Panthers  4    Flyers  1

Florida Panthers (15-15-7) at Philadelphia Flyers (15-17-2), 7 p.m.

Sports Network | December 21, 2009

(Sports Network) - The lowly Philadelphia Flyers will try to halt a three-game skid when they welcome the Florida Panthers for tonight's battle at Wachovia Center.

The Flyers are second from last in the NHL with just 32 points on the year and they have lost 13 out of 16 games. Philadelphia is also just 2-6-1 since Peter Laviolette took over as head coach from the fired John Stevens.

Philadelphia was swept in a home-and-home series by Pittsburgh recently and then dropped Saturday's matinee against the visiting New York Rangers.

The Flyers peppered New York with 37 shots, but Henrik Lundqvist stopped 36 of them as the Rangers posted a 2-1 victory at Wachovia Center. Artem Anisimov's second-period goal wound up as the game-winner for the Blueshirts.

Chris Pronger's fifth goal on the year was the lone score for Philadelphia. Brian Boucher turned back 22-of-24 shots in the setback.

"It comes down to the same things I've been saying for three years here. It all comes down to preparation. With this team and this lineup, we should be better. We're a desperate hockey team. We've got to find a way to play 60 minutes," said Flyers defenseman Kimmo Timonen.

The game marked the return of Simon Gagne, who had missed 24 games with an abdominal injury that required surgery. Gagne, who was second on the Flyers with 34 goals in 2008-09, notched an assist in his return to the lineup on Saturday.

The Flyers could get Darroll Powe back tonight as the forward is nearing a return from a shoulder injury that has caused him to miss the last 15 games. Powe, who hasn't played since November 20 against San Jose, has six goals this season.

Philadelphia is closing out a three-game homestand tonight and will next embark on a six-game road trip that will carry the club into the 2010 calendar year. The Flyers are 9-8-2 as the host and have lost three straight and six of their last seven home tests.

The Panthers, meanwhile, had a three-game winning streak halted their last time out, as they dropped the road portion of a home-and-home series with Carolina.

Florida notched a 6-3 home win over the Hurricanes on Friday, but was dealt a 3-2 regulation setback the following night in Raleigh. Sergei Samsonov's second-period tally proved to be the difference, as Carolina avoided the home-and-home sweep.

Shawn Matthias and Stephen Weiss lit the lamp for the Panthers, while Scott Clemmensen stopped 21 shots in defeat.

Panthers forward Kamil Kreps missed the home-and-home with shoulder and abdomen injuries, but is questionable for tonight's test. However, defenseman Dmitry Kulikov is expected to miss the next two weeks after suffering a knee injury in Friday's game against the 'Canes.

Nick Tarnasky is getting close to making his season debut for Florida after breaking his orbital bone during training camp. Tarnasky has been playing with Florida's AHL affiliate in Rochester to get his conditioning up to speed.

Florida is 9-9-2 as the guest this year and is playing the middle test of a three-game road trip tonight. The Panthers will close the swing Wednesday against the Rangers.

The Flyers and Panthers have split two meetings this year with each club winning a home game. Florida has taken three of the last five overall meetings in the series, but Philly has won the last two matchups on home ice.