UPDATE 2:00 PM
Jay Rosehill remains in the Flyers lineup. Adam Hall remains a healthy scratch. On the Anaheim side, it looks like Mathieu Perrault is in, but Dustin Penner will be held out one more game. Also seems that Ben Lovejoy will be starting on defense and Mark Fistric will be a healthy scratch. Lineups are updated below.
GAME PREVIEW (9:15 AM EDT)
Looking to win their third straight game, the Philadelphia Flyers (3-7-0) will face a tough test when the high-powered Anaheim Ducks (9-3-0) pay a visit to the Wells Fargo Center. Game time is 7:00 p.m. eastern and the match will be televised locally on CSN Philly.
This is the first of two meetings between the teams this season, and the only one in Philadelphia. Tonight is likely the final Philadelphia appearance of future Hall of Famer Teemu Selänne. The two teams will meet again in Anaheim on Thursday, January 30.
After tonight, the Flyers have two nights off. The Washington Capitals come to town on Friday.
FLYERS OUTLOOK
The Flyers played their best all-around game of the season on Saturday night, defeating the New York Islanders, 5-2, in Uniondale. Vincent Lecavalier notched a hat trick, while Jakub Voracek and Matt Read (empty net goal) added individual tallies. The Flyers limited the Islanders to just 13 shots over the final 40 minutes of play, showing they did not need to sacrifice their improved team defense on the night they finally scored more than two goals in a game for the first time this season.
Philadelphia captain Claude Giroux is still looking for his first goal of the season. However, he has assists in four of the last five games and five total points over that span. Apart from Giroux, the Flyers are still looking for Scott Hartnell, Sean Couturier, Kimmo Timonen and Mark Streit to score their respective first goals of the season. Streit played a key role in setting up a pair of goals against the Islanders.
Steve Mason will look to continue his strong play in goal. He is slated to make his ninth start of the season.
The Flyers lineup tonight will feature one significant change. Andrej Meszaros will return to the lineup, paired with Timonen. Erik Gustafsson will be a healthy scratch. On the fourth forward line, Craig Berube may swap out enforcer Jay Rosehill, who dressed on Saturday, for checking forward Adam Hall.
The Flyers will try to get Sean Couturier's line and the defense pairing of Braydon Coburn and Nicklas Grossmann out against the Ryan Getlaf line as much as possible. With the last line change, they may be able to get that matchup frequently. On Saturday, the Couturier line and Grossmann-Coburn pairing did an excellent job of containing John Tavares' line.
DUCKS OUTLOOK
Anaheim brings the NHL's fourth-best record and fifth-most goals into tonight's game. The Ducks have won two in a row and eight of their last 10 among the dozen matches they've played to date.
The Ducks have often dominated opposing teams at even strength this season. This has more than compensated for a poor start on special teams -- an NHL-worst 8.2 percent (4-for-49) on the power play and 26th-ranked penalty kill at 76.2 percent (32-for-42, with a shorthanded goal scored against Dallas). Overall, Anaheim has still scored eight more goals that it has allowed this season (39 GF - 31 GA), which is almost entirely due to the team's ability to run roughshod over opponents at even strength.
Anaheim has been bitten by the injury bug quite a few times already in the early going of the season. Veteran two-way center Saku Koivu (concussion) and goaltender Viktor Fasth (lower-body injury) did not make the trip to Philly. Also missing from the lineup tonight will be former Flyers defenseman Luca Sbisa (ankle), fellow blueliner Sheldon Souray (wrist), young sniping forward Jakob Silfverberg (hand) and fellow forward Matt Beleskey (upper body).
Dustin Penner (concussion) and Mathieu Perreault (wrist) practiced fully yesterday. One or both could return to Bruce Boudreau's lineup tonight. Lineups will be updated later today.
Even with the trade of Bobby Ryan and slew of injuries, the Ducks have plenty of firepower.
Selänne has seven points (three goals, four assists) on the young season and is 22 goals away from scoring the 700th regular season goal of his illustrious career. Former Hart Trophy winner Corey Perry has been red hot of late, with four points in the last two goals and seven points (including three goals) in the last five. Linemate Ryan Getzlaf has already racked up a dozen points in as many games.
Coming into tonight, the Flyers have allowed the fewest goals of any team in the Metropolitan Division and the sixth-fewest in the NHL. That defensive improvement and Mason's goaltending will be put to the test tonight. Overall, Anaheim has 10 different players who have scored at least two goals this season to date, and six have notched three or more goals.
PROJECTED STARTING LINEUPS (Subject to change)
FLYERS
12 Michael Raffl - 28 Claude Giroux - 40 Vincent Lecavalier
19 Scott Hartnell - 10 Brayden Schenn - 93 Jakub Voracek
24 Matt Read - 14 Sean Couturier - 17 Wayne Simmonds
37 Jay Rosehill - 25 Max Talbot - 36 Zac Rinaldo
44 Kimmo Timonen - 41 Andrej Meszaros
8 Nicklas Grossmann - 5 Braydon Coburn
32 Mark Streit - 22 Luke Schenn
35 Steve Mason
[29 Ray Emery]
Scratches: Adam Hall (healthy), Erik Gustafsson (healthy), Hal Gill (healthy), Chris Pronger (LTIR, post-concussion syndrome).
DUCKS
62 Patrick Maroon - 15 Ryan Getzlaf - 10 Corey Perry
65 Emerson Etem - 22 Mathieu Perrault - 8 Teemu Selänne
7 Andrew Cogliano - 13 Nick Bonino - 21 Kyle Palmieri
34 Daniel Winnik - 74 Peter Holland - 77 Devante Smith-Pelly
Hampus Lindholm - Francois Beauchemin
Cam Fowler - Ben Lovejoy
Bryan Allen - Sami Vatanen
47 Hampus Lindholm - 23 Francois Beauchemin
4 Cam Fowler - 6 Ben Lovejoy
55 Bryan Allen - 45 Sami Vatanen-
1 Jonas Hiller
[31 Frederik Andersen]
Scratches: Dustin Penner (concussion recovery), Rickard Rakell (healthy), Mark Fistric (healthy), Saku Koivu (IR, concussion), Viktor Fasth (IR, lower-body), Jakob Silfverberg (IR, broken wrist), Matt Beleskey (IR, upper body), Luca Sbisa (IR, left ankle), Sheldon Souray (IR, surgery on right wrist).
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