FLYERS-RED WINGS GAME PREVIEW (10:00 AM EST)
In the third stop of their six-game road trip, the Philadelphia Flyers (12-13-2) are in the Motor City to take on the Detroit Red Wings (14-7-7). Game time is 8:00 p.m. EST and the match will be televised nationally on NBC Sports Network.
This is the second of three meetings between the teams this season, and the second of two at Joe Louis Arena. The teams will meet at the Wells Fargo Center on Jan. 28.
On Oct. 12, the Red Wings captured a 5-2 home win over Philly. A rusty Ray Emery started the game in net and was not sharp. Detroit, which came into the game 0-for-the-season on the power play, exploded for three tallies on the man advantage. Erik Gustafsson and Tye McGinn scored for the Flyers in a losing cause.
After tonight's game, the Flyers have two nights off. They have a Saturday matinee against the Dallas Stars at the American Airlines Center.
FLYERS OUTLOOK
The Flyers are 2-3-0 in the five games since their 6-0-1 point streak came to an end. Over that five-game span, the team has scored just seven goals. Philly enters this game coming off a 2-0 shutout loss to Josh Harding and the Minnesota Wild on Monday.
In Monday's game, the Flyers generated just 10 shots through the first two periods. In the third period, they finally created some scoring chances but gave up a pair of goals on defensive breakdowns early in the final stanza.
Vincent Lecavalier (back spasms) did not practice yesterday. He is officially on a day-to-day basis but is unlikely to play tonight.
RED WINGS OUTLOOK
The Wings are missing a lot of key personnel. Veteran forwards Henrik Zetterberg (heriatic disc), Pavel Datsyuk (concussion, nearing potential clearance to play) and Todd Bertuzzi (bruised shoulder) -- all of whom scored goals in the first game against the Flyers this season -- are out of the lineup. So is well-regarded young defenseman Danny DeKeyser (separated shoulder).
Despite the team's injury woes, the club has been finding ways to win. The Wings have won four in a row and five of their last six games.
The club is coming off a 4-2 road win in Ottawa on Sunday. Drew Miller scored a pair of even strength goals, while Johan Franzén also tallied for the Red Wings. Making his emotional return to Ottawa, former Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson punctuated the Detroit victory with a late empty net goal. Jonas Gustavsson made 30 saves in the winning effort.
Joe Louis Arena has historically been a house of horrors for the Flyers. Including the 1997 Stanley Cup Finals, the Flyers are 1-18-2-0 in their last 21 games in Detroit.
PROJECTED LINEUPS (Subject to change)
FLYERS
19 Scott Hartnell - 28 Claude Giroux - 93 Jakub Voracek
12 Michael Raffl - Brayden Schenn - 17 Wayne Simmonds
24 Matt Read - 14 Sean Couturier - 9 Steve Downie
37 Jay Rosehill - 18 Adam Hall - 36 Zac Rinaldo
44 Kimmo Timonen - 5 Braydon Coburn
8 Nicklas Grossmann - 32 Mark Streit
41 Andrej Meszaros - 22 Luke Schenn
35 Steve Mason
[29 Ray Emery]
Potential Scratches: Vincent Lecavalier (back spasms), Erik Gustafsson (healthy), Hal Gill (healthy), Chris Pronger (LTIR, post-concussion syndrome).
RED WINGS
40 Johan Franzén – 90 Stephen Weiss – 14 Gustav Nyquist
8 Justin Abdelkader – 43 Darren Helm – 11 Daniel Alfredsson
20 Drew Miller – 18 Joakim Andersson – 21 Tomas Tatar
71 Daniel Cleary – 25 Cory Emmerton - 37 Mikael Samuelsson
55 Niklas Kronwall – 52 Jonathan Ericsson
27 Kyle Quincey – 2 Brendan Smith
4 Jakub Kindl – 23 Brian Lashoff
35 Jimmy Howard
[50 Jonas Gustavsson]
Potential Scratches: Danny DeKeyser (IR, shoulder), Pavel Datsyuk (concussion, day-to-day), Bertuzzi (bruised shoulder), Zetterberg (back).
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