RAV4 Things: Flyers vs. Canadiens

With veteran coach Brad Shaw now behind the bench as interim head coach, the Philadelphia Flyers (28-36-9) will host Martin St. Louis' Montreal Canadiens (33-28-9) at Wells Fargo Center on Thursday evening. Game time is 7:00 p.m. EDT.

The game will be televised on NBCSP. The radio broadcast is on 97.5 The Fanatic with an online simulcast on Flyers Radio 24/7.

This is the second of three meetings this season between the Flyers and Habs. On October 27 at Wells Fargo Center, the Flyers dropped a 4-3 decision in Aleksei Kolosov's NHL debut. After Thursday's home game, the Flyers will conclude their season series with the Canadiens on April 5 in Montreal.

The Flyers are coming off a five-game road trip (0-4-1). The Flyers are 1-10-1 over their last 12 games, following a 1-6-0 homestand and the just-completed road swing.

Meanwhile, Montreal is currently fighting for a wildcard playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. With 75 points on 70 games played, the Canadiens are ahead of the New York Islanders (74 points, 71 games played), New York Rangers (74 points, 72 games played) and Columbus Blue Jackets (73 points, 70 games played) as their closest pursuers in the race for the final playoff spot.

Here are the RAV4 Things to watch on Thursday plus an x-factor heading into the game.

1. Task No. 1 for Shaw: restore structure

There is a litany of issues plaguing the Flyers down the stretch: offensive consistency, both sides of special teams, injury-related absences (Rasmus Ristolainen and Garnet Hathaway), and goaltender play have all been subpar.

One issue that is addressable immediately: restoring the structure that has fallen by the wayside over the past two games. The Flyers allowed seven goals apiece to the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday and the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday. Put simply, the Flyers gave up too much space and time for their opponents to make plays.

However, during the games that led up to what happened in Chicago and Toronto, the Fyers did a good job at limiting the chances for three very tough opponents (Tampa Bay Lightning, Washington Capitals and Dallas Stars) in a row. Structure is within the club's ability to control.

2. Poehling stepping forward

Since the NHL trade deadline, Flyers center Ryan Poehling (eight goals, 13 assists, 21 points) has seen an increased opportunity to play in offensive situations. His play has been a bright spot this month, especially over the past week.

Over the Flyers' last six games, Poehling has contributed six points (4g, 2a). He's been using his size and speed to drive to the scoring areas as well as finding soft ice in which he has an open shooting lane. His goal in Toronto atop the left circle above the hash marks was a prime example of the latter.

3. Couturier and leadership group

Flyers captain Sean Couturier brings a four-game point streak (2g, 3a, 5 points) into Thursday's game. He's logged 19-plus minutes of ice time in three of the last five games, including a pair of games in which he topped 20 minutes. Couturier has played 20 or more all-situation shifts in four of the last five matches.

As captain, Couturier and other veteran team leaders (namely Travis Konecny, Travis Sanheim and perhaps someone such as Nick Seeler) are tasked with setting an example for the team to compete and unify to play the right way.

4. Getting off the schneid

The numbers don't lie: The Flyers are 0-for-31 on the power play during the month of March. Generating a power play goal against Montreal by any means would bring a much-needed end to that storyline.

The penalty kill --- with the departure of Scott Laughton via trade and the injuries to PK regulars Ristolainen and Hathaway as undeniable factors -- is also in need of a way to pull together. The Flyers have yielded 10 opposing power play goals this month (23-for-33, 69.7 percent PK).

The 7-4 loss in Chicago on Sunday afternoon was a game in which the No. 1 difference maker was special teams play.

X-factor: Overcoming distractions

When the puck drops on Thursday night, the Flyers players (and Shaw) have to focus solely on the game at hand. They can't look back. They can't look ahead. Tunnel vision is what is needed on a day-to-day basis.