GAME 65 PREVIEW: FLYERS @ LIGHTNING
Dave Hakstol's Philadelphia Flyers (33-20-10) start a two-day trip through the Sunshine State with a Saturday matinee against Jon Cooper's NHL-leading Tampa Bay Lightning (44-17-4). Game time is 1:00 p.m. ET. The game will be televised on NBCSP.
This is the third and final meeting between the teams this season, and the second in Tampa. On Dec. 29 in Tampa, the Flyers dug deep for a 5-3 win against the Bolts club that entered the game with a 16-2-1 record at Amalie Arena. On Jan. 25 at the Wells Fargo Center, the Flyers played a strong but scoreless first period in which they outshot Tampa by a 9-3 margin. However, the Lightning went on to dominate the rest of the game, scoring three times in the middle frame, and going on to down the Flyers, 5-1.
Entering Saturday, the Flyers are one point out of first place in the Metropolitan Division. The combination of a Flyers win in Tampa with a Washington Capitals regulation loss to Toronto in their Stadium Series game in Annapolis would put the Flyers in the top spot.
Two points behind the Flyers with one more game played to date, the Pittsburgh Penguins host a New York Islanders team that is four points off the pace for the final wildcard spot in the East. Four points behind the Flyers and two behind Pittsburgh, the New Jersey Devils suffered a 3-1 loss on Friday to a Carolina Hurricanes club that whipped the Flyers in Philly the previous night. New Jersey, which is idle on Saturday, remains in upper wildcard position. Carolina moved into both a points (69) and ROW (26) tie with Columbus for the lower wildcard spot. If the season ended today, Carolina would edge out Columbus for a playoff spot via the secondary tiebreaker of head-to-head record (2-0-2 in Carolina's favor).
Tampa Bay currently has a six-point lead over Boston for the top spot in both the Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference. The Lightning, however, have played three more games than the Bruins but also hold a 40-36 ROW advantage. Third-place Toronto trails Tampa by seven points (plus 40-33 ROW) with the Maple Leafs having played one more game than the Bolts.
FLYERS OUTLOOK
Saturday's game is the front end of a back-to-back for the Flyers and the middle segment of a home-road-road set of three games in less than four nights. Philly brings a road record of 18-10-4 into this match.
The Flyers streak of six straight wins and points in 12 straight games was snapped by Carolina at the Wells Fargo Center on Thursday night. Dominated through two periods, the Flyers put on a mini-push early in the third period but could not build upon it and went on to lose by a 4-1 count.
Travis Konecny (16th goal of the season) notched the line Flyers goal against Carolina; the team's only goal in 125 minutes spanning Monday's 1-0 shootout win in Montreal and Thursday's loss. Petr Mrazek stopped 31 of 35 shots in a losing cause after notching a 28-save shutout (plus a 5-for-6 performance in the shootout) in Montreal.
Flyers captain Claude Giroux, who assisted on the Konecny goal, enters Saturday's game tied with Tim Kerr for sixth on the Flyers' all-time scoring list with 650 points. Giroux did it in 720 games, while Kerr accomplished it in 601 games during a higher-scoring era of NHL hockey. Up next on the charts is Eric Lindros (659 points in just 486 games).
Top line center Sean Couturier has routinely played an excellent two-way game and has continued to rack up assists with regularity, including the primary helper on the Konecny goal against Carolina. However, goals have been hard to come by over the last month-and-a-half. He still needs one more tally to reach 30 goals for the first time in his NHL career. Dating back to Jan. 18, Couturier has only scored three times; most recently in overtime against Columbus on Feb. 16. He did score the shootout winner in Montreal on Monday of this week.
Rookie left winger Oskar Lindblom has played impressively in all but one facet of his game through his first five games in the NHL; the one area being an inability to finish off any of the multiple scoring chances he's had. In the AHL with the Phantoms this season, the AHL All-Star forward had played very consistently on the forecheck, defensively and in terms of battling to get to scoring areas but his scoring itself was streaky and tended to come in bunches once he finally potted a goal.
Veteran defenseman Johnny Oduya, claimed off waivers from Ottawa on Monday, finally joined his new team for practice on Friday after a delay caused by working out his American visa. It is unclear whether Oduya will make his Flyers debut on Saturday. Brandon Manning is coming off an especially rough game in the loss to Carolina.
Power forward Wayne Simmonds remains out of the Flyers' lineup with an upper body injury. He practiced with the team on Friday. Simmonds may be ready to return by the middle of next week.
Jordan Weal was a healthy scratch for the Flyers in Thursday's loss against Carolina. It is unclear if he will return to the lineup in Tampa. He was replaced in the lineup last game by frequent scratch Taylor Leier.
Entering Saturday's game, the Flyers have scored an average 2.94 goals per game (13th in the NHL) and have a team 2.77 GAA (tied for 11th). At 5-on-5, the Flyers have scored 116 goals (tied for 24th) and allowed 104 goals (4th fewest in the NHL).
On the power play, the Flyers bring a 20.8 percent efficiency rating (44-for-211, 9th) but have yielded 9 shorthanded goals (tied with three other teams for the second most in the NHL). On the penalty kill, Philly comes in at 75.4 percent (134-for-179, 28th) with one shorthanded goal apiece by Scott Laughton and Wayne Simmonds.
LIGHTNING OUTLOOK
Saturday's game is Tampa's third in less than four nights, but the team had one day of rest after back-to-back games on Wednesday at home against the Buffalo Sabres (2-1 overtime loss) and Thursday on the road against Dallas (5-4 overtime win). Each of Tampa's last four games have gone past regulation, with the Bolts winning three.
Overall, Tampa Bay has posted a 6-3-1 record over its last 10 games. The game in Dallas was the Lightning's only road game over a span of three weeks. The game against the Flyers is the start of an uninterrupted eight-game homestand and the third match of a stretch of 11 of 12 games being played on home ice. This is due to a road-heavy schedule in January while the team's home facility was preparing for the 2018 NHL All-Star Game. The Lightning boast an overall home record of 21-6-2 entering this game.
In Thursday's win in Dallas, Brayden Point (26th goal of the season) opened the scoring just 62 seconds after the opening faceoff, assisted by newly acquired J.T. Miller. After prolific Dallas sniper Tyler Seguin knotted the game with a mid-first period power play goal, he put the Stars ahead 2-1 as regulation moved near the midway point. Tampa promptly struck back for goals by Anthony Cirelli (1st), Alex Killorn (12th) and veteran superstar Steven Stamkos (25th) to take a 4-2 lead to the second intermission.
Less than two minutes into the third period, Brett Ritchie narrowed the gap to a single goal. Outshot by a 13-4 margin, the Lightning were unable to close out the win in regulation. Mattias Janmark scored a 6-on-5 goal with 3.5 seconds left on the clock to force overtime. With 41 seconds left in overtime, Cory Conacher (8th goal of the season) rescued the win for Tampa on a bandhanded shot from the bottom of the right circle while falling to the ice in the process of being tripped by Stars' captain Jamie Benn. The puck somehow found the short side on ex-Lightning goalie Ben Bishop to end the game.
Tampa backup goalie Louis Domingue got the start in Dallas, because the game was second half of a back-to-back set. He stopped 31 of 35 shots. Domingue playing against Dallas means that the Flyers will have to face Andrei Vasilevskiy, who has often been dominant against them in his still-young career (7-4-2 record, 1.82 GAA, .948 SV%, one shutout).
When the Flyers defeated Tampa back in December, they lit up goalie Peter Budaj. They had no such success when they ran into Vasilevskiy in Philly a few weeks later. It was Vasilevskiy who almost singlehandedly kept the Flyers at bay in the first period before Tampa took over the game in the second period and won by a blowout 5-1 final score.
For the season, Vasilevskiy has posted a 37-12-3 record, 2.34 GAA, .927 save percentage and seven shutouts in what has been a campaign worthy of Vezina Trophy consideration. He leads the NHL in wins and shutouts and is tied for third on the save percentage leaderboard.
All-Star right winger Nikita Kucherov leads the Art Ross Trophy race. He's racked up 82 points (33 goals, 49 assists) in 63 games played. A plus-15 at even strength, Kucherov has also racked up 30 points on the power play (six goals, 24 assists). He had to leave Monday's game with an upper-body injury and did not play either against Buffalo or Dallas.
As befits their President's Trophy race-leading record, Tampa has a very deep corps of forwards and defensemen that got even deeper with the trade deadline acquisitions of defenseman Ryan McDonagh and forward Miller in a blockbuster deal with the New York Rangers. Officially day-to-day with an upper-body injury that predates the trade to the Lightning, McDonagh has not yet made his Tampa debut. The target date for his first game with Tampa is March 6, when the Lightning host the Panthers.
With or without Kucherov up front and McDonagh on the back end, the Lightning are a team loaded with weapons. Seven players have scored double-digit goals this season (excluding Vladimir Namestnikov, who took his 20 goals and 44 points along with him to New York in the trade for McDonagh and Miller). Five have tallied 18 or more goals.
Stamkos is healthy this season and has racked up 72 points while dressing in all 65 games. Point, who is still 10 days shy of his 22nd birthday, has compiled 55 points. Yanni Gourde has posted 22 goals among his 49 points. Star two-way defenseman Victor Hedman has 45 points (nine goals, 36 assists) and a plus-26 rating.
The Lightning are the NHL's highest-scoring team, averaging 3.52 goals per game. Defensively, the team's 2.68 GAA ranks eighth. At five-on-five, Tampa has scored 151 goals (2nd most) and allowed 105 (tied for the fifth fewest).
On the power play, the Bolts clock in at 23.9 percent efficiency (54-for-226, 3rd) with three opposing shorthanded goals allowed. Penalty killing has been one of the team's few weaknesses, coming in at 77.6 percent (166-for-214, 24th). However, the ever-dangerous Tampa counterattack has produced eight shorthanded goals this season; tied for the fourth most in the NHL. Tampa has scored shorthanded in each of their two games against the Flyers to date this season.
PROJECTED LINEUPS (based on Thursday games, will be updated)
FLYERS
28 Claude Giroux - 14 Sean Couturier - 11 Travis Konecny 54 Oskar Lindblom - 19 Nolan Patrick - 93 Jakub Voracek 20 Taylor Leier - 21 Scott Laughton - 12 Michael Raffl 15 Jori Lehterठ- 51 Valtteri Filppula - 40 Jordan Weal
9 Ivan Provorov - 53 Shayne Gostisbehere 47 Andrew MacDonald - 8 Robert Hà¤gg 23 Brandon Manning - 3 Radko Gudas
34 Petr Mrazek [49 Alex Lyon]
Scratches: 22 Dale Weise (healthy), 24 Matt Read (healthy), 29 Johnny Oduya (healthy), 37 Brian Elliott (IR, core muscle surgery), 30 Michal Neuvirth (lower body, out 4-6 weeks from Feb. 18), 17 Wayne Simmonds (upper-body, out 2-3 weeks from Feb. 18).
LIGHTNING
17 Alex Killorn - 21 Brayden Point - 91 Steven Stamkos 89 Cory Conacher - 37 Yanni Gourde - 73 Adam Erne 14 Chris Kunitz - 9 Tyler Johnson - 10 J.T. Miller 71 Anthony Cirelli - 13 Cedric Paquette - 24 Ryan Callahan …‹
77 Victor Hedman - 6 Anton Strà¥lman 98 Mikhail Sergachev - 5 Dan Girardi 55 Braydon Coburn - 62 Andrej Sustr …‹
88 Andrei Vasilevskiy [70 Louis Domingue]
Scratches: 86 Nikita Kucherov (could play, day-to-day with upper body injury), 29 Slater Koekkoek (healthy), 59 Jake Dotchin (healthy), 27 Ryan McDonagh (upper body), 18 Ondrej Palat (IR, right ankle), 31 Peter Budaj (IR, left leg).
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PHANTOMS EARN IMPROBABLE 7-6 COMEBACK WIN
The Lehigh Valley Phantoms trailed the Hershey Bears by a 5-1 score after the first period of their game at the PPL Center on Friday night. The Phantoms then staged an improbable comeback, scoring four times in the second period and twice in the third to skate away with a 7-6 victory in regulation.
Nicolas Aube-Kubel got the comeback started and finished it off, too. His goal at 4:58 of the second period narrowed the gap to 5-2. Later, he set up Danick Martel (20th goal of the season) to cut the deficit to 6-5. In the third period, after a Mike Vecchione power play goal (14th) knotted the contest at 6-6 early in the frame, Aube-Kubel scored the game-winning goal with 6:59 left in regulation. Aube-Kubel's three-point game gives him 17 goals (all at even strength) and 40 points on the season. Martel, with a goal and two assists, also had a three-point game.
The Phantoms also received goals from rookie defenseman Philippe Myers (4th), Chris Conner (power play, 14th) and Cole Bardreau (6th). Myers, who had a two-point game, finished with four shots on goal.
Travis Sanheim, who assisted on the Vecchione power play goal that tied the game, finished at plus-one at even strength. Overall, he has posted 16 points (one goal, 15 assists) and a plus-13 rating in 16 games since being reassigned to the Phantoms from the Flyers.
Conner and veteran AHL All-Star defenseman T.J. Brennan (two assists) respectively finished the game at minus-four. Brennan was actually out for five of Hershey's six goals but picked up a plus-one as he assisted on Bardreau's goal that brought the Phantoms back within 6-4.
John Muse got the start in goal for Lehigh Valley. He lasted just 14:01, stopping just six of 10 shots. He was replaced by Dustin Tokarski, who stopped 18 of 20 shots to earn the win in relief.
The Phantoms (36-15-7) remain in first place in the Atlantic Division, eight points ahead of the Wilkes Barre/Scranton Penguins (who hold four games in hand, but are five behind the Phantoms in ROW). The Phantoms host the Binghamton Devils (18-29-9) on Saturday.
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FLYERS CHL JUNIOR PROSPECTS: FRIDAY HIGHLIGHTS
* Flyers 2017 first-round pick Morgan Frost scored 1:09 into the Sault Ste. Marie's game against the visiting Sarnia Sting on Friday night. The goal, Frost's 38th of the season, gave him 100 points on the season in 60 games. On the play, Frost got the puck in the outer right circle, cut over the middle and wristed a shot home from the slot.
The Greyhounds went on to win via shootout, 6-5. Frost finished only with the one point and even in plus-minus (+1, -1) but easily could have had a three-point game within the first period alone. He made a tape-to-tape pass to spring linemate Boris Katchouk on a clean breakaway but Katchouk was unable to score against Sarnia goalie Aidan Hughes. Later, Frost made a centering pass from behind the net to linemate Ryan Roth on the doorstep but Roth flubbed a shot with Hughes caught out of position. Frost later tucked the puck wide of the net, on a chance for a second goal.
Frost ended up losing ground in the OHL scoring race. Sarnia's Jordan Kyrou had two assists against the Greyhounds to increase his league-leading total to 102 points. Barie Colts forward Aaron Luchuk also had a two-point game in his team's 7-2 win over the Niagara Ice Dogs, bringing his season total to 101 points.
Flyers prospect Anthony Salinitri did not record a point for Sarnia in Friday's game. He finished at minus-three with four shots on goal. Frost had three shots on goal and was 16-for-27 on faceoffs. Overall, Frost ranks fourth in the OHL with 38 goals, second with 62 assists, third with 100 points, and first with a +61 rating.
The Greyhounds (51-6-4) have clinched the top regular season record in the Ontario Hockey League. They are idle on Saturday before hosting the Windsor Spitfires (28-27-5) on Sunday afternoon. Sarnia (42-15-5) are also idle on Saturday before hosting Maksim Sushko's Owen Sound Attack (32-21-7) on Sunday. Barrie hosts the Kingston Frontenacs on Saturday; a chance for Luchuk to tie or surpass Kyrou atop the OHL scoring leaderboard.
* OHL: Flyers 2017 second round pick Isaac Ratcliffe recorded his second hat trick of the 2017-18 season in a 6-5 overtime loss to the Flint Firebirds on Friday night. Two goals were on the power play and one at even strength. He had seven shots on goal for the game. With 35 goals on the season, Ratcliffe is tied with fellow Flyers prospect Matthew Strome and two others (including Kyrou) for eighth in the OHL.
Guelph (27-25-8) is on the road on Saturday to play Sushko's Owen Sound club. Sushko shares the OHL lead with five shorthanded goals among his overall 28 goals and 54 points in 54 games. Ratcliffe has 58 points in 59 games.
The biggest season-long issue for Guelph this season has been team defense and goaltending. There are few plus-rated players in the lineup at any position for the club, which ranks in the bottom five leaguewide in team GAA. Leading scorers Ratcliffe and defenseman Ryan Merkley (59 points in 55 games) are each minus-21. Ratcliffe has four goals and seven points in his last six games but is minus-13 in that span.
* OHL: Matthew Strome (one goal, one assist) took second star honors as the Hamilton Bulldogs rode a three-goal outburst in the second period to a 3-1 win over the visiting Ottawa 67's on Friday night. Strome had four shots on goal. For the season, he has 35 goals (tied for 8th in the OHL) and 65 points in 60 games. Hamilton (40-16-6) hosts the Oshawa Generals (32-26-3) on Saturday.
* WHL: Carter Hart stopped 22 of 24 shots to earn the win as the Everett Silvertips earned a 4-2 home win over the Kelowna Rockets on Friday. The first Kelowna goal was scored by fellow Flyers prospect Carsen Twarynski (39th of the season) when he split the defense and went in alone to score on Hart. For the season, Hart has a 1.54 GAA, .950 save percentage and 27-4-4 record. Everett (42-18-5) hosts the Seattle Thunderbirds on Saturday. Kelowna (38-21-6) is idle.
* QMJHL: Flyers 2016 first-round pick German Rubtsov had a power play assist in the Acadie-Bathurst Titan's 5-1 win on Friday over the Saint John Seadogs. Rubtsov, playing right wing, finished with two shots on goal and plus-one at even strength. He has 26 points (10 goals, 16 assists) in 31 games since being acquired by the Titan in a trade with Chicoutimi (three goals, 11 points in 11 games). The Titan (37-15-9) are on the road on Saturday to play the Moncton Wildcats (25-28-8).
* QMJHL: Flyers 2016 second-round pick Pascal Laberge had one assist and was minus-two in the Quebec Remparts' 3-2 shootout loss on Friday to the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada. Laberge has posted points in five straight games (three goals, five assists, eight points). Overall, he has 15 goals and 41 points in 58 points, including nine goals and 21 points in 27 games since being traded by Victoriaville to Quebec. Idle on Saturday, the Remparts (35-21-6) visit the struggling Shawinigan Cataractes (16-40-6) on Sunday.
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NCAA REGIONALS: FLYERS PROSPECTS
* Big 10 Quarterfinals: Tanner Laczynski led the way for Ohio State, tallying one goal and one assist while firing eight shots on goal in defeating Western Michigan, 6-2. A four-goal explosion by OSU in the third period sealed the win. Ohio State will play Michigan State on Saturday.
* Big 10 Quarterfinals: Michigan prevailed 6-5 in a high scoring game against Wisconsin on Friday. Cooper Marody collected three assists for the Wolverines while Brendan Warren (minus-two) did not record a point. Badgers freshman defenseman Wyatt Kalynuk had two assists and seven shots on goal. The teams play again on Saturday.