging 2.75 goals per game and surrendering 3.5 goals per game. I think those trends will continue and the Flyers come up short in this game, 3-4.