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Flyers Gameday: 12/23/17 @ CBJ

December 23, 2017, 8:22 AM ET [381 Comments]
Bill Meltzer
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • RSSArchiveCONTACT
GAME 36 PREVIEW: FLYERS @ BLUE JACKETS

Playing the final game before the Christmas break, Dave Hakstol's Philadelphia Flyers (15-13-7) are in Ohio on Saturday to take on John Tortorella's Columbus Blue Jackets (21-13-2). Game time is 7:00 p.m. ET. The game will be televised on NBCSNP.

This is the first of four games between the Metro Division teams, and the first of two at Nationwide Arena. The teams will rematch in Columbus on Feb. 16 before the scene shifts to Philadelphia on Feb. 22 and March 15. Last season, the Flyers went 1-2-1 against Columbus.

The Flyers are winless in their last 10 road games in Columbus, dating back to Dec. 13, 2005, when Sami Kapanen's goal at 19:52 of the third period lifted the Flyers to a 3-2 win.

FLYERS OUTLOOK

Before the team breaks for Christmas and has a four-night hiatus from the game schedule, the
Flyers are playing the final game of a stretch of seven games in 12 nights, three in four, and road back-to-back tilts. The Flyers have a 7-6-3 road record.

On Friday night in Buffalo, the Flyers sustained a deserved 4-2 loss to the Buffalo Sabres. Brian Elliott (33 saves on 35 shots) almost singlehandedly kept the game scoreless for two periods, including a penalty shot save against Evander Kane, but then yielded an awful goal.

At 3:59 of the third period, Ryan O'Reilly banked a shot the goalie and into the short-side of the net from behind the goal line a stride inside the left corner. Buffalo built a 2-0 lead at 11:08 as Kane deflected home a rising point shot from Josh Gorges. The Flyers claimed Kane played the puck home with a high stick but the goal stood.

The Flyers got back within 2-1 on the power play at 17:50 on a 6-on-4 attack with Elliott on the bench. Michael Raffl (6th goal of the season) tipped home a Claude Giroux (27th assist) shot from inside the left point. Jakub Voracek earned his 35th assist of the season.

At 18:53 Jack Eichel scored the first of two empty goals, making it a 3-1 game. With 32 seconds left in the game, Shayne Gostisbehere (7th goal of the season) blasted a shot past Robin Lehner (33 saves on 35 shots) to cut the gap to 3-2. Giroux (2nd of the game, 28 assist of the season) and Voracek (2nd of the game, 36th of the season) got the assists. Eichel tacked on an additional empty netter beating the final buzzer to make it a 4-2 final.

During the third period of Friday's game, Hakstol reunited Voracek on the top line with Giroux and Sean Couturier. Rookies Nolan Patrick and Travis Sanheim had scoring chances in the second period but were unable to break what was then a 0-0 deadlock.

On the injury front, Michal Neuvirth (lower body) and Brandon Manning (right hand) remain on IR. Taylor Leier (upper body) is also out of the lineup.

Entering Saturday's game, the Flyers have scored 98 goals but yielded 99. At five-on-five, Philly has scored just 61 goals (22nd in the NHL). Falling out of the top spot in the NHL after the third-period debacle in Buffalo, the 53 goals the Flyers have yielded at five-on-five now ranks in the tie for third fewest in the NHL.

On the power play, the Flyers rank in a tie for 14th at 20.0 percent (24-for-120) with four shorthanded goals yielded. On the penalty, the Flyers rank 29th (85-for-11, 76.6 percent). Scott Laughton's shorthanded goal in the home opener against Washington still stands as the lone shorthander for the Flyers to date this season.

BLUE JACKETS OUTLOOK

The Blue Jackets had Friday night off but have otherwise been a very busy team in their own right. Saturday's game is the team's ninth in 16 nights, and third in the last four. The Blue Jackets are 4-3-1 over the first eight games of the stretch.

Earlier this week, the Blue Jackets played at home at Toronto (4-2 win) on Wednesday and in Pittsburgh (3-2 shootout loss) the next night. After playing the Flyers, the club will have a three-night respite over the Christmas break.

Artemi Panarin (eight goals, 30 assists in 36 games) leads the Blue Jackets in scoring. He is followed by Oliver Bjorkstrand (six goals, 22 points), Josh Anderson (13 goals, 21 points) and defensemen Seth Jones (six goals, 20 points) and Zach Werenksi (10 goals, 18 points). Two-time Vezina Trophy winner Sergei Bobrovsky has posted a 17-10-2 record, 2.40 GAA, .920 save percentage and four shutouts.

On the injury front, Alexander Wennberg went down in Thursday's game. The team did not practice on Friday. Jordan Schroeder was recalled on an emergency basis. Fast-rising young defenseman Zach Werenski is day-to-day with a hip issue.

Through 36 games, the Blue Jackets have scored 100 goals and yielded 96. At five-on-five, the team has scored 75 goals (4th in the NHL) and yielded 66 (ranked 16th). On the power play, the Blue Jackets inexplicably are ranked 31st in the NHL at 12-for-104 (11.5 percent) with three opposing shorthanded goals. The Blue Jackets' penalty kill is ranked 15th in the NHL at 81.4 percent (81 for 97). The lone Columbus shorthanded goal to date was scored by Matt Calvert against the Capitals on Dec. 2.


PROJECTED LINEUPS (Subject to change, will be updated)

Flyers

28 Claude Giroux - 14 Sean Couturier - 11 Travis Konecny
12 Michael Raffl - 51 Valtteri Filppula - 93 Jakub Voracek
22 Dale Weise - 19 Nolan Patrick - 17 Wayne Simmonds
15 Jori Lehterä - 21 Scott Laughton - 20 Taylor Leier

9 Ivan Provorov - 53 Shayne Gostisbehere
47 Andrew MacDonald - 8 Robert Hägg
6 Travis Sanheim - 3 Radko Gudas

37 Brian Elliott
[49 Alex Lyon]

Scratches: Jordan Weal (healthy), Mark Alt (healthy), Brandon Manning (IR, right hand), Michal Neuvirth (IR, lower body).

Blue Jackets

9 Artemi Panarin - 18 Pierre-Luc Dubois - 77 Josh Anderson
38 Boone Jenner - 71 Nick Foligno - 28 Oliver Bjorkstrand
18 Tyler Motte - 14 Jordan Schroeder - 13 Cam Atkinson
11 Matt Calvert - 45 Lukas Sedlak - 37 Markus Hännikäinen ​

65 Markus Nutivaara - 3 Seth Jones
7 Jack Johnson - 58 David Savard
4 Scott Harrington - 53 Gabriel Carlsson ​

72 Sergei Bobrovsky
[70 Joonas Korpisalo]

Scratches: Alexander Wennberg (injured in Thursday's game, questionable), Zach Werenski (day-to-day, hip), Brandon Dubinski (IR, fractured orbital bone), Rem Murray (IR, upper body), Cameron Gaunce (healthy), Tyler Motte (healthy).
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