Preview

There's no time for the Flyers (21-10-7) to dwell on last night's wild shootout win in Anaheim that propelled the team to a share of first-place in the Atlantic Division. In the fifth leg of the team's six-game road trip, the Flyers are back in action tonight to take on Terry Murray's improved Los Angeles Kings (15-16-6).

As is the norm with a Murray-coached club, team defense is biggest area LA has improved since he took over behind the bench. The Kings have allowed the seventh-fewest goals (102) in the NHL, and third fewest in the Western Conference. Putting the puck in the net has been the bigger issue. LA only has three players with double-digit goals, and the 95 goals scored as a team are also the sixth-fewest in the NHL and third fewest in the West.

Several key Kings players are mired in offensive slumps. Anze Kopitar, who scored a career-high 32 goals last season, has gone eight games without a goal and has been held pointless in four of the last six games. Dustin Brown, the club's second-leading scorer, is pointless in his last four games. LA's top goal-scorer, Alexander Frolov, tallied twice against Phoenix but has been held without a point in six of the last eight games.

Last night, the Flyers had more-than-ample opportunity to win the game in regulation. They had a series of third-period powerplays but just couldn't convert them. It's a mystery how a powerplay that has been so dominant on home ice seems to short-circuit on the road. LA ranks seventh in penalty killing in the NHL. Meanwhile, the Flyers need to do a better job killing their own penalties, and LA is right in the middle of pack (15th overall) in powerplay efficiency.


Potential Flyers lines (subject to change)

Gagne - Richards - Knuble
Hartnell - Carter - Lupul
Upshall - Metropolit - Giroux
Cote - Kalinski - Gratton

Timonen - Vaananen
Coburn - Carle
Alberts - Jones

Biron/Niittymaki

Note: Simon Gagne (shoulder) is not a definite for tonight, but will try to give it a go. If he's unable to play, Claude Giroux will stay on the first line. Last night, Luca Sbisa ended up playing wing.


Contact Bill at [email protected].

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