Philadelphia @ Pittsburgh preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 21, 2020 ) Pittsburgh 0, Philadelphia 3

The Philadelphia Flyers skated into the All-Star break and their bye week with plenty of momentum, capping a sizzling 4-1-0 stretch with a decisive 3-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Keystone State rivals will conclude an unconventional home-and-home series spanning a week and a half on Friday when they reconvene in Pittsburgh.

Philadelphia's Brian Elliott got the better of Pittsburgh in the previous encounter, turning aside all 19 shots he faced in a 3-0 victory on Jan. 21. The 34-year-old Elliott, who is 5-1-1 in his last eight appearances, likely will be back in net after the Flyers announced Thursday that fellow goaltender Carter Hart will be sidelined an additional week with an abdominal muscle strain sustained on Jan. 15. The Penguins didn't muster much in their last meeting and perhaps for good reason, considering the game was their seventh in a 12-day stretch. Superstar captain Sidney Crosby saw his four-game point streak come to a halt in that contest, a rare occurrence since he had gashed Philadelphia for 102 points (42 goals, 60 assists) in the previous 68 career encounters.

TIME: 7 p.m. ET. TV: NBCS Philadelphia, AT&T SportsNet-Pittsburgh, Sportsnet

ABOUT THE FLYERS (27-17-6): Travis Konecny looks to cap a sterling January in which he scored six goals and set up two others for Philadelphia and had three assists for the Metropolitan Division team. The 22-year-old holds the team lead in goals (17) and shares top honors on the club in points (43) with Sean Couturier, who has recorded two of his team-best 30 assists against Pittsburgh this season. Fellow forward James van Riemsdyk heated up with two goals and two assists in his two games prior to the All-Star break, a marked improvement considering he notched just two points -- both assists -- in his previous 11 contests

ABOUT THE PENGUINS (31-14-5): Bryan Rust scored four of his team-leading 21 goals in a seven-game stretch before recharging his batteries over the break. "I know guys came to the rink today and it was probably the most excitement I've seen around the room in a while," the 27-year-old Rust said Thursday. "I think everybody was happy to see each other again and be back at the rink. We're ready to go for these next 32 games and playoffs." Evgeni Malkin, who has club-best 35 assists and 50 points, recorded seven and 11, respectively, during an eight-game run heading into the break.

OVERTIME

1. Philadelphia RW Jakub Voracek has recorded more goals (22) and points (42) against Pittsburgh than any other team in his NHL career.

2. Penguins D Justin Schultz (lower body) is a game-time decision for Friday's game, while Cs Dominik Kahun (concussion) and Nick Bjugstad (core muscle) are not expected to play.

3. Philadelphia D Shayne Gostisbehere (knee) and F Michael Raffl (upper body) returned to practice on Thursday.

PREDICTION: Penguins 4, Flyers 1