GAME 6 PREVIEW: FLYERS VS. PENGUINS
Dave Hakstol's Philadelphia Flyers host Mike Sullivan's Pittsburgh Penguins at the Wells Fargo Center on Sunday afternoon in Game 6 of their first-round playoff series. Game time is 3:00 p.m. EDT. The game will be televised on NBC.
Pittsburgh won Game 1 by a 7-0 count, Game 3 by 5-1 and Game 4 by a 5-0 final score. The Flyers' victory in Game 2 was by a 5-1 margin. On Friday night, the Flyers gritted out a 4-2 win to send the series back to Philadelphia. If the Flyers can win their home-ice game on Sunday, the series will return to Pittsburgh on Tuesday for a deciding seventh game. If not, the Penguins will advance.
FLYERS OUTLOOK
The Flyers held an optional practice at the Skate Zone in Voorhees on Saturday. All three goaltenders, fourth line winger Matt Read and the healthy scratches from Game 5 (Travis Sanheim, Johnny Oduya, Oskar Lindblom, Jordan Weal and Taylor Leier) participated.
The Flyers provided no update on the status of No. 1 defenseman Ivan Provorov, who suffered an apparent left shoulder injury as he tripped over Penguins' defenseman Brian Dumoulin and crashed shoulder-first into the end boards moments before Sean Couturier scored the game-winning goal of Game 5. Provorov took one brief shift after the goal but was in obvious pain and could not get anything on the puck on two passes. He went up the tunnel and did not play the rest of the game as the Flyers nailed down the win.
Couturier spoke to the media on Saturday afternoon. He admitted that he was not 100 percent recovered from the lower-body injury he sustained in a collision with teammate Radko Gudas at Tuesday's practice ahead of Game 4. However, he claimed that, with each passing day, he felt better. Couturier labored at times in Game 5, centering the third line and killing penalties, but the Selke Trophy finalist still delivered a strong performance.
Michal Neuvirth, who earned the win in goal in Game 5, said that he opted to participate in the optional practice in order to work on tightening a few aspects of his game. Neuvirth said he feels like he is getting close to the type of sharpness he needs. Although his overall body of work in Game 5 was strong, Neuvirth was not happy with the wraparound and five-hole goals he yielded in Game 5, and perhaps a few rebounds he felt he could have better controlled but which the skaters in front of him boxed out well and cleared.
On PhiladelphiaFlyers.com this morning, there a
blueprint for Game 5 from a Flyers' standpoint. Provorov's health and availability are, of course, a vital factor that is unknown outside the Flyers' innermost circle.
PENGUINS OUTLOOK
The Penguins held a full practice on Saturday. All skaters but one participated.
The non-participant was Evgeni Malkin, who was injured in the first period of Game 5 when he appeared to slew foot Flyers center Jori Lehterä and got the worse of it when he and Lehterä went to the ice with the big Finn landing on the Russian center's leg or ankle. Malkin went up the tunnel with the trainer, missing the rest of the first period but returned for the rest of the game.
After missing Games 4 and 5 with an upper-body injury, Penguins' netfront forward and agitator Patric Hörnqvist was a full participant in practice. Although both he and Malkin are officially game-day decisions, it is expected that Hörnqvist will play in Game 6.
The Penguins were unhappy with their first period in Game 5, feeling they played sloppily and lacked urgency. The team also wants to tighten up its power play again, which went 0-for-5 in Game 5 including a lengthy 4-on-3 that was not converted. Otherwise, the Penguins played a strong game in Game 5, as they have for most of the series.
PROJECTED LINEUPS (Will be updated)
FLYERS
Scenario 1: Ivan Provorov is available.
28 Claude Giroux - 51 Valtteri Filppula - 93 Jakub Voracek
12 Michael Raffl - 19 Nolan Patrick - 11 Travis Konecny
21 Scott Laughton - 14 Sean Couturier - Wayne Simmonds
24 Matt Read - 15 Jori Lehterä - 22 Dale Weise
9 Ivan Provorov - 47 Andrew MacDonald
8 Robert Hägg - 53 Shayne Gostisbehere
23 Brandon Manning - 3 Radko Gudas
30 Michal Neuvirth
[37 Brian Elliott]
Scratches: 40 Jordan Weal (healthy), 54 Oskar Lindblom (healthy), 20 Taylor Leier (healthy), 6 Travis Sanheim (healthy), 29 Johnny Oduya (healthy), 34 Petr Mrazek (healthy).
Scenario 2: Ivan Provorov is unavailable.
28 Claude Giroux - 51 Valtteri Filppula - 93 Jakub Voracek
12 Michael Raffl - 19 Nolan Patrick - 11 Travis Konecny
21 Scott Laughton - 14 Sean Couturier - Wayne Simmonds
24 Matt Read - 15 Jori Lehterä - 22 Dale Weise
6 Travis Sanheim - 47 Andrew MacDonald
8 Robert Hägg - 53 Shayne Gostisbehere
23 Brandon Manning - 3 Radko Gudas
30 Michal Neuvirth
[37 Brian Elliott]
Scratches: 9 Ivan Provorov (upper body), 40 Jordan Weal (healthy), 54 Oskar Lindblom (healthy), 20 Taylor Leier (healthy) 29 Johnny Oduya (healthy), 34 Petr Mrazek (healthy).
PENGUINS
Scenario 1: Evgeni Malkin is available.
59 Jake Guentzel - 87 Sidney Crosby - 72 Patric Hörnqvist
62 Carl Hagelin - 71 Evgeni Malkin - 81 Phil Kessel
43 Conor Sheary - 19 Derick Brassard - 17 Bryan Rust
34 Tom Kuhnhackl or 12 Dominik Simon - 15 Riley Sheahan - 46 Zach Aston-Reese
8 Brian Dumolin - 58 Kris Letang
3 Olli Määttä - 4 Justin Schultz
2 Chad Ruhwedel - 6 Jamie Oleksiak
30 Matt Murray
[1 Casey DeSmith]
Scratches: 22 Matt Hunwick (healthy), 37 Carter Rowney (healthy), one of 12 Dominik Simon or 34 Tom Kuhnhackl (healthy).
Scenario 2: Evgeni Malkin is unavailable.
59 Jake Guentzel - 87 Sidney Crosby - 72 Patric Hörnqvist
62 Carl Hagelin - 12 Derick Brassard - 81 Phil Kessel
43 Conor Sheary - 15 Riley Sheahan - 17 Bryan Rust
34 Tom Kuhnhackl - 12 Dominik Simon - 46 Zach Aston-Reese
8 Brian Dumolin - 58 Kris Letang
3 Olli Määttä - 4 Justin Schultz
2 Chad Ruhwedel - 6 Jamie Oleksiak
30 Matt Murray
[1 Casey DeSmith]
Scratches: 22 Matt Hunwick (healthy), 37 Carter Rowney (healthy), 71 Evgeni Malkin (lower body).
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