Game 12 Preview: Flyers @ Ducks
Dave Hakstol's Philadelphia Flyers (4-7-0) are in California on Tuesday evening to take on Randy Carlyle's Anaheim Ducks (5-5-2). Game time at the Honda Center is 10:00 p.m. EDT.
The game will be televised on NBCSNP. The radio broadcast can be found on 97.5 FM The Fanatic with an online simulcast at FlyersRadio247.com.
This is the first of two meetings this season between the inter-conference clubs. The teams will rematch at the Wells Fargo Center on Feb. 9.
Last season, the teams split their two games, with the away team winning both games. On Oct. 7, 2017, the Flyers skated off with a 3-2 overtime win on a Wayne Simmonds goal on the opening shift of the extra frame. On Oct. 24, the Ducks came to Philadelphia and squashed the Flyers, 6-2, largely on the strength of scoring three unanswered goals in the second period.
Flyers Outlook
Tuesday's game marks the start a four-game road trip for the Flyers through California and Arizona. The team needed a change of scenery from a mental standpoint. From a physical standpoint, the club has to perform exponentially better than it has for the bulk of the first 11 games, regardless of the venue.
The Flyers have lost three straight games in regulation and did not lead at any point of those games: a 4-1 home loss to the Colorado Avalanche, a 3-0 blanking on the road in Boston and a non-competitive effort in a 6-1 home humiliation at the hands of the New York Islanders.
Any way one wants to slice and dice the Flyers' performance so far this season -- under water in five-on-five play, a power play drought after starting 5-for-20, continued PK letdowns, poor starts to games, responses when trailing, giving up the first goal in 10 of 11 games and losing in regulation the only one in which the team did score first, strictly average goaltending in most games and well below-average goalie play in two, a lack of competitiveness on home ice in the home opener and last game against the Islanders -- it has been an unacceptable first one-eighth of the season. The only thing that has been good enough is the faceoff department.
On Sunday, the Flyers placed Corban Knight (upper body, suspected hand injury) on injured reserve and assigned struggling young center Mikhail Vorobyev to the AHL's Lehigh Valley Phantoms. In their places, the Flyers recalled Nicolas Aube-Kubel and Tyrell Goulbourne.
Aube-Kubel is confirmed to be in the lineup for Tuesday's game, making his NHL game. It is unclear if Goulbourne, who dressed in nine games for the Flyers last season, will be in the lineup against Anaheim. Aube-Kubel will wear uniform number 62. Goulbourne will wear 39.
The Flyers' top power play unit has not scored in the last seven games. The second has scored only once (vs. New Jersey) through 11 games. Hakstol shuffled personnel on the two units significantly at practice on Tuesday. In fact, it is arguably the most significant non-injury related set of top unit personnel changes since Simmonds and Jakub Voracek (in place of Jaromir Jagr) were both moved onto the top power play unit by Peter Laviolette.
At Monday's practice, Voracek and Simmonds were both moved off the top unit by Hakstol. The first unit consisted of Claude Giroux, Sean Couturier, Travis Konecny (in Voracek's usual spot), Nolan Patrick (netfront) and Shayne Gostisbehere. The second unit had Simmonds, Voracek, Jordan Weal, Ivan Provorov and Travis Sanheim. Patrick saw netfront duties last season while Simmonds was out due to a hand injury and then replaced him for a time late in the season with Simmonds struggling.
As noted above, the Flyers' most vital team stats and rankings are extremely ugly. In 10 of the first 11 games this season, the Flyers have trailed first (4-6-0). Overall, the Flyers have scored 32 goals (2.82 average per game, ranked 22nd) and yielded 46 (4.18 GAA, worst in the NHL). At five-on-five, the team has been outscored 29- 21. The power play has dropped to 15.0 percent (ranked 24th). The penalty kill has fallen to 67.5 percent to rank dead last in the league (31st).
Ducks Outlook
The Ducks, who are winless in their last five games, have dealt with a slew of injuries to key players this season. They surprisingly got off to a 5-1-1 start but have since gone 0-4-1.
Tuesday's game is the second of a four-game homestand for Carlyle's club. The Ducks will play 11 of their next 13 games on home ice.
On Sunday, Anaheim rallied from a two-goal deficit to force overtime against the rival San Jose Sharks but went down to a 4-3 defeat in OT. Pontus à…berg, claimed off waivers from Edmonton back on Oct. 1, scored twice for the Ducks to lead the way offensively in the comeback. Team captain Ryan Getzlaf, who had missed five games this month due to injury, notched a collected a pair of assists. Josh Manson scored the first Anaheim goal.
While the Ducks have gotten Getzlaf back along with some other notable personnel such as Ryan Kesler (who missed the first three games of the season due to hip issues but has struggled since his return despite chipping in three goals), others remain sidelined. Former Hart Trophy winner Corey Perry (knee surgery) is out until some point in January. Patrick Eaves (shoulder) has also not played this season, nor has Ondrej Kase (concussion). Nick Ritchie (upper body), a double-digit goal scorer for the team the last two season. has only been able to dress for two games thus far.
Jakob Silfverberg (three goals, seven points) leads the team in scoring despite missing five games due to injury. He returned to the Anaheim lineup for the San Jose game.
The Ducks enter this game averaging just 2.42 goals per game (ranked 28th) while allowing 2.75 (11th). The power play comes in at 16.7 percent (tied for 20th) with the penalty kill at 80.0 percent (tied for 12th). The Ducks have scored the same number of even strength goals as the Flyers (21, tied for 12th) but have allowed only 16 (tied for 7th fewest).
John Gibson has started 10 of the team's 12 games so far. He brings in a 4-4-2 record, 2.44 goals against average, a stellar .938 save percentage and one shutout to date. Aging veteran Ryan Miller, a former Vezina Trophy winner, has started twice and done well in his own right.
PROJECTED LINEUPS (Subject to change)
FLYERS
28 Claude Giroux - 14 Sean Couturier - 11 Travis Konecny 23 Oskar Lindblom - 19 Nolan Patrick - 93 Jakub Voracek 22 Dale Weise - 40 Jordan Weal - 17 Wayne Simmonds 21 Scott Laughton - 15 Jori Lehterठ- 62 Nicolas Aube-Kubel
9 Ivan Provorov - 8 Robert Hà¤gg 53 Shayne Gostisbehere - 26 Christian Folin 6 Travis Sanheim - 3 Radko Gudas
37 Brian Elliott [30 Michal Neuvirth]
Scratches: 47 Andrew MacDonald (healthy), 39 Tyrell Goulbourne (recalled Oct. 28, could dress on fourth line), 33 Cal Pickard (healthy), 12 Michael Raffl (IR, lower body), 10 Corban Knight (IR, upper body), 25 James van Riemsdyk (IR, lower body), 5 Sam Morin (ACL surgery).
DUCKS
14 Adam Henrique - 15 Ryan Getzlaf - 67 Rickard Rackell 7 Andrew Cogliano - 17 Ryan Kesler - 64 Kiefer Sherwood 20 Pontus à…berg- 34 Sam Steel - 33 Jakob Silfverberg 39 Joseph Blandisi - 48 Isac Lundeström - 23 Brian Gibbons …‹
4 Cam Fowler - 42 Josh Manson 47 Hampus Lindholm - 26 Brandon Montour 51 Jacob Larsson - 45 Andy Welinski…‹
30 Ryan Miller [36 John Gibson]
Scratches: 2 Luke Schenn (healthy), 46 Ben Street (healthy), 19 Nick Ritchie (day-to-day, upper body), 5 Korbinian Holzer (IR, wrist surgery), 10 Corey Perry (IR, knee surgery), 18 Patrick Eaves (IR, shoulder), 24 Carter Romney (IR, upper body), 25 Ondrej Kase (IR, concussion), 53 Maxime Comtois (IR, lower body).